In early 1942, Japanese submarines began to surface around the California coast as WWII expanded to US boarders. A rightfully nervous government set to protect their most valuable coastal assets, including Lockheed Manufacturing, a major producer of military planes and equipment. Located in Burbank, it was extremely vulnerable to potential attacks and needed to be safeguarded; but how?
the base before
The solution was less of a military strategy and more of an idea born in Hollywood. US Generals enlisted the help of set designers, landscapers, prop stylists, and lighting designers from the nearby MGM, Fox, Paramount, Disney, and Universal studios to create a massive artificial community that would cover the manufacture’s facilities.
the base after
Constructed of a giant net canopying the factory, and populated with houses, cars, animals, scale figures, and painted backdrops. Though built at a reduced scale, it was effective in fooling possible long range attacks from land and air.
above
below
The end result was a form of suburban camouflage; I find the creation of an entire suburban subdivision as a method of disguise and intriguing concept. An odd Truman Show-esque twist on our perceptions of reality; the illusion of a quaint neighborhood masking the production of war machines.
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Reblogged from SUBTILITAS.
