Fake Trees of WWI – The Hidden Watchtowers

In the devastated landscapes of World War I, soldiers came up with an ingenious way to spy on the enemy: camouflage trees.
These hollow, steel replicas of shattered trunks were placed in no-man’s-land and used as hidden observation posts. From the outside, they looked like ordinary trees. Inside, a soldier climbed a narrow ladder to a cramped perch, where he could record enemy movements and direct artillery fire.

First introduced by the French in 1915, camouflage trees were later adopted by the British and the Germans. Each was a masterpiece of engineering and art, crafted to blend perfectly into the battlefield. Their installation was risky, often done at night under enemy fire. Yet once in place, they provided invaluable intelligence—shaping battles without the enemy ever knowing.

Today, only a few survive in museums, silent reminders of the ingenuity and desperation of trench warfare.

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📌 In this video:
• How the idea of camouflage trees was born
• The artistry and construction process
• Daring night operations to install fake trees
• Life inside these claustrophobic observation posts
• Surviving examples in museums today

#WWI #History #Camouflage #MilitaryHistory #TrenchWarfare