The daily star-mirror. (Moscow, Idaho) 1911-1939, 1918-05-07
CAM0UFLAGE WAS
PUZZLE TO HUNS
Originated by French Painter in
1914, Serving as Ordinary
Arti|leryman.
NOW ONE OF WARS SCIENCES
That Section Of French Army Now
Has Over 1000 Men, Artists, Scene
Painters, Engineers, ETC.
Many Tricks Employed.

Many Tricks Employed.
ris.-"Camouflage" that has come
to be one of the sciences of modern
warfare, was originated at Toul
France, during the early days of Au,
gust, 1914.
painter, Guidand de Scevola, at
tached to battery near the Lorraine
city as an ordinary artilleryman,
soon found his battery was land
mark and open target for the German
gunners. One night, with a comrade,
he constructed some papier mache
rocks and painted them with dash
of green, representing herbs and TO.
liage, and they were installed over the
battery.
The peppering of their battery
ceased from that day. The painters
ruse was reported to General Castel-
nau, in command of the sector, who
passed the word along to M. Rene
Viviani then minister of war. The
war minister Immediately ordered the
creation of special section of the
army whose entire duties were to be
those of "camouf1eurs, or concealers.
De Scevola was placed in charge of
the work and called to his aid other
painters who had been modified in
the army in some cases as ordinary
privates in the infantry or in the
service corps.
Many Now in the Work.
"CamOuf1age" spread until today the
section has over 1000 men, artists,
scene painters, engineers, etc. The of
fetal figures show that camoufiaged
batteries have operated in compare
tive safety, only four per cent of their
number having been put out of ac-
ton by direct fire as opposed to SO per
cent of batteries where the guns had
not been painted or otherwise con-
cealed.
One of the most notable works of
the "camoufleurs" was the erection of
hollow, armor-plated wooden struc-
ture 300 feet from the German lines,
painted to represent tree that stood
between the French and German front
lines in the Champagne region.
The French had been operating at
a decided disadvantage as the Ger
mans held the high ground from which
they could carry out their observa-
lions at ease. The commandant no.
ticed the tree that had been swept
clean of its branches and foliage
through shell and machine gun fire.
At night he called in his camoufage
squad and confided plan to them.
A week later a squad of sappers
crept out on dark night and dug
a ditch on the French side of the
tree. The trunk was attacked from
beneath the ground by saws that had
been literally dosed with oil and cut
away. Long, steel-tipped peevies such
as the Main lumbermen carry, eased |
it to the ground, where it fell into the |
ditch.
The armor-plated shell was set up
in its place and two French observers
climbed up inside of it. The next |
the only thing the Germans
scape with the battle-scarred tree.
Puzzled the Huns.
Pieces of shrapnel might whistle by
Machine gun bullets might rain on
the trunk as before. Only a direct
hit from a shell of larger caliber
could demolish it and there was no
reason for changing the range of the
guns to demolish a trunk that stood
in No Mans Land and 300 feet from
the French lines. Chance alone would
destroy the post.
From their telephones in the OBJ
servatOry the French scouts reported
all going on behind the German lines
the fire of their big guns
md told what effect the shells had.
The puzzled Huns suddenly found six
nchers exploding in their depots.
Their communicating trenches were
with an accuracy that could
,nly come from directed fire, but the
nnocent-appearing trunk was not sus-
,ected until one night a patrol investi-
,ated it. Next day shells burst all
lround it until one finally toppled 1t
'ver, but the trunk had served its pur-
'ose, and camouflage had turned a
,aluable trick for its originators.