AIR DEFENCES

Manawatu Standard, Volume L, Issue 118, 15 April 1930, Page 7

AIR DEFENCES

LONDON SAFE. _ EXPERIMENTS - CARRIED OUT. RECENT MANOEUVRES. (United Press Association—By Electric Telegraph—Copyright.) LONDON,. April 14. During the past fortnight London has been the focus of a scries of the most intense air raids since Germany’s in war time. As a result of the experiments, experts decided that the defences were practically impenetrable. ltoval Air Force machines concentrated in a sustained effort to reduce London to ruins, though London was happily ignorant of tne fact. The success of tire defensive methods was largely due to an instrument which iecorded the strength of the invaders, their distance from the capital, tire height at which they were flying, and other facts which the authorities desire to keep secret. It is also satisfactory to learn that out of fifty Royal Air Force machines employed, only three machines had forced landings, and these were without any casualties. On the second day of the manoeuvres the attackers penertated the defences, but were driven off in a few minutes with heavy losses, and tire effects of. their bombing were minimised by the promptitude with which the ground forces scattered all possible targets. Camouflages were erected and decoys placed in - position. All vulnerable points were protected, and machines rushed from hangars. Througho it the manoeuvres wireless codes played a most important part in assisting the defence.