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October.
In accordance with the C.0.S. Committee's decision that operations over vital points should continue for the next three months, smoke protection schemes at 8 sites were set in operation during the Cctober moonlight period.
Before the end of the October moonlight period,
however,
the War Office submitted a report to the Chiefs of Staff Committee drawing attention to certain aspects of smoke operations and asking the Committee to decide whether or not smoke operations should be abandoned. The Air Staff also submitted a memorandum asking the Committee to consider whether smoke operations in the vicinity of important industrial targets should be continued, "or whether it would not be better to confine research and development on smoke production for the present to work of an experimental nature only, active experiments being restricted to comparatively unimportant areas".
Representatives of the Ministries of Home Security, Supply, Labour, Health and Aircraft Production were present at the C.0.S. Committee meeting at which the memoranda referred to above were discussed. The Committee agreed that (a) in order to improve the technique of smoke operations and determine the effectiveness of smoke as a passive defence measure experimental smoke trials should be carried out in the West of England or Northern Ireland; (b) smoke operations should continue until the end of the year at vital points - subject to a joint investigation by the Ministries of Home Security and Supply into the peculiar conditions at Nottingham; (c) no R.A.F, reconnaissance flights should. take place over vital points; (a) the War Office should provide personnel for the formation of smoke units.
November.
Operations were conducted over 11 vital points during the November moonlight period.
An additional scheme was operated over a vital point in Coventry in accordance with the conclusions of a meeting of the Chiefs of Staff Committee on 8th November** at which the question of additional defences for the Coventry area was discussed.
Arrangements for setting up an experimental scheme in Northern Ireland were pressed forward as rapidly as possible, but it did not prove practicable to commence operations during the November moonlight period,
December
•
Operations were carried out over 12 vital points including a further two in the Coventry area, during the December moonlight period.
Operations were commenced at the Northern Ireland
experimental site.
کھ
Paper No. C.0.S.(40)854.
*
Paper No. C.0.3. (40)861.
C.0.S.(40)363rd Mtg. Minute 1.
** C.O.S. (40)381st Mtg,
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