Re: camouflage

[CJMCE@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx]

Peter Abrahams said:

>To some degree, stereo vision can defeat camouflage.  This is partly 
>because the outline of an object seems to move against the background 
>...
>...
>Camouflage is also used in warfare, has stereoscopy been used to defeat
>this subterfuge?  The SW article notes the German WWII airstrips that
>had bomb craters painted on them, a ruse exposed by aerial stereo
>photography.  
>...

The way I heard it, The Wehrmacht Army had their own cartographic mapping
cameras and used the Luftwaffe Air Force planes to fly stereo aerial photos
to do topographic mapping with photogrammetry.  On the other hand, the 
Luftwaffe did not use stereo for their reconnaissance flights in order to 
save film (only needed half as much film).  Since it became known that the
German Recon photos were only monoscopic; after each bombing raid on airfields
in Great Britain, British soldiers would run out onto the runways with buckets
of black paint and draw bomb craters...  A couple hours later, the inevitable
Luftwaffe reconnaisance plane would fly overhead & photograph (monoscopically)
the apparent bombing damage.  Subsequent monoscopic analysis would reveal 
substantial damage that obviously would take weeks to repair, so no more raids
would be sent to that particular airstrip...  I am told that such practices by
the British substantially contributed to their attaining air superiority by 
keeping their airfields operational inspite of bombing raids against them.
Mono vs. Stereo.

Clifford J. Mugnier  (cjmce@xxxxxxx)
Topographic Engineering Laboratory
Department of Civil & Environmental Engineering
University of New Orleans
New Orleans, Louisiana  70148
Voice: (504) 286-7095
FAX:         286-5586







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