Airfield Decoy Techniques

Dummy airfields designed to deceive an enemy pilot by day were very difficult to create. 
The essential features of a real airfield had to be created as well as displaying dummy aircraft.
Eventually 36 day airfield dummies ('K' sites) were created.

A dummy airfield (RAF Cold Kirby) for RAF Dishorth complete with dummy Whitley bombers.

Night time airfield decoys ('Q' sites) were less time consuming but more technical.
An important feature was the 'Hare & Rabbit'......the hare ran down the flarepath and the slower rabbit imitated a taxiing aircraft.

© Historic England Archive

The hare (a trolley lit to represent an aircraft) was propelled down a cable using a cordite charge. The rabbit then took over and another trolley was moved using a cable with an electric motor to simulate an aircraft taxiing off the 'main runway'.
A lot of coordination was required but it was generally agreed that the overall effect was very realistic.