\ ~20professional interests—in which respect the record of the military profession is neither worse nor better than that of other professions—the fact is that the military experts have based their arguments mainly on presumptions gleaned from a field in which they are generally not expert, namely, military history. History is at best an imperfect guide to the future, but when imperfectly understaod and interpreted it is a menace to sound judgment. The defense against hostile missiles in all forms of warfare, whether on land, sea, or in the air, has thus far depended basically on a combination-of, first, measures to reduce the number of missiles thrown or to interfere with their aim (i.e., defense by offensive measures) and, secondly, ability to absorb those which strike. To take an obvious example, the large warship contains in itself and in its escorting air or surface craft a volume of fire power which usually reduces and may even eliminate the blows of the adversary. Unlike most targets ashore, it also enjoys a mobility which enables it to maneuver evasively under attack (which will be of no value under atomic bombs). But unless the enemy is grotesquely inferior in stremgth, the ship's ability to survive must ultimately depend upon its compartmentation and armor, that is, on its ability to absorb punishment, The same is true of a large city. Londgn,wa defended against the German V1 or "buzz=bomb" firstby concerted bombing attacks upon the German experimental stations, industrial plants, and launching sites, all of which delayed the V1 attack and undoubtedly greatly reduced the number of missiles ultimately launched. Those which were nevertheless launched were met by a combination of fighter planes, antiaircraft guns, anc barrage balloons. Towards the end of the eighty- day period which covered the main brunt of the attack, some 75 per cent of the bombs launched were being brought down, and, since many of the remainder were inaccurate in their flight, only 9 per cent were reaching London 2 These London 5. Duncan Sandys, Report on the Flying Bomb, pamphlet issued by the British Information Services, September, 1944, p. 9. oy