As India prepares for a nationwide civil defence mock drill on 7 May 2025 amidst rising tensions with Pakistan following the Pahalgam terror attack, echoes of history are stirring up – particularly in Visakhapatnam. The Ministry of Home Affairs has directed states across northern and western India to conduct this exercise, which will simulate air raid warnings, blackouts, and evacuations. Such a comprehensive drill hasn’t been undertaken since the 1971 Bangladesh Liberation War. But for Visakhapatnam, civil defence drills aren’t new. The port city was once on high alert during World War II, anticipating a Japanese attack.
Back in 1940, as World War II intensified and the possibility of Japanese aggression loomed, the British colonial government began militarising Visakhapatnam due to its strategic location. Army, Navy, and Air Force units were moved in as precautionary steps. Civil defence was not left behind. Air Raid Precautions (ARP) were overseen by Mr Longhurst, a British police officer trained in the UK. Under his direction, preparations were swiftly implemented. Control rooms were set up, trenches were dug, bunkers were constructed, and alarm systems were installed.
The seriousness of the threat prompted authorities to drill residents in safety protocols. People were taught how to respond to sirens, evacuate swiftly, and take cover in reinforced shelters. A Fortress Commander, Brigadier Berkeley, was appointed to take charge of all armed forces and civil authorities in case of an emergency.
The Japanese bombing of Visakhapatnam did materialise, on April 6, 1942, justifying the months of civil preparedness that had preceded it.
In her book The Raj at War: A People’s History of India’s Second World War, historian Yasmin Khan records a chilling first-hand account of the period through the memories of a local schoolgirl, Sulochana Simhadri:
“We were scared of war as we are afraid of bombing by enemy countries. We used to live near the sea coast of Visakhapatnam. Defence services used to have coastal batteries, anti-aircraft guns and searchlights. Every week they used to practise firing into the sea. We used to watch as we were close by and get scared. We had training in Air Raid Precautions… They used to signal by a siren warning so that we could take shelter. Sirens used to be short and long, three or four times quickly. We used to keep food stored in small boxes and also we used to keep large torchlights. We dug trenches in our house deep in the garden and covered them with planks and palm leaves. We used to take packed food and go into [the trenches] when we heard the siren and come out when we heard the long signal that meant we were safe. So many houses had been taken [requisitioned] to keep the army close to the sea. Soldiers used to march in front of our houses. Our parents never allowed us out of the house to protect us. We had blackout throughout the city. City lights are covered with black cardboard domes. No light to be seen in the night. In the houses also we covered lights. Sometimes when air raid warning comes army used to cut off power so that enemy planes cannot see. They used to put searchlights into the sky whenever is needed.”
Beyond blackouts and sirens, the administration had devised a formal evacuation plan. The Madras government asked the Visakhapatnam Collector to prepare for evacuation in case of an invasion. The plan shockingly prioritised the safe passage of European personnel by train, leaving Indian residents behind. The rationale was that the Japanese might only target the British, sparing Indian civilians.
But the plan didn’t go unchallenged. H S Mallik, the Chief Railway Officer and a Sikh, refused to implement it, arguing that Indian citizens would likely prevent trains from departing if they were to be abandoned. The British officer managing Burma Shell’s operations also declined to follow the discriminatory plan.
Further insights come from Kolluru Jagannadha Rao’s Vi(za)gnettes, which sheds light on wartime life in the then-small town of just over two lakh residents:
“Six decades ago this place, which was a small town with little over 200,000 inhabitants, had undergone regular blackout drills in the evenings to stave off Japanese aerial bombardment. An exclusive Air Raid Precaution (ARP) office was set up in Suryabagh, and sirens were installed on important buildings like the Imperial Bank (now State Bank of India – main branch), Collector’s Office, Andhra University Science College and Railway Station to warn the public.”
“The alert sound would be repeated in hoots for a minute and the ‘all clear’ would be a single long hoot. During that time many youngsters including myself volunteered as civic guards and worked closely with the police to enforce the blackout rules,” he recollects.
These historical episodes serve as a stark reminder of the city’s resilience. As India once again turns to civil defence drills, here’s remembering the wartime mock drill practices in Visakhapatnam once upon a time!
Read also: 8 wildly interesting facts about the sinking of PNS Ghazi during the 1971 Indo-Pak war in Vizag!
Stay tuned to Yo! Vizag website and Instagram for more such articles.
Discussion about this post