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Gene rators for new schemes are coming forward at the rate of 7,500 per week.
8.
During the December moonlight period schemes were in being at 12 vital targets. This includes 3 schemes introduced in the Coventry area in accordance with the decision reached by the Chiefs of Staff Committee at their meeting on 8th November at which additional defence measures for that area were discussed.
9.
Special experimental scheme in Northern Ireland. A special experimental scheme has been set up at Doagh, Northern Ireland, to obtain data on the effectiveness of smoke screens produced by oil burning generators from the point of view of aerial observation and to improve the operational technique. Operations were carried out during the latter part of December and are continuing.
A summary of the results to date is given in
Appendix C.
10. Effectiveness of oil-burning generator schemes. Aerial observation to determine the effectiveness of oil burning generator schemes was carried out over some of the vital targets during the earlier operational periods, but it was decided that still further observations were required and that they should be made over a special experimental scheme. The Chiefs of Staff Committee at their meeting on 28th October directed that no attempt should be made during the last two months of the year tɔ carry out special reconnaissance flights over the vital targets. The Ministry is accordingly not in possession of any formal reports of aerial observa ti on over vital targets to be added to those already submitted to the Committee; but it may be of some interest to refer to views expressed about operations at two of the vital targets which have come to the Ministry's notice.
S
Slough The R.A.F. observer who carried out the special photographic reconnaissance over the Northern Ireland experimental scheme (referred to in paragraph 11 below) asked, after seeing the experimental screen, whether similar operations were being carried out at Slough, He said he had observed what appeared to be a smoke screen in that area on the night of 20th October when returning from bombing operations on the Continent and was unable to see anything beneath it. (The Slough scheme was in operation on that night).
Ø 0.0.S.(40) 381 st Meeting.
* C.0.S.(40) 363rd Meeting, Minute 1,
-3-
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