PEOPLE'S REACTION

New Zealand Herald, Volume 81, Issue 25049, 13 November 1944, Page 5

PEOPLE'S REACTION

AMAZING CALMNESS DISCUSSIONS ON V 1 AND V2 HORROR PROPAGANDA FAILS SYDNEY. Nov. 11 Britishers have taken the new weapon, and the aura of secrecy which surrounded it, with an amazing calmness, says the London correspondent of the Sydney Morning Herald. They have christened it the "flying gaspipe." They have progressed from amazed surprise at first at the apparent laxity of the authorities when the first rockets turned up without warning from the sirens and have now reached complete acceptance of the situation. They have even developed a philosophy on the subject. It is common to hear arguments of the respective merits of the two bombs. A few people say they prefer flying-bombs "because you can hear them coming." Mos6, however, say they prefer the V2, because "if you hear it go off you're all right, and if you don't, well you don't know anyhow." Spur to Finish the War The mere fact that Britishers believe there is nothing can be done about this new weapon except by finishing the war has defeated the horror propaganda angle of V2 which Germany had been building up. Because it is impossible to herald their arrival by sirens, this has a psychological effect. Britishers are proud of their bomb stories. They now have three kinds of bombing to compare, and so far they are inclined to prefer the kind which is not prefaced by the unnerving wail of the siren. A vivid flash accompanies the V2. Their value as a military weapon is very small, and the uncertainty of their landing on any strategic spot appears as great as that of the flying-bomb. Some commentators estimate the speed of V2 above the earth's surface to be 3000 miles an hour. It probably uses a fuel such as liquid oxygen or alcohol. The rockets were originally intended to weigh up to 50 tons each, according to the Daily Mail's aviation writer, but technical hitches caused this to be broken down. Probable Weight of Bomb The Daily Mail says that if the enemy had been allowed to develop the new weapon as originally planned as much as 6000 tons of high-explosive might have been unloaded on London in any 12-hour period. Technical hitches caused the original weight to be broken down until something like a workable model was produced, probably a projectile weighing 14 tons, but carrying only one ton of high explosive. Commentators conclude that the range of V2 is probably between 200 and 300 miles. Thus it could not be fired against London from Germany itself, but it could be delivered from Germany against other places of strategic importance on the Continent, such as Antwerp. Any sent over London would have to come from the occupied countries. Today's German High Command communique says that for weeks Antwerp has been under heavy fire from both VI and V2 projectiles. BRITISH EXPERIMENTS ROCKETS NOT YET READY COMMENT ON NEW ATTACKS LONDON, Nov. 11 "It is most unfortunate that V2 rockets are not travelling in the other direction," said Professor A. M. Low, president of the British Institute of Engineering Technology and noted inventor, who' during the last war was Officer Commanding R..F.C. Experimental Works. "They were subject to experiments for military purposes in Britain before the Germans used them," Professor Low added. "I don't think the war is going to last long enough for them to be considerably developed." Professor Low expressed the opinion that the German claim that the rockets have a speed of 900 miles an hour and a range of 300 or 400 miles, is not beyond what is possible, but they are infinitely more accurate _at shorter range. They can be used without heavy emplacements. The fuel used is probably liquid oxygen or alcohol, with which experiments have beon conducted for years. The fuel consumption must be very groat, but scarcely over a'toil for each missile. The rockets may he made to explode in the air. The Evening News savs Mr Churchill's disclosure that tlio V2 rocket lias I reached Britain is no revelation to many peoplo in Britain, but is designed to let the world know about our new affliction. Few peoplo at the beginning of the attack realised exactly what was happening, but everyone knew that something was going on. Although puzzled and sometimes angered by rigid censorship, the people carried on undaunted. It became a joke that the explosions were due to gas main explosions and the rockets_ were popularly dubbed "flying gas mains." Mr Churchill, the Evening News adds, on the advice of tho Imperial General Staff and security officials, phrased his statement to the House of Commons with meticulous care. It is evident that tho War Cabinet desires to keep from the enemy the most minute detail which would help them to make the rockets a serious military threat. The Daily Mail says the subjoct was debated for days. The newspapers and the 8.8.C. knew what it was, but remained silent, obedient to official rules. The Ministry of Information returned to the newspapers most guarded stories marked "unlikely to bo released." Faced with official silence, tho press and the radio did their best to keep tho evacuated population still evacuated. The Daily Mail and other papers splashed a warning that German ingenuity was unlikely to be_ exhausted. Pictures were shown of trains crowded to bursting point, in an effort to discourage those who had gone away from •xetmimttu to Southern England.