AMERICA IN THE AIR 



343 



Photograph by U. S. Army Air Service 

 THE DETONATION OE A 600-POUND DEMOLITION BOMB 



in getting people out of them in the event 

 of such an attack. 



NEW YORK CITY AS A TARGET 



New York is a notable example. It is 

 situated on a narrow peninsula, and so 

 marked out by two rivers on each side of 

 it that it cannot be mistaken from air- 

 craft, either by day or by night. Com- 

 munications off of this peninsula for 

 people trying to get away from a bom- 

 bardment attack are very bad, so that the 

 population could not get away, and the 

 conflagration which would be incident to 

 it would be more serious than anything 

 that has ever occurred in any city. 



Bombardment from airplanes is not 

 confined to a coast-line, because there is 

 no coast-line in the air. The airplanes 

 can fly inland to the limit of their gas, if 

 unopposed, and deliver their loads of 

 bombs. Airplanes can carry now from 

 one to three tons of bombs, and a group 

 of 100 airplanes is able to carry ioo tons, 

 as distinguished from the groups that we 



had during the war, when one group of 

 four American squadrons could carry 

 only 3^ tons to the trip. 



The initiation of gas attacks by the 

 Germans has centered attention on the 

 effect that gas would have if dropped 

 from aircraft. It was not used in Europe 

 from aircraft, because neither side de- 

 sired to start it, as it would have led to a 

 great deal of useless loss of life on both 

 sides, and not much would have beer, ac- 

 complished, on account of the equality of 

 aviation with both belligerents. If, how- 

 ever, one side had a decided air su- 

 premacy and had destroyed the air force 

 of its enemy, and it desired to adopt these 

 barbarous methods of warfare, it might 

 believe that its ends would be furthered 

 by the use of this materiel, 



ALE NKW YORK WOULD HAVE TO WEAR 

 GAS MASKS 



In an area the size of 

 two tons of crying ga: 

 every eig 



New York, if 

 were dropped 



ht days, the whole population 



