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Horse Died in Agony From Nazi
Death Ray
XIITLER'S threat- of o new secret V-weapon, out
stripping its predecessors in deadly terror, was not
lightly regarded by Britain's scientists and war olan
ners. They knew definitely that death rovs existed and hod themselves oroved
their potency in actual tests.
Reason for their concern-, was a
report that spread from Berlin
through neutral sources and
reached England.
The report set the middle of
March as zero hour for the launch
ing of the new bomb which would
release death rays — sound waves
of high frequency causing decom
position of living tissue. It added
that this bomb was now being pro
duced in underground factories.
[Sound of high frequency has
been used by magicians in one of
their tricks to shatter a tumbler.
By rubbing a wet finger round
the rim of the tumbler they caused
it to 'sing'. in a high note.
They then obtained the same
sound frequency from a violin
which had the effect of smashing
the tumbler in fragments.]
Explained English chemist J.
P. Lawrie: — 'A sound wave,
when loud enough— such as that
occasioned by a violent explo
sion — will kill a man.'
Radio waves, he added, were the
principle of most so-called death
rays. Most rays or waves would
cause death if amplified suffi
ciently.
Alpha rays, which radium ema
nates, were deadly when ' con
trolled. If a quantity of radium
were dispersed by a homb, for in
stance, the area affected would not
be habitable for. countless years.
Non-radio-active chemicals were
made artificially radio-active by an
apparatus called a cyclotron, with
which alpha rays or particles had
been energised to nearly 16 million
volts. ..
A stream of these-rapldly mov
ing particles directed experi
mentally in a beam on rats and
other animals, had killed them
swiftly. .
Added Lawrie:— 'This is one
death ray that is here. It cannot
be used in the war yet, because
the apparatus to produce a beam,
even a 'few feet in length, is of
enormous weight, the magnet alone
weighing 200 tons.
'But it is a grim fact that at
iny time a scientist may evolve a
simpler, lighter apparatus.'
Another British scientist, D. W.
F- Mayer, said rays which had a
lethal use, either direct or indirect,
could be divided into these three
groups —
? The hertzian ray, which ap
proximates slightly in properties
to the magneto-stopping ray. It
spreads in every direction, and
could be focused only with great
difficulty. A true magnetostop
ping ray could be overcome by
the use of Diesel engines, which
did not use electrical ignition.
? Sub-atomic rays could cause
death in humans, but as yet the
apparatus was too cumbersome
to be effective unless the subject
stood accommodatingly in a
specified position during expo
sure.
A beam of fast-moving electrons
could be used on a battlefield pro
vided a suitable medium for dis
charge, such as a jet of water,
could be set up.
For military use, the water would
have to be stored in a large insu
lated tank which would be charged
by electro-static generators.
Water could then be squirted at
the enemy through nozzles. Any
person upon whom the stream fell
would receive a shock of several
thousand volts.
EARLY TRIALS
From news seeping out of Ger
many, the first test took place at
Tempeihof aerodrome, Berlin, in
1937, when an electrically produced
ray stopped an internal combus
tion engine at 500 yards.
In a later experiment, the re
ports said, guinea pigs were placed
in a cage 200 yards in front of a
hut, from which came a zooming
noise when the apparatus was
switched on. After 10 minutes the
guinea pigs were dead.
At Peenemunde, guinea pigs, a
horse, and a pig were placed in
front of a machine producing the
'X — Y' ray. The guinea pigs
were killed outright, the pig died
in 10 minutes, the horse suffered
great agony before dying. A doc
tor said death was due to interfe
rence with the white corpuscles of
the blood.
Whatever success the Germans
achieved in these experiments may
or may not have become known
to scientists and war-planners in
Allied countries. They .were not
telling.
Japan, too, was boasting of suc
cessful experimentation in death
rays. A year ago Tokio's Dr. Ai
kitsu Tanakadate declared: 'We
are making successful experiments
with a certain powerful element
which will instantaneously destroy
the entire British Navy with a
minimum expenditure of radiant
energy.*
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