CAMOUFLAGE IN 100 FACTS: Why the Eye Fails, Who Painted the Ships, and the Deceptions That Worked (Military Science, Band 96) - Softcover

Van Houte, Cornelis

Softcover

ISBN 13: 9798171733995

Verlag: Independently published, 2026

Inhaltsangabe

Why is an outline the loudest thing about any object? Why did dazzle ships actually use high-contrast patterns that made them stand out rather than hide? And how did a stage magician, a group of modernist painters, and a series of broken enemy ciphers change the course of military history?

Camouflage in 100 Facts takes you on a fascinating, fast-paced journey through the science, history, and art of visual deception. Written for the general reader, this book strips away the myths to examine how human eyes—and modern sensors—actually process the world around us.

Inside, explore 100 short, punchy, and thoroughly revealing facts covering:

• The Perceptual Science: Why the retina detects edges before the brain ever sees an object, and why colour matching is the least important part of concealment.
• The Animal Kingdom: How Abbott Handerson Thayer proved countershading with sweet potatoes on wires, why zebras are actually about biting flies instead of predators, and the truth behind disruptive patterns.
• The Artists in Uniform: How World War I brought academic painters, cubists, and theatrical scene-makers to the frontlines to build hollow steel observation trees and dazzle warships.
• Masterclasses in Deception: The brilliant double substitutions of Operation Bertram at El Alamein, the real mechanics of the American Ghost Army, and how Soviet maskirovka scaled deception into full operational doctrine.
• The Feedback Loop: Why Operation Fortitude succeeded because Allied cryptographers could read German high-level radio traffic within hours, turning deception from a hopeful guess into a measurable science.
• The Modern Era: The challenges of thermal imaging, near-infrared reflectance, digital pixel patterns, and a multi-billion dollar uniform procurement misadventure.

Packed with historical detail, technical insight, and sharp wit, Camouflage in 100 Facts proves that concealment isn't about blending into a landscape—it's an ongoing argument with a visual system.

Cornelis van Houte, military consultant.

Details zur Ausgabe

• Verlag: Independently published
• Erscheinungsdatum: 2026
• Sprache: Englisch
• ISBN 13: 9798171733995
• Einband: Taschenbuch
• Anzahl der Seiten: 246
• Kontakt zum Hersteller: Printed by Amazon on behalf of the author; https://www.amazon.de/hz/contact-us; ; c/o Amazon Media EU S.à.r.l., 38 Avenue John F. Kennedy; Luxembourg; L-1855; Luxemburg