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It looks like something straight out of a René Magritte gallery, but a black and white photo showing lines of trees floating over a dirt track is no surrealist masterpiece. Indeed, it’s not an optical illusion at all, but evidence of a carefully constructed war tactic. The picture was taken in 1941 by a Finnish photographer called Osvald Hedenström, as his nation tried to shield itself from the might of neighbouring Stalinist Russia during World War II. A year earlier, Finland had reluctantly agreed to fight alongside Nazi Germany in a bid to protect itself from Soviet invasion, and Hedenström was fighting under German command when he found himself beneath the mysterious levitating pines. Sign up for our free Indy100 weekly newsletter “The Finns didn’t have funds to buy artificial camouflage such as nets in vast quantities,” military historian Colonel Petteri Jouko told Atals Obscura, “So they used trees, leaves, and foliage to confuse the enemy.” Of course, camouflage is nothing new, and military fatigues are designed to mimic the colour and patterns of surrounding landscapes. But why are the trees suspended in thin air? And how on earth did they get them up there? According to Hedenström’s caption to the photo: “The Finns have camouflaged the road to Raate, about 10 km from Russia, with pines hanging in the air, because right on the border there is an observation tower erected by the Russians.” The trees were strategically placed to ensure that they wouldn’t block the road from a plane flying overhead, but could obscure the view from the nearby enemy tower. In fact, the pines were hung from wires which were connected to a series of poles (which, if you look carefully you can see), on the right-hand side of the road. Because of the angle of Hedenström’s snap, the cables on the first row of trees are hidden, which gives the impression that they’re being held up by sheer magic. The image is now part of the Finnish Defence Force’s photographic Archive, which contains some 160,000 photos captured between 1939 and 1945, when Finland fought two separate wars against the Soviet Union. It features other examples of clever concealment – thanks to Mother Nature – including a battleship which almost melts into surrounding forest land, and other examples of floating trees. In the end, Finland’s mastery of camouflage was among the key defences which helped it inflict humiliating losses on the Red Army and, ultimately, preserve its freedom. So, Vladimir Putin, take note: these guys know a thing or two about fighting off invasions. Have your say in our news democracy. Click the upvote icon at the top of the page to help raise this article through the indy100 rankings.

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Max Verstappen is on the verge of securing his third straight world championship as Formula 1 returns to the Middle East for the Qatar Grand Prix. The Dutchman only needs three more points to clinch the 2023 title, meaning he only needs to finish sixth or higher during the Saturday sprint race in order to seal his crown. Verstappen was back to his usual ruthless best last time out in Japan, after his first podium-less race of the season a week earlier in Singapore. How Qatar plans to make F1 grand prix their ‘new World Cup’ Sergio Perez endured a weekend to forget in Suzuka, while Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri secured a memorable double podium for McLaren. Lewis Hamilton finished fifth and is now just 33 points off Perez in the championship standings. Norris, meanwhile, has drawn level with George Russell in seventh place in the standings with six races and three sprints to go in 2023. F1 raced in Qatar for the first time towards the end of the memorable 2021 season, when Hamilton came home in first place at the Lusail International Circuit. A race did not take place in 2022 as Qatar was focusing on hosting the FIFA World Cup. F1 has signed a 10-year deal from 2023 to host a race in Qatar every year. Follow live updates from the Qatar Grand Prix with The Independent Read More How Qatar plans to make F1 grand prix their ‘new World Cup’ F1: How can Max Verstappen win 2023 world championship in Qatar? Fernando Alonso lauds Max Verstappen as best F1 driver since Michael Schumacher

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