How to hide a WWII airplane factory

[Sarge]

"During WWII 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."

Pictures.
http://www.sonnyradio.com/airfactory.htm

 

[Mike K.]

Very cool!!!

 

[Twitch]

That was in our local paper last week. Pretty effective.

 

[Fletch]

Only in Hollywood would they even think to try something like that.

The British used to fake up entire air bases out of plywood. But this is different. And the British needed their movie people to do what they did.

BTW, the fake British bases only fooled the Germans on night raids. In daylight they just flew right over. Wonder what the plan was for a day raid on California.

 

[Forgotten Man]

I must say, that is something I never knew about... I once knew an older woman in my church who told me how when she was a kid, she lived very near the Lockheed plant... and how the air was black with aircraft! And the thunder and roar of motors... shook the earth! Never made mention of how they disguised it like that... those photos are priceless... because without them, we'd never know unless someone told a story about it... but, then we'd never know how well it looked! And from the air, that looks pretty darn good!

There was only one reported "Attempted attack" by the Japanese, 1942 Air Raid... that's it... even then, we're not clear as to what really happened that night in San Pedro... could have been just a guy taking his girl for an evening flight in his Cessna for all we know.

We were too far and our Navy was too big to really allow an incoming bomb raid on home turff. That's why they surprised us by bombing Pearl... because, if we knew about the attack, they'd have had very little chance at being so successful.

 

[Fletch]

I must say, that is something I never knew about... I once knew an older woman in my church who told me how when she was a kid, she lived very near the Lockheed plant... and how the air was black with aircraft! And the thunder and roar of motors... shook the earth! Never made mention of how they disguised it like that... those photos are priceless... because without them, we'd never know unless someone told a story about it... but, then we'd never know how well it looked! And from the air, that looks pretty darn good!

Remember that "loose talk can cost lives." "A slip of the lip can sink a ship." "The enemy is listening."

This lady may have had the idea of secrecy so well impressed on her young mind that even 50-60 years later, the camouflage at the plant STILL was something you Just Didn't Talk About. She might even have selectively forgotten it for just that reason.

 

[Sunland Sare]

the british did do something similar during the war; we had a aircraft factory somewhere in the south of england (can't remember exactly where) where they made the mosquito. it was diguised as a rural farm but contained a full work shop for making the wooden plane; that was at the time the fastest moving bomber.

 

[Snookie]

That area in Burbank is now a vintage-airport-themed shopping center. These pictures are great! I've been to the Burbank local history museum, and they have tons of pictures and artifacts about the airport and Disney Studios, but I don't remember seeing much about Lockheed. They need these pictures!

 

[Diamondback]

Similar discussion:
http://thefedoralounge.com/showthread.php?t=23007&highlight=boeingville

We use to have one of those on top of Plant 2 (Boeing-Seattle, now the Development Center) up here, as well...