Evening star., 1941-08-17
Fl. BeIvoir 10 Have
Model CamoufIaqe
Laboratory
New War Building
At Arlington, However,
Will Be Easy Target

AJ FOrt belVOlT, va, JIle AlIHy
Engineer Board is planning to de-
velop its newly authorized center
of 40 buildings into a model and
permanent laboratory for testing the
military art Of camouf1age.
Brig. Gen. Roscoe C. Crawford,
president of the board and comman-
dant of the Engineer School, dis
closed yesterday that the new build
ines, blending with the trees and
foliage of the Army post. will be
virtually invisible, so far as air and
long distance observance are con-
Cerned.
One aim of the camouflage pro-
gram, it was said, is to demonstrate
to industrial as we'll as Army estab-
)ishments the best means of taking
advantage of natural cover, conceal
rnent and dispersion of buildings.
For years the engineers have been
teaching the Army how to make
advantageous use Of camouf1age as
q means Of passive defense. Now it
Is going to practice, in connection
with the new engineer center, what
Ii had been preaching.
New War Office Exposed.
CAmouf1aging, however, has no
part in plans for the newly au-
thorized War Department Building
that will sprawl over "a acres Of
cleared land in Arlington, Va, to
present wide-open target from the
air. Except for BLACK -out" shud-
ders, perhaps, officials said that the
huge building would not lend itself
to camouflaging.
Work started on the new Belvoir
project on July "a by the Chases
H. Tompkins Co. of Washington,
which was given the construction
contract Some of the details of the
$2.540000 project, which will pro-
vide more than 250000 square feet
Of floor space, were announced by
the War Department yesterday.
While the new construction was
planned to provide adequate hous-
ing for the Engineer Board and it's
expanding activities, the War De-
partment determined that as con-
struction progressed new technioues
of military camouf1age be applied to
the buildings. One of the chief
functions of the Engineer Board is
to develop and test camouf1age and
equipment. Research on It's own
buildings. it was believed, will en-
able it to gather much useful in
formation on this subject.
Trees to Be Spared.
The patterns will be changed
from time to time, it was explained.
as new methods are tested. In the
first place, the group of buildings
will be located in the wooded area
south of the main group of struc-
tures of the Engineer School on
the Belvoir peninsular. Only the
trees that interfere with actual
construction will be cut down.
Wherever possible branches over
hanging the roofs will be left.
Rail trackage and service roads
will wind rather than take straight
course throue the woods. Build
ings viii be distributed so that no
two Of them will be in line with each
other. The irregular patterns of
nature will be initiated wherever
possible and plenty Of space left
between buildings.
All the activities of the Engineer
Board will be housed in the 20 build
inss. They range from a small
cafeteria building to machine shop
40 feet by 800 feet. Each building
will have a fiat roof that will be
painted or otherwise treated to
blend with the surrounding terrain
and landscape.
Blackouts Planned.
Blackouts will be made possible.
Two of the buildings will be window
less and completely air-c conditioned.
All others will have limited window
openings and provisions will be
made for blackout shutters In one
Of the buildings the Engineer Corps
will maintain a permanent display
OF the many types of equipment it
uses.
At present the administration
building of the Engineer Board is
ramshackle structure consisting of
two World War barracks between
which an improvised connection has
been made. These buildings will be
replaced.
A road test area to serve as a
proving ground for engineer vehicles
also will be constructed in connection
with the new project. Obstacles. arti-
f1cial and natural, will be utilized
In exhaustive tests to determine the
ruggedneSs and efficiency of vehicles.
Camoufage is by no means the
chief research of the Engineer Board.
The specialists are are busy at all
times testing and developing bridges
of all types, equipment, water puri-
ncatlon and dozens of other projects.
Britain's Lessons Utilized.
Through means provided by the
War Department in cooperation
with municipal authorities and in
dustrial plants, Army experts are
disseminating much useful material
bearings on camoufage, blackouts
and afraid shelters. For much of
this information, the Army has re-
lied upon its observers in Great
Britain and other European coun-
tries.
In the matter of military camou-
fiage. however, the American Army
has advanced far beyond the some
what make-shift methods of World
War I. 1t has developed its own
techniques but as the plans for the
Belvoir laboratory indicate, it is
always on the watch for some new
and improved method of artificial
concealment.
Experience gained at Belvoir will
be made available to industrial
plants throughout the country.