South Bend news-times. (South Bend, Ind.) 1913-1938, 1918-10-12
ERECT FOREST To
FOIL THE BOOBIES
In Every Tree Steel Core is Set
From Which Observer
Watches Huns.

BEHIND AMERICAN LINES,
Sept. "a. - Correspondence - \
make-b believe forest stands along the
edge Of the road at the entrance 10
the American camouflage station
here. 1t looks as natural as the real
woods along the fighting front. with
the shiny silver bark of the beeches,
the rough. jagged trunks Of the old
apple trees and the sprOuting tops
OF the dwarf willows.
Yet. every tree in the camoufage
forest has a steel core within which
an observer peers forth to watch the
movements Of the enemy. or a ma
chine gun is located TO sweep forth
I from its hidden recess. They are
| only one Of the many strange devices
to deceive and mystify the enemy
which this American camouflage
station is sending forth to the fight
/ ing army.
Camoufiage is one of the distinct
ly new products Of the war, even IN
/ the name. which was used for the
| first time by Gen. de Castlenau, chief
of staff Of Gen Joffre The word is
not good French. but comes from
( the argot, or French slang, the verb
/ "camoufeur" being used by French
police 10 indicate any disguise used
10 capture criminals. For example
a detective camouhages himself by
dressing as a coachman.
Early in the war the famous por-
trait painter, Giron de Sivela, con-
- Z ear-~r rsef~- p
/ teries and buildings by painting them
in fantastic patterns blending with
the landscape He laid the plan be
fore Gen. de Castlenau who, struck
with the practical value Of the plan.
exclaimed "Camoufage." And from
that time the word grew and with
/ IL grew into a tremendous magni-
tude. this\art Of misleading the en-
envy
Nanks CamOufiaGc Artists.
The American army has been
/ quick TO make a full use Of the
strange new weapon of warfare and
the camoufage plant is one Of the
most complete in existence. with a
working force Of nearly 1000 and a
staff including many OF the well
known mural artists and decorators
and sculptors of America, all of
them engaged in producing these
curious devices by which military
art deceives the enemy.
one of the officers. Capt Homer
Saint Gaudens. is a son Of the Ameri-
can sculptor. Saint Gaudens Another
Mai. Tracy. is a prominent archi-
tect who did much of the work on
the Lincoln memorial. Lieut.. Barry
Faulkner is an American mural ar
fist. and Lieut. Sherry Frey. an
| American sculptor in Paris Sergt
Leslie Thrasher and r. Earl Christy
and Cpl. Duer are well known Amer
lean illustrators: Walt Lee is a car
toonist. and Sergt. Murphy is an
| American mural decorator whose
work is well known in England
But there must be something more
than stage properties IN the pro
auctions of these artists. they must
be practical and suited to the uses OF
warfare. and it is the part Of Col
! Bennion. head of the camoufagC
station to keep these artistic pro
auctions within practical limits The
colonel is an engineer officer with
West Point training. and when any
camouflage is adopted for American
army uses, it has the double merit
Of being the product of American
artistic skill and at the same time
an eminently practical device from
the standpoint of military engineer
ing.