MILITARY NOTES.

Dominion, Volume 5, Issue 1407, 6 April 1912, Page 12

MILITARY NOTES.

(Edited Bt EcnitoitJ THE NEW GERMAN FIELD GUN. Mnjor-General A. P. Pcnton, C.V.0., C.1!., commanding R.A., Malta (and formerly Commandant of tho Now Zealand Defence Forces), euccecd-j Major-Gencral I'. A. Howies, CIS., in (lie command, of tho South-Western Coast Defences from April 18. General Sir lan Hamilton, InspectorCienernl of tho Ovorsea Forces, will shortly proceed to Wgypt to direct tho manoeuvres and carry out a general inspection (states a paragraph in the "Military Mail"). 110 will then return to Malta, afterwards will inspect Gibraltar and Cyprus. Sir lan Hamilton'will return (o England about Juno next, and early in the autumn will embark on a long overseas tour.

There are some amusing stories about tho lale liajah of Nabha. His Highuess's idea of his troops was that they went to war to die. On one of the Frontier expeditions ho sent a contingent to tho front, i'ho contingent returned with not a single casualty. A'ot a man had been killed. J'ho Kajah was furious, and clapped the whole contingent into gaol, officers and all. Then camo a dispatch from the Foreign Department advising a consignment of medals for tho contingent and asking his Highness to distribute thorn. His Highness refused to do anything of tho kind. His men had disgraced themselves. But the request of the Foreign Department became somewhat peremptory, and tho Hesident of tho Phulkian Stntos urged compliance. The Rajah therefore ordered the contingent out of gaol, paraded it, decorated it, and then sent it again to durance vile.

Iho sub-targot rifle machine has for somo years now been a familiar object in barracks, and tho good work that it has done in improving tho shooting of those units who have purchased it is widely recognised. It is, however, an expensive luxury, for which money lias to bo found eitner by the officers or tho regimental funds, and to a certain extent it is cumbarsome. These objections are now removed in tho new portable sub-target. Shortly the apparatus includes a modification of the invention introduced two or three years back under the name of (lie "Junior Sub-Target," and is passed over tho muzzlo of tho rifle to which it is clamped. ]iy means of a flexible coiledwire tuba inserted into tho barrel, it is connected with a dummy cartridge which, on being struck, actuates through the tube the. small sub-target attached to Ihe machine, bringing the latter into contact with tho point ol a needle from which it received an. indentation corresponding with the point of aim on tho distant target. On the next cocking of tho rille (ho spring refracts tho sub-target, and releases tho needle indicator, thus permitting tho apparatus to be. used for rapid fire. Tho. iixis of the bore (or line of departure) is continued by means of a cord to tho distant target, whero it is coiled round a wheel, and by means of a suspended weight is kept constantly in tension whilst in use. As a result the indicator needle always points to tho distant target, whilo the sub-target moves with tho ritie, and the relative position of tho line, of sight and the axis of the bore is indicated by tho needle and recorded by the sub-target. Tho whole apparatus' is light, can be carried about and sot up where desired by one man, and is at the same tinio inexpensive. Its primary use is to tench the first principles of musketry, move particularly correct aiming and trigger pressing. It may also, as the official pamphlet issued by tho War Office says, bo employed to illustrate tho principles of adjusting sights, to demonstrate, tho results of inaccuracy in aiming, aiming off, setting of wind-guago, and several of fho other purposes set out in the Musketry Kegul.nlions. Its construction is remarkably ingenious, and its use will doubtless bo in a short time general.

I Colonel Repington, tho military writer to Mliu Times," in his recent articles on the German , Manoeuvres, states'that tho German field gun is a fairly handy gun to .move, and the protection afforded by tho shields is better than that of tho i'rench gun, but in almost every other respect it is distinctly inferior. Tho claim that the German gun can fire 20 rounds a minute must be taken with some grains of salt if tho claim applies to aimed fire. Tho traversing system is inferior; a scvero cross strain must be thrown upon the carriage when tho gun is reversed. There is no independent lino of sight, nor is there an automatic fuze setter. In fact, Uio German gun cm hardly be described as a quick-firer in tho true modern sense of the term. Other groat artillery experts are of the same opinion with regard to tho merits of the Uerm.in field gun. It must be remembered that the German field artillery is in a very interesting stage of development at present; modern improvements, such as telephones, dialsighis, and ladder observatory wagons, have lit last been definitely taken into use after much experimenting, and amending of regulations. The adherence to the sixgun battery system hns also its disadvantages, and tho Germans-swear by the free use of gun-cover. The system of training has its. difficulties, such as low peace establishments, shortage of horses, and th? two years' service system, which tends to "erum'iuins" the men before they transfer to the Heserve. A short description of the sights on the new field gnu is supplied by "Mars" in tho "Military Mai)." Tho first is an ordinary open sight of tlio arc type, fitted with an inner bar, which draws out to make tho fuze ngreo with tho elevation of the gun. A sirigle-bal-rellcd, Zeiss prismatic telescope is lilted 0:1 top of the arc Bight, and hns cross lines which give an optical line of sight independent of tho foresight. Tho laying plane, mounted, on a standard, is on tho right of tho gun, and is composed of a graduated circlo with sight vanes and clamp. It is used only for laying for direction, and cannot be cross-levelled. The clinometer is of the arc type, and is set on tho bar of the arc sight.

Up to tlio enil of last year 2352 clubs wno affiliated to the British National Ride Association,, and since then the number has risen to about 2390. The total number of marksmen belonging to these bodies exceeds O.COO, an increase, of 300 clubs and 5000 ■members during the year. Thirty-eight of tho clubs are situated in Egypt, Aden, Assiian, Bombay, Burma, Canada, China, Falkland Islands, Gibraltar, Gold Const Colony, Alalia, Natal, Newfoundland, Rhodesia, Seychelles, India, Straits Settlements. Transvaal, aiul West Indies. All the. other clubs are in the United Kingdom and the Channel Islands. Special badges' and certificates for skill ( at arms are annually awarded to those who reach a specified standard of merit, and during 11)11 no fewer than 5000 of these wore won. Since 1901 the number of awards to "skilled .shots" and "riliemen" has reached to over 32,000. Competitions were held in 03 counties last year to develop intwst in rillc sliooling under the conditions of tho Astor Cup match, and tho champion club proved to b? that of lipiienden. in Kent, while tho National Championship was won by the Alexandra I'auic Uifle Club. The association began to give special attention to the fostering of rifle clubs in 1599, and in conjunction with the War (lilies, and helped by a gift of .£IO,OOO from Jlr. Astor, instituted a movement which has never ceased to progress. The figures of its development aro very interesting, as showing the gradual increase a! clubs and members to the present big totals. Tho statistics are as under:— Year. No. of clubs. Members. ISO!) tiO (1.000 l<loo 100 10,000 l<sol 211 10,000 J!)O2 328 21.000 l<lo3 410 30,000 ISO* Kfl m>lloo 1905 : (>7O •ci.'inrt 190(1 910 70,000 l<lll7 1,281 bS,ll!IO woe i,r>;in ' i«2,iioo l!) 0!) 1.897 122,000 11)10 !!,(!83 125,000 1311 2,:W2 130,000 The clubs fire about 50 million rounds of miniature and Service cartridges in a year, anil a rough calculation places the 'expenditure since 15'.1,1 at .!0O,0n0,l)l)0 rounds. These extraordinary figures cause the Hiiniial cartridge expenditure of armies io leok insignificant. It is a most healthy sign, and indicates that to sumo extent rifle shooting is becoming u national pastime.