CAMOUFLAGE. The word camouflage, in the broad sense of military deception, is applicable to all stratagems designed to mislead the enemy. In the following account it is used in the restricted sense of deception practised by artists.
The application to war of camouflage, as thus defined, is by no means novel ; dummy guns have been successfully employed to mislead an opponent on occasion ever since guns became a normal part of military equipment. Many historical instances could be brought forward in which camouflage was practised by individuals as an expedient. But it was not till the World War that it was practised by armies as a policy.
A transitional stage between the spasmodic use of camouflage in emergencies and its regular and systematic use is marked by the painting, or other treatment, of coast defence forts to blend with their surroundings, in order to render them less conspicuous from the sea. The well-known chequered black-and-white of the Spithead forts was an attempt to mislead the enemy as to the exact location of the gun embrasures.
A further stage was reached in the adoption of uniforms coloured to blend with the usual or typical colours of the country side in a theatre of war. The first of these was the Indian khaki uniforms; and after the experience gained in the South African War, when the importance of concealment came into great promi nence, the British and most other armies adopted dust-coloured, light-blue, grey or grey-green uniforms.
Hitherto deception in war had been limited to the compara tively simple task of deceiving the human eye, at a considerable distance and for a short time. In the World War its role was extended to circumventing the camera in addition to deceiving for long periods the eyes of observers armed with powerful glasses, and for the first time in history a military unit was organized for the definite purpose of practising scientific deception.
This policy was initiated by certain French artists serving in a French battery towards the end of 1914. The interest of a French commander was aroused and his sympathy enlisted, with the result that a "section de camouflage" was formed early in 1915, for the purpose of assisting units in the concealment of battery positions and other military works, and the construction of concealed posts of observation. The success attained by this section led to the organization of the British camouflage service, as a unit of Royal Engineers, early in 1916.
Principles and practice may be dealt with under three heads : (I) the concealment of gun positions and the like from the enemy's aeroplanes; (2) the concealment of observation posts and machine-gun emplacements from direct view ; and (3) mis cellaneous applications of camouflage.