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of Hong Kong's forests for fuel, shady spots were increasingly hard to come by as the war progressed.
On a more insidious note, temperature and humidity could affect the employment of chemical warfare. Thus far in the war, the use of chemical warfare had been minor, with both sides retaining their stockpiles of chemical warfare agents as deterrents rather than as first options. But as the war increased in ferocity, there was always the possibility that one or both sides might resort to more unconventional means on the battlefield.
Hong Kong, however, probably would not have been a good place to start for any side that wanted to resort to chemical warfare. Depending on the type of chemical agent used, Hong Kong's high temperatures and humidity during the middle of the year could be too adverse towards the effective employment of certain chemical warfare agents. Too high a temperature (above 75°F/24°C) could cause a premature evaporation of some agents, and excess humidity means that more water is present to react with some chemicals and therefore dilute the agents. At the other end, too low a temperature (below 32°F/0°C) or humidity could also be unfavourable for chemical warfare. Hong Kong's temperatures never go that low, and its period of low humidity occurs during the last three months of the year, which for most other factors related to the weather was the best time of the year for a Hong Kong landing.
Winds
Being on the China Coast, Hong Kong received its fair share of winds, and then some. Winds could be unpredictable because they can change direction and speed. On the ground, a wind velocity of greater than 30 miles per hour (48 kilometres per hour) affects the accuracy of artillery fire control. If chemical warfare were employed, winds of greater than only 16 mph (26 kph) would blow any chemical agents (in gas form) off course, and a reverse wind could blow the agent back to the offending side.
Aside from thunderstorms, winds of greater than 30 mph (48 kph) could also diminish the value of barrage balloons. If the Japanese decided to attack the invading Allies in Hong Kong by air, they could try to exploit Hong Kong's mountainous terrain by flying low and using
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of Hong Kong's forests for fuel, shady spots were increasingly hard to come by as the war progressed.
On a more insidious note, temperature and humidity could affect the employment of chemical warfare. Thus far in the war, the use of chemical warfare had been minor, with both sides retaining their stockpiles of chemical warfare agents as deterrents rather than as first options. But as the war increased in ferocity, there was always the possibility that one or both sides might resort to more unconventional means on the battlefield.
Hong Kong, however, probably would not have been a good place to start for any side that wanted to resort to chemical warfare. Depending on the type of chemical agent used, Hong Kong's high temperatures and humidity during the middle of the year could be too adverse towards the effective employment of certain chemical warfare agents. Too high a temperature (above 75°F/24°C) could cause a premature evaporation of some agents, and excess humidity means that more water is present to react with some chemicals and therefore dilute the agents. At the other end, too low a temperature (below 32°F/0°C) or humidity could also be unfavourable for chemical warfare." Hong Kong's temperatures never go that low, and its period of low humidity occurs during the last three months of the year, which for most other factors related to the weather was the best time of the year for a Hong Kong landing.
Winds
Being on the China Coast, Hong Kong received its fair share of winds, and then some. Winds could be unpredictable because they can change direction and speed. On the ground, a wind velocity of greater than 30 miles per hour (48 kilometres per hour) affects the accuracy of artillery fire control. If chemical warfare were employed, winds of greater than only 16 mph (26 kph) would blow any chemical agents (in gas form) off course, and a reverse wind could blow the agent back to the offending side.
Aside from thunderstorms, winds of greater than 30 mph (48 kph) could also diminish the value of barrage balloons. If the Japanese decided to attack the invading Allies in Hong Kong by air, they could try to exploit Hong Kong's mountainous terrain by flying low and using
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