Engineers and camoflage
 

Historically, Engineers have been reponsible for concealing equipment, vehicles, and weapons from visual detection from both the ground and the air. Where concealment is difficult such as on a flat, treeless plain or desert changing the silhouette or shape of equipment and vehicles makes them less attractive targets or conceals your strength. Alternately, decoys have been used to draw the enemies attention or fire away from needed kit. This duty continues in the modern era as one of my many duties as an Airfield Engineer was to deploy the CF118 decoy, a steel frame and rubberized canvas replica of Canada's fighter. Here are pictures from WWII of Engineers camoflaging activities:

Pic 1: Decoy P.O.and W. compound.
pic 2: Stores under tarp disguised as a truck, presumably a less attractive target?
pic 3: Tank disguised as a truck


CHIMO! Derek.

More camoflaged vehicles
 

Here are three more shots detailing extent that they went to in the desert to hide high value targets by making them appear as something else. Note how they even made them look like they had dirty windshields that had been swept by windshield wipers.

Chimo! Derek.

A query on camoflague:
 

How were the nets held up over vehicles?

I have seen modern hoops in pairs on telescopic poles and plastic frisbee like disks to go on poles, but nothing to describe how WW2 nets were held up. Did they use forked sticks? or was there a special piece of kit?

I have seen a scheme where 7 or so wooden poles of unequal length were threaded on a rope and tied to a truck, and then erected to raise the net clear of the vehicle to disguise its outline, BUT no detail of the top ends of the poles.

Rob

Canadian 5/4 ton commander's vehicles
 

In the late 80's I saw a Chev Suburban 4x4 that had a simple tube steel roof rack and what looked like a cut-down 5/4 ton truck tarp. It would have been in Kingston and later at RV89 in Wainwright. The Div Comd needed all the doors and seats in his rover(s), but if need be the driver could camouflage the old man's vehicle to look like the roofline of an ordinary cargo truck.