LANDSCAPE CAMOUFLAGE

Greymouth Evening Star, 23 December 1942, Page 6

LANDSCAPE CAMOUFLAGE

GERMAN TRICKS EXPOSED

The Germans have been both ingenious and painstaking in improving their camouflage devices in the hone of deceiving the R.A.F. From a refugee who recently arrived in England from his own country 1 have been able to gather some particulars of their methods (writes R. G. Conrad, in the London “Daily Telegraph.”) During tne time that the British were in France and Belgium they were using great quantities of netting and similar material to cover tanks, guns, aeroplanes, and lorries. _ After the evacuation the Germans seized it. and put it to their own use, with improvements and elaborations. There is also the strategic use . of camouflage of which some striking examples came to my informant's notice: the enemy’s resourcefulness leads to the erection even of bogus villages. A large and important fuel producing installation and other petrol tanks have been completely covered with hessian, on which are painted houses, roads, rivers and fields and —to complete the illusion—church steeples'and chimneys have been erected. On the outskirts have been built imitation houses in wood.

The whole topography of the surrounding country has, in fact, been completely changed by camouflage. It is intended that no R.A.F. pilot shall ever find the works.

An important aerodrome has lieen almost entirely covered by a vast “tent” made uu of strips of hessian. Periodically thousands of gallons oi paint are used to convert this area into a different “landscape.” The R.A.F. one week would be invited to behold lakes, allotments and trees, but next week there would be terraces of workmen’s homes, streets and cross-roads.

My informant described also some of the camouflage measures adopted in coastal regions, where German batteries are often sited in houses or in concrete emplacements masked among the sand dunes. At certain spots high ornamental towers have been erected, at the top of each of which is a machine-gun nest. One aerodrome has been scrupulously camouflaged. ’Planes are hidden under “trees” painted on the web of hessian covering, and the “trees”, are so close to the actual forest that it is difficult to distinguish any difference from the air. Sham aeroplanes are dispersed anout the ground and fake anu-aircratt guns also are placed in fairly conspicuous spots. On the outskirts of this aerodrome an artificial village has been built up, complete v/ith.farmhouses, windmills, workers’ dwellings, footpaths and roads, with Noah’s Ark cattle and other “stock” in the fields and dummy farm workers. Hidden from view in the middle of this “village'’ are the quarters, built of solid concrete, of the pilots and ground staff.. My informant adds that the Gsr-' mans conceal their ’planes rather cleverly by running them into pits just wide enough for the fuselage and just deep enough io allow the wings to lie almost flat on the ground. Over this :evel surface hessian is then laid and painted for camouflage so that it merges into the general pal tern of the landscape. Distances of 200 or 400 yards .separate the pits.

GOEBB EI.S’S PHOTOGRAPH

Many of the large bombers are housed on auxiliary landing grounds adjacent to the aerodrome, where they are concealed in hangars contrived in the forest, which has been cleared where needed to give space to many ’planes. Local workers are largely employed at the aerodromes, but on any day that preparations for a sortie are being made they are not allowed on the ground The strictest secrecy is observed s.j that no information shall leak out.

Occupied teirilory lias also seen plenty of another kind of camouflage —as practised by Goebbels ter propaganda purposes’. A. special staff called "equ.pe voiaate" are kept to practise this plecisarit deceit. iVlten .; Lierman plane is shcri duwii lltey are despatclied io the spot and proceed to obliterate the “Croix Gammeo,

replacing it by the red, white anti blue roundels of the It.A.F. 'L'lie wrecked ’plane is then photographed, and Goebbels has the picture oi “another British 'plane destroyed” to supply to the papers. Subsequently the wreckage is loaded on to railway trucks, with the R.A.F. marking conspicuously displayed, and sent into Germany. When one of these trains was stationary at Mons recently a youth inscribed on. it the mocking legend: “Tons les avions sont rentres a leur base.” (All planes have returned to their base). Mons was lined 2,000,009 francs for the boy’s prank.

There are other forms of camouflage practised on the civilian population, 100. On occasion the rumour is circulated Inal troops arc being liansi'errcd to. say, Faris or the Italian frontier. Bodies of soldiers, in full equipment, are seen to leave their camps and march away—but, under cover of darkness, they will return to a camp 15 or 20 kilcmeto“s from the one they have onlv just left. ’ ‘ ‘

Next days news spread that large numbers of troops are on their wu.r to Faris or the Italian ironiier .In order that enemy agents who may be interested in German troop movements shall be completely ’confused a very small number of troops are sometimes actually sent to me rumoured destination.