But can we learn from history?

The perhaps apocryphal story is told about a planned German assault on Switzerland. The Germans decided they could do without the parachutes, and would just drop a regiment into the deep fluffy snowfields, without parachutes (from low-flying airplanes, of course).

The Swiss got wind of the attack and painted a bunch of rocks white.

Splat.

It has to be true, since "whitewash" has been a principal secret weapon of governements all over the world ever since....???

John