"■
i'an l niled States Be Bombed From
Air? Will America Be Air Raided?
Can the United States be bombed from the air? Will
the United States be bombed?
The first question can be answered flatly: Yes.
The second calls for qualifications.
All military operations have a definite purpose. The
purpose of aerial bombardment of America would be:
(1) Disruption of civilian morale and effectiveness:!
(2) Destruction of war plants.
The first objective might be attempted with light,
knockdown planes carried bv submarines. The Ax's
fclso might attempt to sneak a plane tender past the
Atlantic patrols.
Nuisance Value Only
The weight of bombs these plane could carry would
be insignificant. There is grave doubt that the object
ive could be attained. Experience in this war hasi
shown that a sprinkling of light bombs is ineffectual
in destroying civilian morale. Indeed, it has had the
effect of unifying the populace and actually increasing
the war effort.
As for the second objective, the two bombing tech
niques proved most successful are: (1) Pulverizing a
whole city, as Rostock; (2) Destruction of specific and'
vitally important factories, as the diesel engine plant
at Augsburg. Both require action by the biggest bomb
ers, in force.
It’s roughly 4,000 miles from Narvik, Norway, to
Seattle, air line (closer than from Tokyo). From Brest|
to Boston is around 3,150 miles. Bergen-Detroit isj
around 3.700 miles. These distances to the north Pac
ific northeast coast and midlands industrial centers arc
within the total range of four-motored bombers. Con
ceivably, the planes could flv to the target areas bu'
they couldn't get back.
Expense Is An Item
Every plane starting the mission would have to be
written oil as a total loss, and bombers like that hit i
the till for $250,000 a copy. All the highly trained,
bomber crews likewise would be lost.
In addition, plane losses increase with distance
flown. The British lost seven of 12 planes on the Aug--,1
burg raid. Every mile increases the chance of detec
tion, making certain a Deception committee” will be
aloft.
It boils down to this: Any effective bombing of U. S
targets, enough to cause serious dislocation in a give
ndustrial area, would require a vast expenditure oi
scarce, skilled personnel and the most expensive air
craft. Anything less would be ineffective.
Men and equipment are always considered expend
ible material in war. There’s always the possibility
that a desperate Hitler would be willing to pay the
cost in a last-ditch gamble on slowing up U. S. produc
tion. Proof that such a possibility is present is the
concentration of anti-aircraft and interceptor units,
around key industrial areas. You can be sure the
Army wouldn’t assign equipment which is needed else I
where to guard an area where no possibility of attack
existed.
►
OCT) Is Wary
j The quite obvious speed-up of;
civilian defense* preparations also
j suggests the probability the mili
; tarv has passed the word to OCD
bosses that the liklihood of
bomber .attacks increases as U. S.'
production gorges upward. The
possibility of plane attack on th*
southern Pacific coast airplane
plants and industrial areas also;
exists. The Japanese have more
j
plane carriers than any of our,
enemies and might try to get one!
1 by the Pacific patrols. The fro
j quent alerts in California prove j
j the Army isn't discounting this;
possibility.
It’s foolhardy to pooh-pooh the!
bombing of U S. as impossible.
The military is taking the most
serious precautions. They know;
that planes can fly to the United '■
States from present Axis bases.
They know too that the lure of a!
long-shot gamble increases with
losses elsewhere, in an effort to j
recoup. — By John Grover.
SOURDOUGH STATIONERY
Write to your friends and rela
tives on the ‘Outside,’ using Sour
iough Stationery. They’ll get a
big kick out of it.
Ileydruii Is
Said to Have
I.os ANGFLES. June - Evi
dence that Reinhardt H vdrich,
:(i" c irnbor two man of the Nazi
Gestapo, sent sabotage rg< 's'
America was reveal d at 1h(
trial of three spy suspects n Lo
Angeles Ft doral Court.
Federal Agent Patrick Horgar
rcad'*into the record the a-serted
cor ft -s "i f Hants IP-Imun'
Gros. an A meric- n horn hat Ge”
man educated phy-ieinn. Gr.
has i oudia'ed therstatement.
In the stat'-ment rt ad > t!
Court Gros said he v. a. a frien-’
of H . drich and was sent to tht
United Slates. Gros said an ix
'■ vi- sabotage campaign xr
planned for the west coast in
t vent of war between the Unit
ed Sl-Mes and Germany, and that
he was to attempt to fornen.
labor unrest.
Gr ■ •- nd h - wife, a car. mi ,h
and Albert Router, a Beverly
H lb art dealer are charged with
conspiring to send to Germa-y.
by way of Latin America in
formation of value to the enemy.
Buv I del ease B- n l- :e I S'a- n
\'TE : N-\T-r>>\S CHAIR OF SHIPS
V y*y> :****mv- ■■•■■swwa . rmmwnrArsATF'rmujy.'-'Me. • ju.aw
A vigilant U. S. naval vessel (left) shepherds a convoy of ships which stretches to
<he horizon on the Atlantic.
NIGHT S E T • L E S ON A CONVO Y—The sun Elds down behind a heavy cloud as night settles on this \mo- m t tval
convoy somewhere in the Atlantic. Lookouts double their alertness. Kars sift the night sounds ou a sea <alm but frang.it with danger.
QUITTING TIME FOR BOATBUILDE l WEST COAST SHIPYARDS
Shift changes arc orderly and there is little loss of w o k'mg time at this West (oast sh’pyards. one of t e
hggest on the Coast, where Liberty vessels are being h uilt. Hundreds of workers on the day shift are shown
streaming through the gates at quitting time.___
‘OLD GLORY’ ON THE MARCH IN AUSTRALI A—The Stars and Stripes stream in the wind as a column of American troops marches over rolling
country in far away Australia. More U.S. soldiers march with 'Old Glorv’ there as United Nations forces prepare to repulse Jap onslaught or to launch an offensive.