BEATING THE BOMBER

Auckland Star, Volume LXX, Issue 31, 7 February 1939, Page 6

BEATING THE BOMBER

METHODS USED IN SPAIN.

ENGINEER'S DESCRIPTION.

The methods used in Barcelona to frustrate bombing raids were described liv Mr. Cyril Helsbv at a special meeting of the British Institution of Structural Engineers in London recently. Mr. Helsby pointed out that lesr, than a year ago the number of deaths occurring from air raids in Barcelona were never les* than several hundreds in each raid, but although the raifU had increased in severi.y it now took half a ton of high explosives to kill one person. Out of 455 bombts whk-h fell during the five days from December 5 to 10 last the casualties were approximately two people killed, 10 people injured, 20 horses killed, and one motor lorry seriously damaged. Credit for this must be given to the A.R.P. arrangements. The claim that anti-aircraft fire could protect definite military objectives was supported hy the fact that although nearly 200© raids had taken place and tens of thousands of bombs.had been rained on Barcelona durinz the war the gas works and holders were still undamaged and the electricity works, althongh they had suffered, had never been put out of action. Barcelona had only a limited number of anti-aircraft gtTns. but these were sufficient to keep raiders to a height which made it impossible to direct bombs at military targets with any hope of success. Many Lessons Learned. The main danger was to the civilian population. Barcelona, in the first days of the war, went through the same of development in A.R.P. as they in the United Kingdom were going through at present.

Sketches showing how to plaster up the I cracks and corner* in room* against gas and how to strut up ceiling# against bombs were ma<to ami exhibited to the people. Cellar* were frequently recommended as places of shelter, but after the first few high explosive bombs had shown how completely inefficient these suggestions were they were immediately dropped, and after many people had been buried for days under debrra in cellars thei?e were forbidden as shelter*. shelters were shown to !>e essential awl were now provided for the population. In the streets these were situated close together and no one need ever .lie more than about 200 yards away from the entrance to one of them. They invariably had several exits. One method mnch favoured in the streets of the city was that of tnnnelling from the pavement down to a depth of about 4"> feet and then proceeding in long galleries underneath the houses in a complete square, maintaining a position approximately under the centre of the buildings. Subsidiary galleries connected in the shape of a cross the four main shelters. These gave access from one to the other in case of accident, but they were frequently itsed as safe refuges. Such a shelter was considered ample to take all the pedestrians and inhabitants in the vicinity. Shelters in City Squares. The open squares had shelters of a different type. were much shallower and had many layers of reinforced concrete, fand and gravel, and earth packing, which gave protection against the heaviest bombs, used. The capacity of these shelters varied from 700 to 7000. Other shelters were built into basements alongside the outer walls, very heavily protected with reinforced concrete of several layers, with still further protection in many cases of the ground and the pavement. Oreat importance was attached to the multi-layer method of protection as a precaution against concussion.

Shelters in the open air were buift in a similar manner. In some instances the shelters were built of blocks, and in one case a block suffered a direet frit from a bomb., Twentyeight men were in the shelter, and aTthotogh the block was broken, ft remained intaet with j the exception of small fragments which fell ! to the gronnd. None of the men was hurt. th? only inconvenience suffered being a temporary j deafness. Experts considered that the «ttrt»ctwre having been built of disjointed pieces prevented the transmission of wares which wonM otherwise have caused concussion. The equipment of the shelters included wiring from the mains with an auxiliary wiring from a hattery which was fitted with a trickle charger in constant contact with the main supply. Trench Digging "Valaeless." Mr. HeTshy said that he considered that the British authorities were behind the tirnes, and their trench digging schemes were valueless. Adequate protection conld be given to all the inhabitants of Britain by working out Schemes similar to those now operating in Barcelona. If the civil population was sufficiently protooted against attack, the effectiveness of air raids as ail offensive weaftou was to a largedegree nerrtrwlised. its main object being to cause panic and lo.>s of morale among the civilians.

In Barcelona there were shelters for onehalf of the population, and seats rn them for one-quarter of the population. He regarded it as very important that in Britain these shelters should he so fitted up that people need not Je-ave them. There shou'd be kitchens from which rations could be served. In Barcelona. the people wore not inured to raids, bnt they had a feeling of absolute security when they reached the shelters, and that robbed the raids of m»st of their terror.