Camouflage (1943)

Calla flies is nothing new the oldest nature in fact nearly everything in nature uses some form of camouflage to conceal it from its enemies notice this young deer defenseless sleep except for its protective coloring which blends it into the foliage take away this foliage and the Dare becomes an obvious figure the easy target now here's another example of concealment by blending and notice that burden foreground matches the background pattern so perfectly that her presence is given away only by our shadow but still another type of camouflage is that used by this butterfly which attracts your attention with its bright colors well it's difficult to you to find it now because you're looking for those same bright colors you study these leaves closely and looking for a butterfly that looks like a leaf you'll be able to pick him out but the cleverest of all is the chameleon it's very difficult to get a look at him because he can change this color to match any background ah if we're gonna catch him sleep there is how you can just slip this card and I there I think we've got it Hey Oh got away what's going on around here what is it anyway did it again what sweater silly have a little trouble let's try this one nope why don't you try polka dots suit made of this oh no you don't i know one little catch him okay you got me I got I give up say what's up anyway well I was using you as the perfect example of concealment in nature oh it's nothing I come by it naturally I guess but you must admit it extremely important that's when I keep telling him down at the airfield what do you mean well these guys build a master you right in my backyard and here comes one of the jerks now they may be aces in the air but they're Dodos on the ground you think they were safe at home the way they leave their field exposed look at that leaves his plane right out in the open I've tried and tried to tell these guys but they just won't listen well let's go over i'll show you what i mean i didn't use any more concealment of nose Dodos are they gobbled up in pardon me I can't afford to take chances no nice kids all right but awfully short sign it howdy don't know how it going well look who's here all nyah see Aniyah doc you Hootie what are you selling today now look I'm your friend if you have enemies you have to hide Oh speak of the devil for instance this old coot figures on the answer to meet rationing but since he can't see me I'm in a good position to strike back now the Japs will be coming over after you the same way not the way we knock them down just got my fifth and what's that painting you're doing now this is their insignia uh-huh famas on those up there ain't it yep Wow Josh personally I'm get the hell out of here going bar how do i get myself mixed up on these things oh pretty sad one two three four five sort of evens the score for the five you got doesn't it yeah I know you told me so much okay Yehudi what's the dope what do you want us to do now you're cooking son get some more ease busy repairing the planes and the rest of you coming inside I am going to make a speech to begin with if you guys were fighting on the ground you wouldn't run around in the open like this your duck behind rocks and trees and try to hide yourself being careful not to leave any part of your uh your Anatomy exposed to give away your position not this guy anyone knows he'd be less noticeable if he smeared mud over his clothes and stuck a little brush on here and there let's put a net on his helmet and stick some grass and leaves in it uh ah needs a little mud on his face now you'd never know he were there would you let's take another example you fellas are familiar with all these things and you can see the value of it because it's designed for observation from your normal position on the ground but you're not being observed from the ground you're being observed from the air and it's five time you started thinking in terms of how things look from the air I'm going to show you some actual pictures of may surprise you let it go here's a familiar sight a detail with the six-wheeler cut across a field there's nothing wrong with that is there or is there look at those tracks they follow you wherever you go and so will the Japs now watch this baby hiding in shadows doesn't seem very safe when you're on the ground but Cristo GI magic all you fellows who have been leaving your planes out in the open take a good look at this do you ever get easy targets like that in the air let's visit an engineer school and see if we can get some ideas on how to hide things you've seen these sellers weaving strips of cloth into Annette and building frameworks for installations around airfields and uh oh oh yeah yeah yeah that's with a tar and feather a roll of chicken wire and here the linking of dummy Bush and that's a fake rock he's working on there and back now what you make a dummy tree they take a section of wire cover to those chicken feathers faster to a simple wooden framework dealt the precise shape they want then they painted the same color as the real trees in the surrounding area and they've got a tree that the they leave them full of dog especially the kind that flies the rose now let's see how they use these things take that plane in the trees here's the place for dummy trees and rocks and bushes but you don't have to cover the plane completely with trees just hide identifying features a carefully place dummy tweak and change the shape of a wing by covering part of it and casting a shadow over the rest more than that it'll distort the shadow cast by the wing on the ground remember that shadow it's just as important as the object itself he can give away your whole installation if you don't keep it broken up there now see what you get would you have a guess there was a plane down there now instead of using the shadow to hide the plane let's take a problem where we have to hide the shadow this plane in the open is a good example looks like the boys figure a garnish net is the answer to this one see how they've thinned out the garnishing at the edges that makes the density of the shadow diminish gradually then up over the framework carrying it well out to the sides to God against lateral observation watch where you walk out there he's gonna leave tracks throw the old plane under that's the way okay now how does it look uh-huh given away by that short path running from the wagon road to the installation that's the one path they used all the time they were building the thing and now they're finished they have one path to cover and they do this by replacing the foliage that was originally there but your best bet is to stay out of the open areas if you possibly can look for natural covering like trees and if they're not big enough you simply add on to them but be sure that all glass is covered or you see what happens light reflecting from any shiny surface is visible for miles from the air ask any pilot he'll tell you you fellas gotta watch all this stuff there are only a few fundamental principles to learn and remember if you're smart enough to fool in the air yes certainly smart enough to pull on the ground look at this plane standing right out there like a sore thumb no attempt made to conceal or confused why it's a it's a jug with well then if it's wonderful what they can do with paint well these dummies here you know they belong so they'll bomb the other instead of over where the real ones are there are quite effective to you can bail them out of almost anything only they work best if they cast a natural shadow then when the sun's behind clouds like it is here you're consistent with nature all of this is fine when you have plenty of time and material but but the chaps will be coming back any minute okay let's take a look at that photograph of your field and seba can apply some of these ideas boy look at the targets out there yeah but there's too much stuff there to hide hmm well let's see do anything with your runway right now just get your planes away from the field hide them under trees or bushes but keep them spread out then your truck's here out in plain sight and your fuel supply all in one bunch you only have two buildings that show but you called attention to the location of the rest of them with these exposed slip trenches and by hanging out your laundry here this shows it better and by leaving these trash piles all around yeah bud but but but what do we get the stuff to cover them buildings there's plenty of material all around here take this building the things that identify it are the straight lines in contrast to the surrounding foliage if you paint here here and here the shape is no longer rectangular smear little men on it and it's even better nail a few bushes on it can you break up some of the shadow put more bushes on the ground so that shadow isn't falling on a flat surface and the job's done especially if you cover this section of the road and drive these cars back and forth until you created a dummy one going off here you'll have to carry this road arm through to here too so it won't seem to end suddenly when this building is covered then if you replace the planes you move with dummy planes you're all set but be careful you don't put your dummy planes too close to the runway or the buildings or your real plane they don't always hit where they're aiming you know hmm all clear Oh about these guns should we do anything with them of course follow the same principle you do on everything else clean up the mess you've made around them and then kill the natural shape and shadow of the object using materials that match the surrounding terrain all it takes is a little imagination and a lot of common sense okay fellas let's hold it haul it haul it better take one last look here decide where you can walk without your tracks being seen stay on these roads where you can or under the trees or on the rough ground if that isn't possible layout one narrow path that can easily be covered when you're through using it steak off those paths and stick to no matter how roundabout it seems okay then let's all get to work over in their little over in their little further I can still see part of the tail there there that that's good now you guys up at the end of the field put your plane under that tree right ahead of you you don't have to get it clear under just so it's covered by the shadow Oh looking better already I wonder how Joe's doing down there making that path keypad a boy how are you coming on that plane will need a little time on this one you hoodie any sign of the Japs yet oh but it won't be long you oh well if you gotta go you gotta go but you don't have to go in a straight line out of this rock you honey we could bang any trees or Elsa str here put the more they break up that shadow hey I'll put that stuff I think the day shall never see oh that's swell leave it just like that don't move uh-huh anyone working in that building well that's half the job now see what you can find a cover the rest well that's one way and a darn good way I'll have to remember that one tell the more tips will do it better get those uh those oil drums dispersed leather cover oh well hey hey wait a minute don't bury all that just as valuable nothing here the tin cans sure using to make dummy trees and rocks still player swell trill up the edges little hey save those parts from wrecked plane they may gummies that's the stuff and don't forget to cover your plans when you're through with them we're working on them we got to see that no one walks through here from now on yeah we gotta watch where we're going the gap there come up to here is every window there both scream coming over it's working it's working and all the likeness falafel gang there's one jet mature lost face and another what's ride one once on one side one side once I Oh change will mine camouflage nah boy wallop tasting the we do care didn't wait yeah you're plenty sharp their attacks you should have seen the look on that nip space when I got on his tail yeah you guys would have been such a sad sacks for for that lizard hey that's right we owe em plenty yeah what happened you Hootie here a calm out of the wild blue yonder got me a chair ready to pack are you Hootie diggity everyone Peyton arm chopped flags yep you got one coming to where you gonna put it let's see now this requires some thought don't have a plane hmm not a bad idea right where it belongs you