Military Histories - Urban & Industrial Areas

Urban & Industrial Areas - QL sites

QL sites were intended to trick the enemy pilot to believe he was flying over a built up area or industrial site.
A number of techniques were used to simulate careless blackout precautions and industrial processes.

A combination of timber frames, hessian and plasterboard simulated light leaking out of an unclosed door or skylight with no blackout curtain.

Lights used in railway yards and cables creating electrical sparks were placed in open country to simulate a real target.
The glow from blast furnaces was created using a tray of sand or soil with a canopy shining red and yellow lights onto the tray.
From the air this looked like the glow from a working furnace.
A similar technique was used to copy the glow from an open firebox door on a locomotive.

The simulation of a blast furnace......from altitude it was remarkably convincing.