However effective dazzle camouflage may have been in World War I, it became less useful as rangefinders and especially aircraft became more advanced, and, by the time it was put to use again in World War II, radar further reduced its effectiveness. However, it may still have confounded enemy submarines.

How did dazzle camouflage work?

Credited to artist Norman Wilkinson, it consisted of complex patterns of geometric shapes in contrasting colours, interrupting and intersecting each other. Unlike some other forms of camouflage, dazzle works not by offering concealment but by making it difficult to estimate a target's range, speed and heading.

When was dazzle camouflage used and why?

When the British Wanted to Camouflage Their Warships, They Made Them Dazzle. In late October 1917, King George V spent an afternoon inspecting a new division of Britain's merchant naval service, the intriguingly named “Dazzle Section”.