Lone Sentry: Camouflage of Vehicles; Use of Nets (War Department Field Manual FM 5-20B, April 1944)

CONTENTS

Check List
Introduction
Aerial Observation
Ground Observation
Tracks
Siting
Dispersion
Shine
Shadows
Natural Materials
Vehicle Painting
Artificial Materials
[ Use of Nets ]
Digging In
Snow Camouflage

USE OF NETS

FIGURE 46 (1).—Nets must be propped above and away from a vehicle so that a distorted outline is formed. Branches or poles are used for this purpose. To eliminate shadow, extend net at a gradual slope from center of object covered.

FIGURE 46 (2).—For best results, erect the net over the vehicle so that it is diagonal to the long axis of the vehicle, and slightly off center, and so the larger part of the net is on the side away from the sun.

FIGURE 47 (1).—An overhead screen provides good concealment. It is particularly valuable over more permanent parking places because it allows considerable freedom of movement underneath it and because vehicles can come and go while the camouflage remains in place. With this type of cover, a tight flat screen is unnecessary.

FIGURE 48.—A sloped side screen hung from a tree conceals a vehicle from oblique observation. Repairs, unloading, and other activities can be carried on behind it. Camouflage nets used as drapes can often combine the principles shown in figures 47 and 48, and thus provide concealment from both ground and air observation.

[FIGURE 49 (a). Steps in the erection of a drape. In upper picture, truck is parked close to bush. Reflecting surfaces which may shine are covered before the net is put on. Rear curtain is dropped to cover shadow in cargo space.]

FIGURE 49 (a) and (b).—Steps in the erection of a drape. In upper picture, truck is parked close to bush. Reflecting surfaces which may shine are covered before the net is put on. Rear curtain is dropped to cover shadow in cargo space. In lower picture, net is unfolded so its long axis is diagonally over the truck and slightly off center.

[FIGURE 49 (b). In lower picture, net is unfolded so its long axis is diagonally over the truck and slightly off center.]

[FIGURE 49 (c). In upper picture, drape is unrolled over vehicle; ends are spread out and partially staked down. More of net is on the shady side, stretching out farther with a gradual slope. Draping must not stop at this stage.]

FIGURE 49 (c) and (d).—In upper picture, drape is unrolled over vehicle; ends are spread out and partially staked down. More of net is on the shady side, stretching out farther with a gradual slope. Draping must not stop at this stage. Below, poles prop net off top of vehicle, creating an irregular shape. Addition of small branches completes the job.

[FIGURE 49 (d). Below, poles prop net off top of vehicle, creating an irregular shape. Addition of small branches completes the job.]

FIGURE 50.—Tank parked in shadow of tree. Garnished twine net, offset toward the clearing, ties the vehicle into the tree.

FIGURE 51.—A light-colored, heavily garnished drape ties a vehicle into scrub growth in a desert.

FIGURE 52.—A well-draped vehicle. Scrub has been used around the edges of the drape to break up the shadow made by the drape.

FIGURE 53.—Parked between two clumps of trees, this vehicle is draped with a well-propped net which joins the tree patterns.

HOW TO FOLD NETS

To be transported easily and erected quickly, a net must be folded correctly. Practice in folding should be carried to the point where a crew can unload, erect, refold into a small bundle, and reload a net in a short time in the dark. Below is the correct folding procedure.

FIGURE 54 (a).—Lay net in an open space on the ground and stretch it square. Line up on the long side and insert thumbs into edge of mesh.

(b).—Reach forward and grasp the net again with the thumbs, making an accordion fold. Continue until center of net is reached. Move to opposite side and repeat the folding process until 2 feet of net remain unfolded in the center.

(c).—Lift second series of folds up and lay it down on top of the first series so the outer edge of the second series is away from you.

(d).—Two men move to ends, stretching them against each other until both series of folds are uniform. Fold in 3-foot lengths from each end toward the center.

(e).—Place one folded end on top of the other and tie the resulting bundle securely.

CARE OF NETS

Folded nets generate heat; to prevent them catching fire, they should be stored in a well-ventilated place. Nets of recent issue have been mildewproofed, but other nets may be weakened by mildew or dry rot and should be opened and exposed out of doors at periods determined by the conditions of storage.

Nets of recent issue are not fireproof, although they have been treated to become fire-retardent, and since most garnishing smolders when exposed to flame, care should be taken to keep nets clear of fires, exhausts, or other fire-conducting agencies.

All twine nets shrink considerably when wet, expanding again when dry. Therefore, nets held under tension, such as drapes or flat-tops, must be loosened when wet by rain, snow, or dew.

Nets should be inspected frequently for torn or wrinkled garnishing and for tears in the net itself. Garnishing should be replaced and tears mended as soon as discovered to prevent spreading. Use No. 18, medium-laid seine twine, or its equivalent, for mending. Process of mending tears is explained in figures 55 and 56.

FIGURE 55.—(a) Different typical tears before trimming. (b) Same tears after trimming. (c) Sequence in which tears are mended. Mending must start and end at a knot joining three strands or from a tag end leading from such a knot. Knots around edges of tear must have two unbroken strands of original net. As a guide to finding proper sequence of mending, spread net out tight and flat and thread twine through meshes—without tieing at knots. Keep this guide in place until mended.

FIGURE 56.—Knot used for mending tears. In adjusting a loop, note whether loop forms one or two sides of a mesh and adjust size accordingly. Use either right-hand or left-hand method of tieing knots, depending on whether twine goes from left to right or right to left when repair meshes are nearest weaver.

ISSUE NETS

Issue twine nets are issued pregarnished so that approximately 80 percent of the voids in the central area of a net are covered; and from this area to the edge, the garnishing is thinned out to cover only approximately 10 percent of the voids. So garnished, these nets are correct for use on a flat-top (horizontal overhead screen on supporting wire frame) but unsatisfactory to use as a vehicle drape.

Front-line troops will not have time or materials to change the garnishing on the nets. Therefore, these nets should be altered, preferably by camouflage units in rear areas or during training. This also applies to changing the color of the garnishing as the seasons change.

As a guide for altering the garnishing in rear areas or in training, the standard color combinations for summer, winter, and desert, and the labor and materials required for regarnishing are given below.

In front lines, when the color or thickness of garnishing is wrong, the only alternative is to modify it by using natural materials.

The color of shrimp nets may be altered in rear areas or in training by dipping in or spraying with camouflage paint; or, as an expedient, by smearing with mud or, when the net is to remain in place for some time, by spraying with sand after dipping in an adhesive.

Standard Color Combinations

Summer
(temperate and tropical) Winter
(except in snow) Desert
(most barren areas)

70%–dark green

15%–light green

15%–field drab

60%–earth brown

30%–olive drab

10%–earth red

70%–sand

15%–earth yellow

15%–earth red

Materials and Labor Required to Garnish Nets

Sizes of
Issue Nets Garnishing
Strips
(2" by 60") Rolls of Materials
2" by 300'
to Make
Garnishing Strips Man-hours
for Weaving

15' by 15'

22' by 22'

29 by 29'

36' by 44'

45' by 45'

150-175

275-325

400-525

525-700

900-1400

2-3

5-8

7-9

9-12

15-24

3

9

13

19

36



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