SECRET WEAPON

Gisborne Herald, Volume LXVI, Issue 20065, 11 October 1939, Page 10

SECRET WEAPON

BOAST BY HITLER ALLIES ARE SCEPTICAL ‘‘DEATH-RAY” RUMOURS LONDON. Sept. 21. The new and secret weapon with which Herr Hitler, in his speech at Danzig, threatened the Allies cannot be entirely secret as far as the Allies are concerned—if it exists—although it is admitted that Germany’s “Big Berthas,” use of gas, and introduction of flame-throwers were surprises prepared by Germany for the war of 1914-18. It is pointed out that-the greatest surprise so far in this war is France’s 70-ton tanks, which the Germans had not dreamed had existed, and which were so closely guarded by the French that they were unknown by Britain until a few weeks before the declara:ion of war, when British and French defence secrets were mutually revealed. Herr Hitler’s description of his new weapon as being one “with which we could not ourselves be attacked” is regarded as ruling out the introduction by. Nazis of a microbe war against the Allied countries, although many German military experts, especially under the Nazi regime, have been openly encouraged to prepare in a cold-blooded .manner for waging sudh a type of war against civilian populations Microbe Warfare Deutsche Wehr, the official organ of the German General Staff, in a recent issue /iealt with the subject of a microbe war, declaring: "In preparing for the use of germs in the coming war, we must first concentrate our attention on three principal questions —firstly, what kind of germs-would produce the strongest and most irresistible effect; secondly, the best way of spreading the microbes; thirdly, what conditions are the most favourable for spreading disease and bringing about epidemics.” Deutsche Wehr warns against the spread of microbes among the enemy’s soldiers, because epidemics at the front might easily affect German soldiers, and consequently urges microbe attacks against the civilian population. “Aeroplanes will prove the best weapons in microbe warfare,” it states, “because they permit several ways of spreading germs—by squirting them from specially built apparatus or by .raining down bombs or glass containers filled with microbes.” The scattering of great swarms of flies or lice contaminated with the virus of yellow lever, spotted typhus, of small pox, is also urged. Although from time to time there are rumours of successful experiments with so-called “death rays,” designed to kill battalions by an electric ray or designed disastrously to affect the mechanism of aeroplane engines or the firing mechanism of guns, or designed to unrivet vessels, it is not believed that any country has spent more time in examining the possibilities of such inventions than Britain, or that, if there is a successful death ray, Britain is unaware of it,