"CAMOUFLAGE"

Dominion, Volume 11, Issue 193, 4 May 1918, Page 8

"CAMOUFLAGE"

ANTIQUITY OF THE PRACTICE. "While camouflage is new, as a word applied to tho deceptive devices adopted to fool tho. onomy, it dates back as a practico to Bible days, when Gideon, with three hundred men, put to flight a force of 135,000 Midianites by providing each of las small force with a pitcher containing a light. According to the prevailing customs of war in those duys, only the commander of a corps carried a liglUj so that when Gideon's men broke ,tneir pitchors' and displayed their lights it is easy to believe that the effect of the camouflage was quite startling. At nil events it worked, lor the Midiauites, thinking each light represented a company, ilecf in dismay. The artificial forest idea as developed in the present war is of ancient origin, for, says the Kansas City "Star":— "In Shakespeare's 'Macbeth' each man in the army of Malcolm carried a branch of a tree from Birnam Wood when ho approached Macbeth's hosts. It had been predicted.that King Macbeth would not he in danger until Birnam Wood moved towards his castle. When Macbeth saw what he thought was the forest approaching, he became frightened, and lost the day." Although marine camouflage was resorted to in a small way during the American civil war, when merchant ishijis wore painted black like warships, with representations of portholes blocked in in white, nothing was ever attempted that approached tlie elaborate efforts that are now niado to disguise vessels at sea. The United States Shipping Board has created a Ship Protective Committee,'and this committee has authorised several systems of marine camouflage, of which tho Memphis "Commercial Appeal" says:— There have been scores of marine camouflage patterns submitted to the. Shipping Board for consideration. Some aro good and possess considerable merit; others are faulty and utterly impracticable. Three factors enter into a suitablo camouflage design'for a ship: First, tho power of the design to present low visi-bility-or dazzlo effects. Secondly, ■ tho cost to put the design upon the vessel) paint is costly, and 1000 dollars should not be wasted. Vhirdly, the design submitted must, if -n-oved practicable, pre. sent the minimum of difficulty in paint, ing on the vessel. In otiier woras, if the design is of the dazzle type, it; must aid to present the maximum of illusion with the minimum of difficulty in painting. The stern of the average vessel is a hard proposition when it come 3 to placing a camouflage pattern upon it. There are, However, lour men who have contributed excellent camouflage systems. They are not mero theories. Their patterns can bo seen on vessels en. tering "an Atlantic port." These men are Messrs.. Herzog, Maokay, Brush, and Tooh.

The first two men aim at reduoing low visibility. Messrs. Brush and Toch both say their systems baffle the range-finder while not reducing visibility 100 much. In brief, the Herzog system- is painted on a vessel in diamond designs; the kay is composed <-i oblong dote; the Brush system is in black and white; while tho 'lVh idea is embodied in 8-shnped waves of four vibratory colours. One example of camouflage proved clever enough to fool an expert at the art as well as :i naval officer. Tho former was first to discover the deception. Says the "Colnmereial Appoal":— Recently a United States naval officor and a ca'moiineur of repute were gazing absently from the ton floor of a New York skyscraper. Suddenly the officer called attention to an object moving slowly down the river. As their eyea became fooussed they decided it was 11 United States destroyor convoying a submarine. Then the cainoufieur changed his opinion, but the naval officer remained obduiate. The background of the destroyor was the usual battleship K re >"> the camouflage was painted in jet black nnd consisted of the design of a fullsized submarine outlined in bold relief. The periscope was painted on tho middlo stuck of the destroyer. v

I A certain Allied cruiser in the Allanfie had adopted u disguise by painting tho fiide3 and funnels so as to make it appear us an entirely .'different craft. The effect aimed at is low . visibility. From tho bow a curve of grey is painted to a distance- of about 25ft., then tho sides of the hull are painted black within 2oft. of tho stern, when grey is.again used. The turrets have tho grey badly broken by black vertical bands and tho funnels are swept by waves of black bauds upon the grey surfacu. The stern presentation is tho same ae that of tho bow—all grey. Running away from another ship tho cruiser would appear al.' grey, but when passing or being passed broadside all the colour scheme vanishes, fades away, as it were, so that at night the vision' is unablo to discern tho outlines of the cruiser. Another method adopted by one of tht Allied Governments for i's battleships is to paint a heavy line on the bows to present the illusion that the vessel is (ravelling faster, than she really is. This, simple though it appears, is held very highly by camoufleurs, because to register a perfect hit with a torpedo it is first necessary to ostitnale exactly the dietance, tho speed of the vessel to be torcdoed, and the exact direction in which she is travelling.

A WOMAN APPOINTED A J.P.

Brisbane, May 3. The first woman Justice of the Peace has been appointed at Esk.—Prosa Assn.