How Did They Camouflage an Aircraft Factory in WWII?

[Math Is Hard]

During World War II the Army Corps of Engineers needed to hide the Lockheed Burbank Aircraft Plant to protect it from a Japanese air attack. They covered it with camouflage netting and trompe l’oeil to make it look like a rural subdivision from the air.

http://thinkorthwim.com/2007/08/19/1034/

Someone in our building mentioned that it was primarily Hollywood set designers that constructed the camoflauge.

 

[qspeechc]

Wow, that's a pretty good disguise.

Found this funny:

Well aware that the Lockheed aircraft plant in Burbank, just blocks from his studio, was certain to be a high-value target, [Jack Warner] was horrified one day to have someone point out that, from the air, a Japanese bomber might not be able to tell the difference. Warner promptly visited the studio’s paint shop and ordered the erection of an enormous sign on the roof of one of the Warner soundstages. The result? A twenty-foot arrow pointing to Burbank, along with the words: LOCKHEED - THAT-A-WAY!

 

[mgb_phys]

The stage magician Maskelyne did some similair things, like hiding the suez canal.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jasper_Maskelyne

 

[zoobyshoe]

Someone in our building mentioned that it was primarily Hollywood set designers that constructed the camoflauge.

As the comments in your link point out, that factory was very close to a movie studio and who better to do the job than set designers who routinely remade studio street sets for each new film? I wouldn't say this camouflage was their best work, though. But maybe it was more effective in color.

 

[BobG]

As the comments in your link point out, that factory was very close to a movie studio and who better to do the job than set designers who routinely remade studio street sets for each new film? I wouldn't say this camouflage was their best work, though. But maybe it was more effective in color.

For it's time, I think it looks incredibly effective. Granted, the camoflauge strategy from the 60's on is probably cheaper - smog!

 

[zoobyshoe]

...the camoflauge strategy...

Are you sucking up to MIH? You imitated her misspelling.

 

[Math Is Hard]

Bob was trying to camouflage my spelling mistake. Thank you, Bob. You're a good pal!

 

[zoobyshoe]

Bob was trying to camouflage my spelling mistake. Thank you, Bob. You're a good pal!

Hehe, wait till you get his bill. I hear he charges Hollywood prices for his camouflage jobs.

Actually, I noticed your misspelling right away but for erroneous reasons: I was sure it was spelled "camoflage". My spell check told me that, too, was wrong, and I resorted to googling it to get the corrective question "Did you mean: camouflage". (For some reason they don't punctuate that with a question mark.) Regardless, I think we're all now aware you're working on a secret airplane factory.

 

[Moonbear]

Wow, and as a side benefit, all the employees had covered parking. I bet that was a nice treat during Burbank summers.

 

[mgb_phys]

Right along side Burbank airport is another runway for Lockheed's Skunk works that built U2, SR71 etc. In the biography of Kelly and the Skunk works they explain how all the conspiacy nuts, spies and plane watchers were camped out at the secret test bases in the desert - they flew these secret planes out of an airport in the middle of Hollywood at night, carefully timed to avoid spy satelites.