Detroit evening times. (Detroit, Mich) 1921-1958, 1943-03-13
War Today
Official Scheme
TO Bomb Reich to
lis Knees Evolved
Nv CAPT. JOHN H. cRAIGE

By CAPT. JOHN II. CRAIGE
written E,reciAily for Int'l Ns~s service
Observers in Allied capitals
are pretty nearly unanimous IN
their belief that the sustained
downpour OF high explosives by
the Allies on German cities IS
merely the preliminary spade
work for the tremendous bomb
ing plan known TO be in prepare
ton for bringing Germany TO
her knees.
Official details are, Of course,
military secrets. But what pur-
ports 10 be It's general outline
has been widely discussed IN
technical magazines here and in
London.
ITS MAIN outlines are well
understood in military circles,
although. so far as this writer is
aware, they have never before
been blueprinted in full in a non
technical publication.
Origin OF the scheme traces
back 70 just about a year ago,
when Air Marshal Arthur I.
Harris Of the Raj announced
that he had evolved a plan for
bringing Hitler's realm to her
knees by air action, and that.
given enough bombers, he could
put II into effect.
Marshal Harris prescription
for Gripping Germany started
from the theory that II some 90
centers of communications and
heavy industry could be smashed
and kept smashed. the war po-
tential of the Reich would be so
reduced that its army would be
a pushover for Allied land inva-
sion.
THIS VASTLY impressed mil
itary leaders and statesmen IN
charge OF United States and
British war effort. The Harris
plan seemed 10 make sense.
Soon the u. S. air command
set up headquarters in the Brit
ish Isles. Reports OF the tre-
building-up process
that has taken place since have
convinced most observers that
preparations are procee d ne
apace for putting Harris plan
TO the test OF war.
Unquestionably in the many
months that have passed since
that time. vast amount OF
staff work has been devoted to
figuring out the three dominant
principles of the plan, namely.
exactly which German centers
and how many will be bombed,
how many bombs and how many
bonbers will be needed, and how
win bombs be landed on their
targets.
APPARENTLY RECENT
specifications Of the plan call for
the division of Germany and
Cerrnan-occupied Europe into
three zones for tactical purposes.
The first of these is to consist
of territory included within an
arc 200 miles from London, the
second twice that distance. and
the third comprising targets up
to 600 miles or more from the
British Isles.
According to a late report, ap-
proximately so cities, transpor-
tation points and industrial CEN
tiers in these zones. with land
area totaling in the neighbor-
hood Of 1850 square miles. are
TO be attacked Systematically
with a bomb salvo in the neigh
borhood OF 1850 tons per
month.
This Is on the basis Of calcu-
lations that TO disable and keep
disabled any such key point in
modern civilization. an average
of so tons Of bombs per square
mile per month is necessary.
This must not be applied all
at one time. but on repeated
raids. each individually tailored
to At the time and nature OF the
target. A few months Of this
kind OF hanmering. II is pre-
dicted. would make an Ameri-
can-British overland march TO
Berlin little more than a big
parade.