Photo: Boeing
World War II came with a lot of challenges. The countries involved had to change their tactics almost as fast as they were being brought up. The dynamics shifted entirely from the First World War. New planes, modern technology, and the involvement of more than just soldiers on the ground and tanks meant that things had to take another turn.
In the heat of things, countries were spying constantly on each other and were trying to find those weak spots that could be exploited to turn the tides. The U.S., being one of the largest forces in this war, had to find more creative ways than one of camouflaging its war chest – or, at least, some part of it.
Enter Boeing and its almost insane idea to develop an entire neighborhood for the solely purpose of hiding an airfield. They didn`t become realtors. Planes were being evaluated or repaired there alongside other vital military equipment and the enemies had to be pointed in other directions.
What was once an airfield used by the Army become over the span of a fortnight a friendly, innocent neighborhood. To cover their tracks, the U.S. Air Force used chicken wire, canvas, and burlap. These transformed the strip in land that looked like it belongs in a small, remote village. The view from spy planes was not interesting at all for enemies of freedom. The trees were made from chicken feathers and spun glass, while buildings were only four feet tall and made entirely of wood. Standing on ground level would have made it seem like bad video game graphics.
The fake Boeing neighborhood covered only 26 acres but was at that time proof that creativity could save lives. It also gave that important and much-needed advantage in combat.
Related stories were reported in other parts of the world, but nothing similar has been started by an aeronautical company. The designer of this whole thing was G.W. Dennis - a genius.
Enter Boeing and its almost insane idea to develop an entire neighborhood for the solely purpose of hiding an airfield. They didn`t become realtors. Planes were being evaluated or repaired there alongside other vital military equipment and the enemies had to be pointed in other directions.
What was once an airfield used by the Army become over the span of a fortnight a friendly, innocent neighborhood. To cover their tracks, the U.S. Air Force used chicken wire, canvas, and burlap. These transformed the strip in land that looked like it belongs in a small, remote village. The view from spy planes was not interesting at all for enemies of freedom. The trees were made from chicken feathers and spun glass, while buildings were only four feet tall and made entirely of wood. Standing on ground level would have made it seem like bad video game graphics.
The fake Boeing neighborhood covered only 26 acres but was at that time proof that creativity could save lives. It also gave that important and much-needed advantage in combat.
Related stories were reported in other parts of the world, but nothing similar has been started by an aeronautical company. The designer of this whole thing was G.W. Dennis - a genius.
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