Show The Coming Battle Baffle of Germany Air Power Dominating factor Fodor for f Vi Victory By Dy WILLIAM WILLIAl B. B ZIFF Defense Through Air Power It is not impossible if circumstances circumstances circumstances circum circum- stances forced us to this point for America to adopt a strategy of total defense By such a policy policy policy pol pol- icy we might be able to resist indefinitely indefinitely in indefinitely in- in definitely until the menace di directed directed directed di- di us had abated by reason of natural causes The only force which could possibly assume the responsibilities for this critical task is air power As long as we could hold our flung far-flung battle stations in both the Atlantic and the Pacific the advantage of both defense and attack would remain with us No enemy could bypass these barricades with Impunity The mustering of ot enemy offensive offensive offensive of of- power against us would be entirely limited by space since the Ule ability of ot aircraft to dev develop lop full striking force decreases decreases de de- de- de creases in proportion to the distance distance distance dis dis- dis- dis tance of their bases from the site of operations With all outposts outposts outposts out out- posts in our hands the importance importance importance import import- ance of this factor can hardly be exaggerated No matter what axis resources may be eventually productive facilities at the moment as they relate to air power overwhelmingly overwhelmingly overwhelmingly overwhelm overwhelm- favor us Were we to take complete advantage of this fact we could make our Conti Continent nent virtually invasion This would call for a radical readjustment readjustment readjustment re re- re- re adjustment of our entire concept concept con con- on- on of the nature of armed forces Our thinking would be In terms of an unlimited air force No basic material power plant or floor space which could be useful in the manufacture o Qt of aircraft aircraft aircraft air air- craft would then be devoted to any other purpose except for those which related directly to the maintenance of the air fleet Instead of ot constricting the air transport industry as we are arenow arenow arenow now doing we woud have to follow follow fol fol- fol- fol low Iowan an opposite vastly expanding it and making its use mandatory for all long-distance long travel mail mall perishables and even certain heavy cargo The transportation bottleneck which now burdens our war effort would be broken We would have at our disposal a magnificent network of interlocking airlane systems allowing us to move materials and men swiftly from area to area The value of such tremendous mobility assumes grotesque proportions proportions proportions pro pro- portions in terms of applied power All he bombers fighters and cargo carriers in the tho nation could be concentrated against a threatened sector within a matter matter matter mat mat- ter of hours Miami would be beas beas beas as near to Panama as it now is to Jacksonville and Seattle could be as easily defended as Chicago If such immense air power as we contemplate here were in existence existence existence ex ex- its dc defense ense strength would be The only opponent it would need fear would be opposing air power of such prodigious fire volume speed and maneuverability as to literally drive the defenders out of the skies No surface operation attempted attempted attempted at at- tempted against us would have havethe havethe havethe the vaguest chance of success Even granting that our navy by some unforeseen catastrophe suddenly disappeared a squadron squad squad- ron of troopships attempting to cross the wilderness of ocean would find itself under devastating devastating devastating ing fire by swarms of big bombers bombers bombers bomb bomb- ers and torpedo carriers before it was halfway to its target Fixer defenses of any kind would be of little actual value It would be a waste o of money and effort to construct them since they could be easily taken by i a a. a vertical envelopment or by- by and outflanked Heavy expenditures in the way of antiaircraft guns would be also to a certain degree open to question We should not be misled by the ample curtain of protection antiaircraft has given such places as Malta and The protection of a small natural stronghold against bombardment presents an entirely entirely entirely en en- different problem than a scale large-scale effort to guard an extensive area The latter can never hope to achieve the concentrated concentrated concentrated con con- volume of protective fire given a strategic pinpoint of intrinsic fortress quality By far the best prote protection tion against an of hostile raiders is opposing airplanes The reckless expenditures in ammunition ammunition ammunition am am- and man hours involved In Involved involved in- in in the usual typo of antiaircraft antiaircraft anti anti- antiaircraft aircraft work makes the cost prohibitive in relation to the expected expected expected ex ex- results Heavier lIea Guns Needed The existence of high-altitude high bombers compels the of heavier antiaircraft guns greatly increasing the problems of defense The Tho Germans are arenow arenow arenow now using millimeter antiaircraft antiaircraft antiaircraft anti anti- aircraft guns with an effective range estimated to be almost feet and are said to have succeeded in hooking up ultra- ultra wave short-wave radio-locators radio to antiaircraft antiaircraft antiaircraft an an- batteries so that the locators continuously and automatically automatically auto auto- direct the fire But judging by subsequent exploits of the R RAF A F none of this has been of any great value To shoot at a bomber feet high comments the English expert expert expert ex ex- pert Pemberton Pemberton-Billing is littie little little lit lit- tle tie more than a waste of time when it can be seen When it is quite invisible the task loses all connection with logic or reason rea rea- son Modern aircraft are tough and have again and again proven their ability to fly after being riddled with bullets unless both pilot and second pilot are knocked out the engines gone or some essential portion of the craft literally blasted off Other Forms Form of Defense On the subject of ot balloon barrages barrages barrages bar bar- rages Pemberton Billing observes observes observes ob ob- ob- ob serves caustically No definite figures have been given on this subject but if they were available and could be divided Into the total cost of putting up the barrage every night for all these months we would find that each bomber probably has has probably cost many millions of pounds to bring down In his view searchlights too have little value value- They cannot be focused on more than one raider Moreover they assist the enemy in locating the target since the big lights will necessarily necessarily be around the thc most important important im im- important im- im and exposed positions He considers that blackouts are equally useless that they make hysteria destroy normal existence and hinder the use by defending pilots of airfields and other facilities Moreover this stratagem does not stop the enemy en en- emy it emy-it it only stops the defending defending defend defend- ing pursuits who are unable to see the marauders clearly The incoming raider requires light and actually drops parachute flares in order to orient himself The Germans have been experimenting experimenting experimenting ex ex- with a method of light At a signal of the alert a great blanket of light is thrown over the endangered endangered endangered area by thousands thousands' of beams flashing upward In a series of great cones This unique method is said to produce a blinding effect completely blotting out the ground to the enemy pilot Ground Insignificant As far tar as critical installations such as aircraft factories factories' are concerned the protection given by retaliatory ground fire is al altogether altogether altogether al- al together insufficient To place a fundamental reliance on this method Ignoring all other applying applying applying ap ap- ap- ap plying conditions would be a apiece apiece apiece piece of folly unequaled in this generation Without exception all of our principal aircraft producing centers centers centers cen cen- stand in an exposed position L Lon Long cruising o n g sub submarines mar I n e 11 equipped with inch 16 guns could actually shell our west coast plants One can stand on I the beach and almost look into the windows of these structures On the east coast the beautiful beautiful beautiful ful big Martin factory whose loss would be coequal to a se severe severe severe se- se vere defeat on the field of battle battle battle bat bat- tle sits site on an open field Like other factories attention Is called directly to it by the shiny tops of thousands of workers' workers cars glittering in the sunshine The axis understands thoroughly thoroughly thoroughly thor thor- the crippling result of a successful assault on t the these h e s e plants Axis strategists are perfectly perfectly perfectly per per- aware that our entire system system system tem of manufacture is dangerously dangerously dangerously danger danger- concentrated in a few cities and that the annihilation of these central targets would see us suddenly paralyzed By far the best method of protection protection protection pro pro- is a web of fighter bases and sound detector systems by which marauders can be intercepted intercepted intercepted inter inter- and broken before re reaching reaching reach reach- chIng ch- ch ing their objectives Factories Dispersed Concealed An Important auxiliary method method method meth meth- od found useful abroad is the dispersal system by which factory factory factory fac fac- tory units are broken down into widely separated manufacturing ing and assembly points All belligerents except ourselves s sare are applying these methods as asa asa asa a principal safeguard The newer strategic plants could be moved far inland and situated in wooded districts or other places of natural concealment con con- In any case they should ge expertly hidden from all casual view The European war has developed developed developed devel devel- camouflage and methods for penetrating it Into major arts Camouflage rarely deceives completely and may be detected detect detect- ed cd by practiced eyes or by various various various var var- ious lenses and photographic devices de- de vices but it does mak identification cation difficult thus materially hampering the attackers The British have lately taken to building their factories under under- ground Here Herc they are safe from detection as well as from bombs and bullets of enemy planes If It we are to retire behind our own barricades and base our plans entirely on a studied strategy strategy strategy stra stra- of defense It would mean that we must abandon the rest of the world to the axis who would unquestionably occupy it and incorporate i it in its new order Our continental m mass mas a a s would become a gigantic fortress fortress fortress fort fort- ress under an indefinitely protracted protracted protracted pro pro- siege a fantastic double envelopment In involving whole continents which would threaten threat threat- en to close in on us from every direction at once and which would wait with the patience of ofa ofa ofa a cat at a rat hole for the moment moment moment mo mo- ment of Internal or strategic weakness when an enormous ram battering-ram thrust for victory could be successful A second and more tolerable view is that we recognize the world as one and Indivisible risking our resources in a grea great out all-out offensive beginning now in a bold effort to tear out by its roots this cancerous growth which has spread its tentacles over our globe Such a course as this requires great risk unyielding will and anda a capacity for intensive organ organ- Here too everything will depend upon our quick recognition recognition recognition rec rec- of air power as the single weapon by which domination domination domination domina domina- tion may be achieved Next Next All out All air |