Omaha daily bee., 1918-11-04
YANKS ADOPT
!. PLANS T0FO0L'
]. HUNS ATFR0NT.
French Introduce Camouflage
! and Idea is Quickly Picked
Up and Put Into Use
by Americans.
Correspondence Associated Press.

= Behind American Lines in France,
Nov. "a make-believe forest
stands along the edge of the road
at the entrance to the American
:eamouhage station here. 1t looks
is 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. -
II Yet, every tree in the camouhage
forest has a stAl core, within which
an observer peers forth to watch the
movements of an enemy or ma
chine gun is located to sweep forth
from its recess. They are only one
tof the many strange devices to de-
iceiye and mystify the enemy which
this American camoufage station is
Sending forth to the fighting army.
b New Products of War.
n Camouhage is one of the distinct
H new products of the war, even in
the name, which was used for the
first time by General de Castle
snau, chief of staff of General Jofre.
sThe word is not good French, but
comes from the argot, or French
slang, the verb, "camouher," being
used by French to indicate any dis
guise used to capture criminals. For
example, a detective camoufages
himself by dressing as coachman.
Il Early in the war the famous por-
trait painter, Giron de Sivela, con-
eeived the idea of Disgusting bat
steries and buildings by painting
MEM in fantastic patterns blending
With the lanscape. Hedaid the plan
before General de Castlenau, who,
struck with the practical value of
,She plan, exclaimed "Camouflage."
sAnd from that time the words grew
land with II grew into tremendous
magnitude this art Of misleading
the enemy.
4; The American army has been
quick to make full use of the
Strange new weapon of warfare and
Ihe camouflage plant is one of the
post complete Ins existence with a
working force of nearly 1000 and a
staff including many of the we'll
known mural artists and decorators
and sculptors of America, all of
them engaged in producing these
Feurious devices by which military
sare deceives the enemy.
Ii One Of the officers, Captain HON.
.er Saint Gaddens, is a SON of the
american sculptor, Saint Gaudens,
another, Major Tracy, is promi-
.nent architect who did much Of the
work on the Lincoln Memorial.
4 Lieutenant Barry Faulkner, is an
american mural artist and Lieuten-
Ant Sherry Frey, an American sculp-
1or in Paris. Sergeant Leslie Thrash
pr and F. Earl Christy and Corporal
nuer are American illustrators;
eaNalt Lee is a cartoonist and Ser
seeant Murphy is an American mural
decorator whose work is.well known
jim England.
ii But there must be something more
sthan stage properties in the pro-
auctions of these artists, they must
ybe practical and suited to the uses
,of warfare, and it is the part of Col.
sonel Bennion, head of the camou-
kflage station, to keep these artistic
productions within practical limits.
The colonel is an engineer officer
with West Point training, and when
army camouflage is adopted for
american army uses, it has the
double merit of being the product
of American artistic skill and at
sthe same time an eminently practical
device from the standpoint of mill
stary engineering.