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people who thought that something was being done to protect them. The slow moving Gotha bombardment planes flew over London in formation at an altitude of about three thousand feet in broad daylight against a defense of that kind. No less was incurred. The whole front of both armies was garnished with all sorts of missile-throwing weapons against aircraft and, while some inconvenience was occasioned, very little less was incurred. The United States Air Force suffered a loss of less than one-tenth of one per cent of the aircraft from anti-aircraft fire. Next, searchlights were placed at critical points to illuminate the attacking aircraft. Their principal effect was to distract the attention of the aircraft crews until they became used to them. Diversions were very easy to make by one or more airplanes while the others attacked; parachute flares blinded the ground personnel; and the results were again totally out of proportion to the effort expended. Again, so far the effect was largely moral on the area supposed to be protected. Then came the application of night pursuit aviation, and a thorough realization that the only power capable of stopping hostile aircraft was aviation itself. So, the anti-aircraft were handled entirely as an auxiliary of air power. The best defense was a vigorous offense against the enemy's air force whether it

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