At this time of year when apparitions and fanciful creatures
stroll sidewalks in search of treats, it’s a good time to
remember that not all aircraft are what they seem. In World War
One, observation balloons were the bane of the battlefield.
Under their prying eyes, it was hard to surprise someone on the
other side of the trenches with your plans when they saw your
troops massing before an attack. So balloons were a prime target
for fighter aircraft. But balloons were heavily guarded by anti-
aircraft defenses. In some cases the balloons themselves were a
trap, the basket where observers would stand were filled instead
with explosives and dummies, and wired to explode with such
intensity that the attacking aircraft would be brought down, or
at least to think twice before pressing home an attack on
another balloon. During World War Two, dummy aircraft were
created to mislead the enemy. For the Flying Tigers in China,
their small numbers stretched thin by the distances they needed
to cover, deceiving the Japane