Perrysburg journal. (Perrysburg, Wood Co., O. [Ohio]) 186?-1965, 1919-03-20
CAN SCIENCE MAKE
ARMIES INVisIsLE7
Cannon Painted Many coIors Become
Less Distinct and Suggest vari.
colorcd Uniforms

Less Distinct and Suggest vari.
colored Uniforms.
II regiment of soldiers were to
march thru the streets of one of our
cities in a uniform of checkcrboard
pattern, arranged in squares o. bright
red, green and yellow, 1t would create,
to say the least, popular sensation.
Yet 1t is by no means certain that
this style Of costume, or something
like 1t, may not be adopted by our
fighting men IN the next war-not, be
it understood. that they may strike
the sye; but, on the contrary, that
they may not be seen at all.
One of the Oldest of tho new depart
ures Of the present war is tn, utiliza-
tion of optical illusions TO- cheating
the ever-watchful eyes of the enemy,
and in this line the most curious ex-
pedient is that of painting things out
of sight. Thus, for example, an effort
is made to render the big guna invis-
ible by scattering daubs of The pri.
mary colors over the weapons and
their carriages.
Gently been making experiments of
the same kind, the great guns of the
sea coast forts, and their concrete en-
placements as well, being painted red,
yellow, green and blue in the same
way. 1t is found that by this means
they are rendered much les: distinct
as targets.
The guns and gun carriages of our
field artillery have likewise been ex-
perimentally painted in stripes of
green, yellow and red; ald, thus chro-
matically adorned. they are found to
be actually invisible at distance of
only 1000 yards.
The experiment in question, in the
European war, has had it's most inn
portant usefulness in making guns
less visible to enemy aviators flying
overhead-an all-important aim in up
to-date artillery work being to prevent
the foe from ascertaining the location
Of batteries. A battery once located
may be destroyed by concentrated
gunfire. The daubs of colors confuse
the eye of the observer in the aero
plane.
Such a method. however, is very
crude. 1t represents only a first at
tempt in the development of a new
idea which is destined later on to be
applied in scien ific way, in accor-
dance with certain well-known prin.
ciples of optics. The daubs Of paint
confuse the eye, but il the colors were
properly employed they would make
the guns actually invisible.
Daylight, of courEe, is made up Of
all the colors Of the rainbow mixed
together. In other words, the colors
properly mingled make no color. 1t
follows that gun and its carriage
correctly painted would have no visi-
bility at all at any considerable dis
tance. Neither, for that matter, would
an aeroplane flying overhead. We may
have before long invisible flying ma
chimes.
War planes and military ballons
nowadays are painted light gray. to
harmonize with the sky and render
them less visible. But a gray object
in the sky can be seen. If no color it
cannot be seen, because daylight is Of
no color.
The only problem is so to arrange
the colors that, optically. they shall
mingle. This cannot be properly ac-
complished by mere scattering of
daubs of paint. The thing has to be
done on scientific principles. Whether
1t would be better to adopt for this
purpose blackboard pattern or a
series of horizontal, vertical or wavy
parallel. narrow stripes, remains to
be determined by experiment.