A fun short cartoon from the Private Snafu series made for use by the U.S. Army during WWII as instructional films for soldiers. The hope was the grunts would learn by watching buffoonish Snafu make mistakes in humorous fashion. In this short, Technical Fairy, First Class uses Private Snafu to illustrate proper camouflage techniques. Typically fine voice work from Mel Blanc. Nice black & white animation with a particularly shocking ending! These shorts weren't made for public viewing so they didn't have to pass the Production Code, which means these cartoons sometimes had risqué subject matter that wouldn't be allowed in a theatrical release. It's an enjoyable short with some funny moments and an ending you won't expect from a 1944 cartoon.

This is one of a series of training films done by Warner Brothers during World War II under a contract with the US Army. There will be spoilers ahead:The lecture is delivered by Technical Fairy, First Class. As is the norm for the Private Snafu series, Snafu is used as the perfect example of what you SHOULDN'T do! Snafu is first seen in a vehicle equipped like a Good Humor ice cream truck, which naturally draws fire. Then he fails to hide his track in a very funny bit.The fact that the enemy, of course, will also use camouflage is also covered, with Snafu and a Nazi coming into contact. This is also a very interesting and humorous scene which also makes the point that you need to exercise caution and know your surroundings.There's a section on the use of shadows as camouflage, which Snafu fails royally. The end result is what one would expect for Snafu. The short closes on Technical Fairy, First Class imparting one last bit of sage advice before taking advantage of an opportunity to join two mermaids not for younger eyes.This short is available on various DVDs and online and is well worth seeking out.

Saw this on Mark Evanier's site. In this one, Private Snafu is trying to demonstrate how to effectively hide from the enemy. When he gets told to take cover, he takes cover but then he has to hide his jeep tracks. Then he has to hide his bicycle tracks. And so on. Next, he unwittingly gives a light to a person camouflaging himself as a tree. When he leaves, he gets followed by that tree and others in tree or stump wear. Finally, he gets told to hide in the shadow. Every time he tries, however, the shadow keeps moving. When the shadow finally stops, he goes there but the Nazis have already seen him and aim. At the end, the Technical Fairy First Class who had been narrating all along simply says to "just make youself part of the natural surroundings" before going to the screen and putting himself between two mermaids saying, "See what I mean?"...Pretty funny outing from Chuck Jones and I'm sure a valuable lesson for G.I.s wrapped in entertainment. Worth a look for animation buffs interested in World War II history.

Once again another fine Snafu shot.This is mainly having to do with how to hide yourself from the enemy with the technique of camouflage.Technical Fairy does all the talking while Snafu demonstrates. Course he's no good at doing it for one thing.Throughout the lesson Snafu keeps running and hiding from the enemy. With Technical Fairy Fist Class yelling at him and telling him what to do.A Good lesson on how to blend in with the scenery when your in war.My rating for this one 8/10