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This document was considered at co.§.(40) 440 [lesti

prepared in accordance with

44046

40

THIS DOCUMENT IS THE PROPERTY OF HIS BRITANNIC MAJESTY'S GOVERNMENT

TO BE KEPT UNDER LOCK AND KEY,

SECRET.

C.0.S.(41) 1,

1ST JANUARY, 1941.

It is requested that special care may be taken to ensure the secrecy of this document.

COPY NO_29

WAR CABINET.

CHIEFS OF STAFF COMMITTEE,

INCENDIARY AIR ATTACK.

Memorandum.

1

The enemy has of late concentrated air attacks by nignt against industrial centres, in which fire raising has played a major part. His technique has been to send in advance a few aircraft manned by especially skilled personnel employing radio beam navigation. These leading aircraft drop loads of incendiary bombs with the intention of starting fires to act as beacons for the main body of the attack which follows later

The major and which is conducted by less skilful crews. proportion of the load of the main weight of attack is again composed of incendiary bombs. The intention is to produce conflagrations so widespread and so numerous as to defeat the fire fighting services.

2.

It is a matter of the first importance for the fire services to be adequately organised so that the fires raised by the leading aircraft can be rapidly controlled and dowsed. If this can be achieved the following aircraft in the main body of the attack lack the fire beacons on which they largely rely for navigation to the target, and are consequently more easily deceived by the dummy fires and other stratagems which we employ.

3.

Recent attacks of this description on Coventry, Southampton, Birmingham and Manchester have caused such damage by fire as to suggest that measures for competing with this threat in the big provincial centres are not adequately effective. The persistence of some fires indicates that avoidably large accumulations of inflammable materials are permitted.

4.

The clearance of inflammable material from attics and upper stories already forms a feature of our air raid precautions, but it is apparent that the regulations are not enforced with that stringency which circumstances demand. Although the larger firms and industrial undertakings are required to institute a system of roof watchers, for the scheme to be adequately effective it is a matter of urgency that it should be extended to cover all smaller undertakings and private residences.

5.

The danger from this type of attack could be

greatly reduced by -

(a) The compulsory removal of all inflammable material from

attics and upper stories of buildings;

(b) The introduction of city-wide fire watch organisa- tions coupled with adequate and widely distributed means of dealing with incendiary bombs;

*

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SAME DAYSER

C.O.S.(41)

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