DEFENCE NOTES

Dominion, Volume 3, Issue 846, 18 June 1910, Page 14

DEFENCE NOTES

ffli Echelon.)

Most: of tho insurance companies in England have doclined to issue policies to Territorials to cover risk. One, tho Federated Employers' Assurance Association, Limited, expressed tho opinion that tho risk of Territorials being mobilised was "by no means remote." Very favourable comments have been passed on tho work of the Indian Staff College at Qnctta. This establishment has fully justified its institution, and'is doing a very useful work in conjunction with tho Camberley College (England). The competition for admission has improved, and moro officers of tho Indian Array ore being qualified. Tho college is to play an important part in the new Imperial General Staff scheme by training oversea officers for the staffs in their own. States until such time as they have enough qualified < officers to commence training their own. . "La Franco Militaire" announces that an automatic rillo of .250, calibre, answering all requirements of a military weapon, has been constructed by an armourer employed in tho arms factory of St. Etienne. The rate of hro is mechanically variable from between 25 and 30 rounds pen minute to double that number, and tho maximum weight of the rillo is about S.Skg. (81b. Goz.), that of tho bayonefi being 0.380 kg. (13.4o&»). .Replying to a Parliamentary question liy Colonel Rawson, Mr. Haldane slated recently that "tho acceptance of Territorial units, for service abroad does not imply that they would bo sent out of tiic country at once on mobilisation. They will ouly be so employed if their services can bo spared, and it may be assumed, therefore, that there would bo ample opportunity after mobilisation of filling up from the Territorial Reserve and other sources any gaps that might be caused." The Ordnaiutf Depurtment of tho United States Army is not yet satisfied of tho expediency of adopting the Maxim or any other grin silencer for. general uso with' the army rifle. The friends oi* tho Moore silencer are confident that the War Department will be inclined to go a step further when they learn of the -merits of that invention. -It is to bo tested shortly at the Springfield Arsenal. The Maxim gun, silencer was described in these notes some, time ago. Since then, Major W. 11. Hazard, of the Auckland Garrison Division; imported a number, and sonio interesting trials of tho device were carried out by him the other day. It is stated that about 140 firms..havo already attached themselves to the City of London Employers' Territorial Force, and have agreed to give twenty-one days' holiday .od full .pay every year to salesmen, warehousemen, or clerks who with \thcir sanction belong to the Territorial Force, and spend at least fourteen days in camp. Sixty firms have joined the Middlesex Employers 1 Territorial Association, while about IGO firms in thirty-eight other counties have expressed willingness to enter similar organisations in their own districts. From, December the examination of Army officers serving at home as to "Tactical Fitness for Command" will bo held 'under Appendix XII of the King's fic-. | gulatious, and the examinations now held I under- Appendix XIII will be discon- | tinned. The examination 'in Part lof Appendix XII will be conducted from Army Headquarters, and will be held at the same time and places ay those laid down for tho examination of officers in subjects (d), (e), and.-(g) to (j), in May and December, i Officers will riot be allowed to present themselves for examiim- | lion in Part II until they have passed in Part I. The Part II examination will bo conducted as. at Officers serving! in commands whero no troops are avail-1 ablo will be sent to the nearest command | 'where such troops aro available.'

The makers of tho "Onimundsen" rillo have, it is stated, received from Hip captain of the Australian- team' for Bisley iin order for one of these rifles for each member of the team. Competitors who u?e tho "Oiiiimmdsen" rifle at Bisley aro privileged to sharo in a oomneti.tion which gives thorn the opportunity <rf wianin? cash or cup. prizes to the value of £Um. 'i'he manufacturers' havo offered .£IOOO to .tho winner of the All Coiners' Aggregate., provided ho uses tho "Ominund'son" riile. The rilles, all of which are tested and sighted by Mr. Ommundsen personally, are in great deuiaud. To the shooting men assembled at Bisley for tho' NJ3.A. championship meeting the most conspicuous innovation was the figure target at-SOOyds. To give tho men a fair; chance, tho council placed a specimen outside tho armouries, and labelled it: "This is the N.tt.A. match target, at 500 yds. for 1910." Tho top half of lliie target is of an' exceedingly light bluo colouring, almost slate grev iu fact, and the bottom half is. of a.dull sago green, the figure representing tho head and shoulders of, a maffi It is not a work of art,at a close inspection, and ait 500 yds., on tho butts, the keenest eyesight is required to make much of it. But inquiries «o to show that, despite the uproar that was raised a few weeks ago, the target was veiy kindly taken to at Bisley. > f Much has been said in tho past (states "Mars," iu tho "Military Mail") about tho long-standing practice of the German. Army in executing manoeuvre attacks in mass formation. A long period of peace has produced its effect on tho actual methods of fighting in manoeuvres, and tho adherence to dense formations would prove very costly in real war. Becent observations, however, tend to show that tho German military authorities havo at last begu.i to devoto more attention to rapidity of movement under, fire, invisibility, uso of head cover, etc.: and that they are taking a leaf out of our book in connection with an attack of a .well-defined position. Scouting is receiving more attention also, and one no longer witnesses tho absurd situations caused by slackness in reconnaissanco duties. Company officers of infantry do not fear to.exorcise their men in widely extended formations during attack practices, aud the training of cavalry and artillery has considerably improved. Signalling with flags is on the increase, in spito of a free.use of wireless telegraphy and other electrical methods of communication in the iield.. In fact, thero is a general improvement throughout tho German Army with regard to work on manoeuvres. The neglect of fire discipline noticeablo in former years is no longer apparent, sights are properly adjusted and the men aim carefully, during an advance in tho attack. But in spite of" , this improvement tho old habit of fighting "en masse" will die hard. The Germans bclievo in forco of numbers; they aro sure that they can enduro hcav.v losses and bear dowir tin enemy by superior, weight. They attach great -importance! to striking henry blows, aud reI lentlessly pursuing a defeated enemy, so they push on an attack aud pnrsuit during manoeuvres until they aro compelled to- ceaso from sheer exhaustion.