Viewing page 108 of 203

This transcription has been completed. Contact us with corrections.

cover certain areas.  As the air is such a large place it was impossible to keep a sufficient number of projectiles in a given area to give any result, however, it was continued as being the only thing that could be done and as the shooting reassured the 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 3000 feet in broad daylight against a defense of that kind.  No loss 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 loss was incurred.  The United States Air Force suffered a loss of less than one-tenth of one percent 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

- 98 -