The Replica Paris: History’s Greatest Urban Camouflage

When in 1918 German bombers began to regularly attack Paris under the cover of night, the French authorities came up with a desperate yet brilliant idea. Since airplanes lacked radar and pilots navigated solely by city lights and distinctive landmarks, could they be fooled? Thus was born the plan to build a replica of the entire city of Paris—a fake metropolis meant to attract bombs away from the real capital.

Nocturnal Nightmares Over France

The first bombings of Paris began as early as 1916. Initially, the Germans used clumsy airships, which were easy targets for anti-aircraft artillery. The situation changed dramatically when the Gotha and Friedrichshafen G.III bombers were introduced—machines capable of carrying up to a ton of explosives.

In January 1918, thirty German bombers carried out a devastating raid on Paris. Twenty-six people were killed, and more than 200 were injured. The city’s residents lived in constant fear, with every night bringing the possibility of another tragedy. When the French improved their anti-aircraft defenses, the Germans simply switched to nighttime attacks, making them virtually invisible.

A crucial weakness of contemporary aviation was the lack of radar. Bomber pilots had to rely solely on their eyesight, following the bends of rivers and railway lines that led them to their targets. At night, they recognized cities by their characteristic street and square lighting. This very vulnerability inspired an extraordinary plan.

The Light Engineer

Fernand Jacopozzi was an Italian living in Paris, renowned as a master of illumination. He designed the lighting of the Eiffel Tower and the Champs-Élysées, so he well understood how light shapes spatial perception. In 1917, he joined the air defense unit and proposed a solution seemingly straight out of science fiction.

Jacopozzi noticed the Seine’s numerous meanders, creating distinctive river bends. If a similar turn could be found in an uninhabited area, a fake city could be built there. From several thousand meters up, at night, German pilots would have difficulty distinguishing the replica from the original.

The plan was kept under strict secrecy. Even most Parisians had no idea that a twin version of their city was being constructed just a dozen kilometers from their homes. As historian Jean-Claude Delarue later recalled, the project demonstrated how seriously the military took the new threat of aerial attack.

Three Fake Cities

The French did not limit themselves to one location. They designated three zones, each designed to play a different role in deceiving the enemy. Zone A, northeast of Paris, imitated the industrial suburbs of Saint-Denis and Aubervilliers, including the Gare du Nord and Gare de l’Est train stations.

The most ambitious was Zone B in Maisons Laffitte, northwest of the city. There, the real “fake Paris” was to rise—a replica of the Champ de Mars, Champs-Élysées, Trocadéro Palace, and even the circular railway line surrounding the city. Lighting was key in this area, as during raids, real Paris would be plunged into darkness.

Zone C to the east represented an entirely fictitious industrial district. Huge “factories” were constructed from wood covered with colored canvases. Inside these structures, furnaces produced smoke rising from chimneys, enhancing the illusion of realism.

The Train That Went Nowhere

The true masterpiece was a replica train station complete with a train. Engineers built fake tracks, platforms, and station buildings out of wood and plastic. The most ingenious feature was Jacopozzi’s lighting system, which made the stationary train appear to be moving when seen from above.

Variable, pulsating lights imitated the movement of the locomotive and carriages. For a pilot flying several kilometers above, at night, the illusion was nearly perfect. People who saw the effect up close were greatly impressed by the realism of the deception.

Work on Zone A was completed first. Construction continued in the other two zones, though they were never fully finished. In September 1918, the Germans launched their last air raid on Paris. Two months later, the Armistice of Compiègne ended World War I.

The Secret Revealed Years Later

The fake Paris was never tested under combat conditions. It remains unknown whether German bombers would have been tricked by Jacopozzi’s illuminations. Immediately after the war, all the structures were dismantled, and the sites were swiftly built over with ordinary homes. Today, nothing remains of this extraordinary project.

The secret lasted until November 1920, when the British weekly „Illustrated London News” published an article on the entire deception, complete with photographs. The world learned of one of the strangest episodes of World War I—the attempt to hide an entire city by building its double.

Fernand Jacopozzi was awarded the title of Commander of the Legion of Honor. After the war, he revolutionized outdoor advertising, becoming a pioneer of illuminated billboards. His most spectacular achievement was installing a giant Citroën logo on the Eiffel Tower in 1925, transforming the „gloomy summit” into a symbol of modern Paris. The Italian engineer died in 1932 and rests in the famous Père-Lachaise Cemetery, alongside the greatest figures in French history.