The following report on German use of area smoke screens in WWII was originally published in Tactical and Technical Trends, No. 38, November 18, 1943. [DISCLAIMER: The following text is taken from the U.S. War Department publication Tactical and Technical Trends. As with all wartime intelligence information, data may be incomplete or inaccurate. No attempt has been made to update or correct the text. Any views or opinions expressed do not necessarily represent those of the website.]

GERMAN USE OF AREA SMOKE SCREENS* Air raids on military targets in Germany and in the occupied countries have compelled the Germans to intensify defensive measures through the use of area smoke screens (see Tactical and Technical Trends No. 24, p. 8 for previous reference to this subject). Such screens have been used to confuse our bombers by obscuring their targets and to interfere with our photographic reconnaissance. Screens used early in the war showed progressive development but were, in many cases, quite inadequate to conceal the places and installations which they were designed to protect. Small numbers of points of smoke emission, far apart, were characteristic except at Brest and Kiel where, over a period of time, screens of constantly increasing effectiveness were built up. Large, dense screens over Berlin were also noted in early 1941. It is probable that German experience at these places has been useful in the planning of screens for other cities, both inland and on the coasts. It is noteworthy that the smoke producers for most of the earlier screens were placed in close proximity to the targets. Later screens show a greater similarity in technique, although there are still considerable divergences, some of which may depend on the relative importance placed on the defense of one point as against another. Features of current activities in smoke screen defense are as follows: (1) Daylight Screens Coincident, no doubt, with the daylight raids of the U.S. Air Force, the Germans have been making much greater use of daylight screens than they did before January of this year. The technique appears to be the same as for night screens. (2) Placement of Smoke Producers An average spacing of 75 to 100 yards between smoke producers is the current practice, according to latest information. More closely placed producers have, however, been seen in several places, notably Berlin, Warnemunde, Gdynia and Foetten Fjord. In no place does it appear that any system of equal spacing is rigidly used. The different smoke-producing capacities of various types of equipment used and the directions of prevailing winds are undoubtedly controlling factors. In some cases the smoke producers are now being located at considerable distances from the targets. This is done to conceal landmarks in the vicinity which would enable attacking airmen to estimate accurately the position of the target even when it is covered by a heavy screen. It is a tribute to the effectiveness of our bombing raids that the enemy have been driven to the necessity of greatly increasing the size of their screens, involving more rapid consumption of their supplies of smoke chemicals and the provision of greatly increased amounts of equipment. At Bremen recently, smoke ejectors were seen to extend for a distance of 12 miles east and west and 11 miles north and south. (3) Subsidiary and Decoy Screens Other tactics tried for the purpose of protecting vital installations have included the use of separate subsidiary screens to hide easily identifiable landmarks, and the use of decoy screens to confuse attackers as to the real location of their targets. Tactics of this kind are probably more effective at night. (4) Time for Screen Build-Up The time required by the Germans to build up an effective screen averages 15 to 20 minutes after the alarm is given. (5) Number of Smoke Producers Used The number of smoke generators necessary to produce a good screen depends on generating capacity. At Emden, 56 generators, spaced from 60 to 110 yards apart, formed a dense layer of smoke extending for 3 1/2 miles; at Brest, at least 117 generators were used, 70 yards apart on the fortifications, elsewhere 90 to 130 yards apart. (6) Smoke Producers On Boats To provide coverage over harbors, smoke producers are placed on moles and jetties and on small craft, suitably located, as well as on roads around the towns. At St. Nazaire, 17 barges anchored in the Loire river up-wind from the city, have served this purpose. Smoke floats may have been dropped off boats into the waters or harbors to increase the smoke output of spray equipment. (7) Smoke Producers on Trucks Smoke producers mounted on trucks have been used to reinforce smoke screens by moving from place to place according to need as dictated by wind direction and velocity. (8) "Dazzle" Effects On Screens Searchlights have been used in connection with low-lying smoke screens, not to pick up attacking planes but to cause a dazzle effect when the light is reflected by the millions of tiny particles of smoke cloud. (9) Pouring Smoke Liquid On Water Either experimentally or, more likely, because of a shortage of spraying equipment, the Germans, on a few occasions, have poured smoke liquid into the waters of a Norwegian fjord to produce a screen. It was estimated that it took a half hour before an effective smoke cover could be produced. The liquid used in this way was not identified but was possibly either titanium tetrachloride or a chlorsulphonic acid oleum mixture. (10) Places Where Area Smoke Screens Have Been Used by the Axis Berlin Bizerte Bremen Brindisi Brest Bordeaux Dortmund-Ems Canal Dusseldorf Emden Essen Genoa Gdynia Kiel Lorient Messina Morlaix         Naples Osnabruck Palermo Politz Rostock Sindelfingen Spezia Stavengerfjord    St. Nazaire Stuttgart Taranto Trapani Tripoli Trondheim Warnemunde Wilhelmshaven Wismar (11) Reported But Not Confirmed Use of Screens Bohlen Burbach Charleroi Cologne Corinth Canal Duisburg Ergste Gelsenkirchen Greiz (nr. Plauen) Huls Ijmuiden Jena         Kassel Linden (Hanover) Lubeck Magdeburg Oranienburg Saarbrucken Stettin Schweinfurt Toulon Volklingen (Saar) Wiener Neustadt   *Based on information as compiled by the Office of Chief of Chemical Warfare Service.

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