Getting a toehold

Overshoes threw Japanese off the scent

Among the most ingenious, if at first sight bewildering, gadgets developed by the Special Operations Executive were overshoes in the shape of bare feet, inset, designed to be worn by SOE agents operating in south-east Asia and the Pacific to fool the Japanese into thinking that the footsteps they left behind when sneaking ashore from a boat were those of native inhabitants. At home, murals disguised some of the thousands of small concrete bunkers, or “pillboxes”, erected at strategic points around the country to fight off a German invasion. Some, such as in Felixstowe, were painted to look like petrol stations. Another use for paint was in the skies. Spitfires used for photo reconnaissance missions during the day were usually painted blue, and those that went out at dusk or dawn were decked in “Camoutint Pink”. Dogs, such as Salvo the fox terrier, were dropped by parachute behind German lines alongside British troops, to help them detect mines, traps and enemy soldiers.