Ellsworth American. [volume] (Ellsworth, Me.) 1855-current, 1918-06-05
CAMOUFLAGE WAS
PUZZLE TO HUNS
Originated by French Painter In
1914, Serving as Ordinary
Artilleryman.
NOW ONE OF WARS SCIENCES
That Section OF French Army Now
Has Over 1000 Men, Artists, Scene
Painters. Engineers, Etc
Many Tricks Employed.

Paris.--"Cahtouflage" that has come
TO be one of the sciences OF modern
warfare, was originated at Toul
Franc. during the early days Of Au-
gusA ia.
A painter. Guidand de Scevsls. at
tached TO a battery near the Lorraine
city as an ordinary artilierym!s,,
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 n dash
or green. representing herbs and TO-
hage, and they were installed over the
battery.
The peppering of their battery
ceased from that day. The painters
ruse was reported to General Castei-
nau, in command of the sector, who
passed the word along to NJ. Rene
Niviani, then minister of war. The
war minister Immediately ordered the
creation of a special section of the
army whose entire duties were to be
those Of "camoufleurs," or concealerA.
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. az ordinary
privates in the infantry or In the
service corps.
Many Now In the Work.
"Camoufage" spread until today the
section has over 1000 men. artists.
scene painters, engineers. etc. The of.
hcial figures show that camoufaged
batteries have operated In eompara-
tive safety, only four per cent Of their
number having been put out of &C
ton by direct fire as opposed to 30 per
cent Of batteries where the guns had
not been painted or otherwise con-
cealed.
One of the most notable works of
the "camoufieurs" was the erection of
hollow, armor-plated wooden struc-
lure 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 commandment 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 camoufiage
squad and confided plan to them.
A week later squad Of sappers
crept out on a dark night and dug
a ditch. on the French side OF the
tree. The trunk vas 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 II fell into the
ditch.
The armor-plated shells was set up
in its place and two French observers
climbed up inside Of II. The next
morning the only thing the Germans
could see was the old familiar land
scape with the battIe-scarred tree.
Puzzled the Huns
pieces or shrapnei 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 1t and there was no
reason for changing the range of the
guns 10 demollsh a trunk that stood
in No Mans Land and 800 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,
regulated the fire of their Ibig guns
and told what effect the shells had.
The puzzled Huns suddenly found six
inchers exploding in their depots.
Their communicating trenches were
peppered with an accuracy that could
only come from directed fire, but the
inrocent-appearing trunk was not sus-
pected until one night a patrol investi-
gated IT. Next day shells burst all
around IL until one finally toppled \
over, but the trunk had served its pur-
n0Ga and h.A n