Hidden assets
Disguising the Taj Mahal with bamboo scaffolding to protect it from enemy attack in 1942 (Did You Know?, November) was just one example of the countless ways that factories, runways, power plants and other important structures were camouflaged during the Second World War.
In the wake of the attack on Pearl Harbor, for example, it was vital to protect the militarily strategic Lockheed plant in California, and no expense was spared to do so. Set designers and artists were recruited from Hollywood movie studios such as Disney and Paramount. The main factory buildings and parking lots were disguised as miles of green fields. Airstrips were painted to resemble fields of alfalfa. Hundreds of artificial trees were planted and chicken feathers sprayed on to them to simulate leaves. Movement by employees was confined to underground walkways, except when they walked to pretend bungalows made of hessian to make a show of hanging out and taking down laundry from clotheslines.
The success of the illusion was confirmed when a general from the War Department was flown over the area on a reconnaissance flight and reported that all he had seen was one California suburb after another.
Ian MacDonald, Essex
Beyond the Tudors
I always enjoy the magazine, which, for me, is a must-read. However, please: enough of the Tudors and both world wars! All seem to feature in most issues of the magazine and, important as these subjects are, they really have had enough attention for some time.
How about an increased focus on the stories of Scotland, Wales and Ireland? Although all may have been featured in the magazine, it’s usually in the context of their relationship with England, and all have very interesting histories of their own. For Wales, for example, how about features on Owain Glyndŵr, the social history of mining and ironwork in 19th-century south Wales, or the role of nonconformism? And, for Scotland, what about the growth of Glasgow’s industry, the city’s role in the slave t
