IF AN AIR RAID CAME TO AUCKLAND.

Auckland Star, Volume LXVIII, Issue 31, 6 February 1937, Page 6 (Supplement)

IF AN AIR RAID CAME TO AUCKLAND.

City Paralysed in a Night. OBJECTIVES OF ENfcMY STRATEGISTS.

(By W.A.L.)

MOST of us have a rather hazy- Uea of modern air forco strategy. The general conception seems to be that in time of war the enemy 'planes swoop down from the clouds and blow buildings and citizens to unattractive pieces. Sometimes, by way of variety, a few thousand gas, incendiary and bacteria bombs are let loose where they will do tho most damage.

This terrible outlook for the modern man of the town and his wife and children certainly seemed more than appalling, although it was felt that to some deTee the consequences might be avoided by the use of suitable underground shelters and proper instruction in the fitting of gas masks. However, in tho light of the latest strategy carried out by most of the leading Powers of the world, it would appear that these methods of attack and defence are now obsolete. Our day knows an even more deathly use of the air arm.

The military authorities look on it this way. Why take months smashing a city when you can paralyse it in a night? Why hurt hits of the hody when a sudden sharp blow on the brain is easier and more effective? AVhy not pierce the weak pointe of modern urban civilisation? We must take the case of Auckland to bring home these points more clearly, although, at present, there seems no likelihood of Xew Zealand being attacked to anv great extent from the air. Many other" events would occur before this happened, but for our purposes we will put -this city near the scene of possible hostilities, as London, Paris, Berlin, and Home are, and try to picture just what would happen. No Spy System Needed. Enemy air strategists would need to know only a few simple facts concerning- the city, and no involved spy system of the environs would suffice for their purposes, and their campaign would probably be worked out as follows:— The source of electrical power is noted. It is found that Arapuni, with the help of a stand-by plant at King's wharf, supplies the whole of the city. Without these two there will be no electric power; a plan of attack is made and the commanders arrange their departure so that-each offensive, at Arapuni and Kim's wharf, is synchronised. Some dark, cloudy night" a flare would lie dropped, then about 2;j tons of bombs, and both these stations would be an easy target, for a. bombing squadron.

Few people realise that modern bombers have a top speed of nearly 200 m.p.h. and carry a ton of bombs. Types at present under test in America cruise at 230 m.p.h., carrying two ton 3 of bombs and can cover up to 2500 miles without refuelling. Things have certainly changed since the war, and bombs themselves havo made proportionate advancement. A ton demolition borub would smash a concrete dam at a direct hit, and direct hits are not just a matter of "shut Tour oyes and to luck," as they were in 1917-1919. Sights are sights these days, and direct hits from a. reasonable altitude are almost the rule rather than the exception.

Disaster Dances In. It will be bombs and bombers of these type 3 then that the enemy will use, and only one direct hit would be necessary to shatter both Arapuni and King's wharf. There will bo many more than one direct hit. Immediately there will be no lights, no trams, no gas, and the-gasometers of the city and suburbs would be sitting shots" if a few more 'planes are inclndcd. We find it hard to imagine just what months without electricity would mean to this city. Any faults that occur at the station have been remedied, at the most, in a few hours, but in this case six months at least would elapse before any power would come through. Until then, what about telephones, telegraph, wireless communication and all the factories worked by electricity ? 'It is bad enough to bo without lights of any description, but what about light for tho news of events has eome'to in day by day; it would be rather ghastly to know absolutely nothing of what was going on other than distorted rumour by word of mouth. But there is a lot more to come yet. Transport and Starvation. Transport always lias been the tender epot of the enemy, although gener.iliv in connection with cutting off supplies from the opposing army. In the next war the transport of the big cities will be the airman's objective. Auckland's railway presents no difficulties to the air strategist. The only two outlets each have a large tunnel a short distance from the terminal itself. It woiild take modern 'plant's only two or three minutes to settle these points, for at least two month*. A few Main Trunk viaducts could easily be added to the list, and these things would tnke probably six months to repair, or, strictly speaking, rebuild.

Then the question of ninior transport, riie fact that Auckland has no bridzo exits on its main routes and that bombed roads can easily bo rebuilt n-ould not worry the strategist. Freeman's Hay holds the fuel stores for the city, and* they nil make the pasiest of targe' s f° r < l modern bomber. One bomb only in the huge petrol reservoirs and tin; very life blood of motor transport would be tapped at its source; the benzine in the service stations of. the city would hardly last a week. Of what use are the roads now? The railway? have plenty of fuel but no exits: the "motor lorries luive plenty of exits l>ut no fuel. Where would we get our food from? Starvation is never far distant from .1 modern city when its , transport connections arc severed. Good Reason to Worry. Thinjrs would certainly be worrying the City Fathers even if another trouble had no"t descended on them. Wate: «ecms sueli a common thing; there i = always so much, and we i.i the cities seldo'm worry about it. But a city without water its almost a city doomed. Our wafer supply comes through pipe lines from a reservoir at the Waitakeres. It would only need information as to the outlet, ami a few bombs, to make Auckland absolutely without wat»r. North Shore's pumping station at

Pupuko would be a one-shot objective. To make a thoroughly effective job the water could be contaminated in many wavs to render it, if not poisonous, at least undrinkalile. The city will h= needing water, and needing it badly. One or two lircs will have started ere this, and things will lie mine than desperate. Probably" the authorities will have td blow up" some of their own buildings in an attempt to check the conflagration. With no drainage and no sewerage sanitary problems will be cropping up. The>e will be no need for tho enemy to drop those plague bacteria, we hear so much of; it will not be long before some sort of epidemic will be taking its toll of the city's inhabitants.

Striking at the Essential Morale. There is no power, no light, no news, no transport and no water, and fires are racing in many points of the city. There is very little food, and people are btarving. " Typhoid is certain to be making iiri presence felt. The sick have no water, and what food there is is ununited to tho condition. The horse will be the f • re In (up lli^ht w e would go back 50"years. In causing all this havoc the enemy has probably killed directly :JOO or -100 people by actual bombing, and he need do nothing else. • The morale, the most vital part of a nation, and once the most difficult to get at, has been badly shaken. Its people can do nothing. They are stricken.

Of course it is understood that these tactics apply to both sides. It is also understood "that anti-ajreraft gune have vastly improved; but it would take a very efficient battery to put even half of quarter of the 'planes would need to reach their objective. Our own aircraft would be some defence, although a 'plane is more for the purposes of attack, but an air attack is so sudden now that there would be little hope of :i carefully planned offensive being detected until too late. May these tactics never be given any tests other than in air manoeuvres.