Since the World War of 1914-18 the word camouflage, originally a French word, has been adopted throughout the world to denote a particular type of military deception in which paints and artists play the major role. In the unrestricted sense the word may be applied to any device which is calculated to mislead the enemy. Such general camouflage has been practised by belligerent nations throughout history. The Wooden Horse of Troy, the Moving Forest in Shakespeare's Macbeth and the incalculable Shivaji's escape in a basket of sweetmeat under the very nose of Aurangzeb are some of the popular examples of camouflage in the general sense. Napoleon is known to have made extensive use of camouflage in his campaigns, and it will be readily understood that in war, in which everything is considered to be fair, military deception must occur to generals and soldiers alike as almost a first principle.
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