The evening Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1918-1920, 1918-10-16
CAMOUFLACE
ALL ALONG THE
FRONT LINES
Dummy Soldiers Against
Imitation Parapets to
Fool the BOches
THEY DRAW THE
ENEMY'S FIRE
An Effective CamOufage
Often COnceaIs an
Allied Si1arpshoOter

Behind American Lines in France,
Sept, Correspondence of The Assoc
lated Press)-Heads of dummy SOL
diers made of papier mache and
mounted on long poles peer, with
staring eyes over the tops of imita
ton parapets in the American camou-
flage stations here. They are decoys
for the German sniper to shoot at and
thus disclose his hiding place.
Long lines Of these dummy figures
lean against the walls of the 'toy
shop" as the soldiers call it, huge
building where companies and regi-
ments Of imitation soldiers are manu-
factured Soldier heads, some bare
headed and others wearing helmets,
are first modelled by sculptors work
ing in soft white clay. This is re-
peated in papier mache.
a big oven bakes the papier-mache
heads to the required hardnes. Then
they pass to the artists, who put on
the natural tint Of flesh, uniform and
helmet. Finally they are mounted
on stout poles and are ready to be
held up as decoys along the trenches,
to draw th" fire of the enemy. Very
often an enemy sniper will disclose
his whereabouts by taking a shot at
one of these papier-mache soldiers
peeIing over the trench front.
Turning from the plaster decoys
the correspondents were suddenly
confronted by a whole regiment Of
soldiers armed and in full field equip
ment, and thrown out in open order
as the men go forward in the early
morning raids. But instead Of being
real soldiers, this was a regiment of
"silhouettes." Each figure was life
size, painted on thin board, and cut
out much as children cut out paper
dolls. Some were kneeling' and fl'-
ing others were firing from the
shoulder; and others stood at rest.
They wer1 fne-looking men, every
one of them, and the work of the
/ best artists.
These silhouettes are one of our
most effective means of camoufage,
it was explained They are used in
the early dawn, when there is a mist
which makes it difficult to detect the
deception. During the night they are
posted in open order far in front.
! AS daylight breaks the enemy sees
/ this array dimly outlined through the
mist. 1t usually draws the fire of
machine guns and batteries, and gives
/ in advance the main lines of enemy
resistance. With this disclosed, the
men leap forward and living figures
take the place of the painted silhou-
cites.
Near the silhouettes, artists We're
turning out Il number Of most artis-
tic tree stumps. The stumps look
ed very ratural, covered with moss,
but each was handy box from which
Il sniper could work with his gun
Ond of these handy boxes was in
side a pile of old tin cans; and in
another the observer looked through
an orifce Of helmet which had ap-
parently fallen on the battlefi, ,eld
But the cans and the helmet were not
real-all camoufage.
A very effective camoufage, useC
along the top of trenches, is sim
pie box of rough, irregular shape
painted to resemble earth and cover,
ed with gravel and twigs. This is
set upon the edge of the trench anc
looks iust like the rest of the earth
but inside there is room for the heaC
and shoulder Of a soldier, who car
look about as though head anC
shoulder above the trench.