ARTILLERY

Dominion, Volume 8, Issue 2310, 18 November 1914, Page 7

ARTILLERY

THE TYPES OF THE GUNS THEIR UTILITY IN BATTLE It is a truism that modern armies are complex organisations, and this applies with equal force to. the artillery with which a modern army is equipped. The type,? of guns to be found with a modern field army are machine guns, horso artijlery guns,, field artillery guns, field artillery howitzers, heavy guns, and mountain guns; and doubtless in this present war all types- will bear their share in the_ fighting which is taking place on such'varied terrain. Let us glance at each type in turn. Machine Cuns. • Machine guns are automatio guns of rifle calibre, capable of delivering a heavy, rapid fire; they are attached (in' oux service) by pairs to infantry battalions, as well as to cavalry regiments; and in the infantry they render the closest possible co-operation with- their own unit at tho final stages of the firelight, acting as a real reserve of fire in the unit commander's hand,' to use by surprise as the crisis approaches, so as to ..ensure that fire supremacy is gained, and that the bayonet can be brought into play. Given suitable targets (of considerable depth) and close ranges, these weapons are capable of great results, but they are unsuited to a long drawn out frontal fire-fight. against a shallow target. Hone Artillery. Horse artillery, guns are the most mobile of all guns in the field; they are, intended to co-operate with cavalry. Naturally what these guns gain in mobility they lose in power, and in, the latter they are distinctly inferior to pur powerful field artillery guns, which are intended, for co-operation with the in-' fantry. By controlling the hostile. arr tillery fire, their field-guns enable the infantry to advance acrossVthe helpless zone, when the infantry could be fired at by hostile guns without having the tower to respond. In addition, the eld-guns prepare a : position for assault] and, finally, they assist tho assault by battering down the enemy's final resistance, snaking Ms aim, and detroying his reserves as they show themelves. Thus all through the action the field artillery guns act as the good comrades of their infantry,, and the greater the difficulties of their infantry the closer is the support accorded by their own quick-firing field-guns.

Field Artillery Howitzers. The field artillery howitzers are short, light pieces of mobile artillery, capable of throwing a comparatively heavy shell at high angles of elevation. Their role is to search tho reverse slopes of hills, deal with redoubts, trenches, shielded field guns, villages, and houses, and support an assault until the last moment. Heavy field howitzers—firing a 6001b. high explosive' shell, such as the Japanese used at Port Arthur—do notaccompany ah army in the field, hut are sent to the front when necessity for. their employment arises. The material effect produced by one of their shells exploding in any confined space, room, casemate, etc., is prodigious, and l cover to keep out their fire is rarely worth the labour of construction, except in the case of magazines, But in line of battle these powerful weapons have not proved, so successful, as tne targets are less favourable,'and the slight modern field entrenchments are notoriously difficult to injure.. .;

■ > ". Heavy Artillery. Heavy artillery are the most powerful and the least mobile of all forms of- artillery accompanying our field army. '■■ Their use is to destroy defended buildings, knocjs out shielded field guns by direct hits, to: deliver an enfilade firo against part of the enemy's position that the less . powerful field guns can only roach with frontal fire, and to mete out destruction to tho enemy's reserves before they can, be engaged.- ' Mountain Artillery. Mountain artillery consist of very light and less.powerful weapons; lightness is essential in their case as they have to be carried pn mules, or in some cases even on porters' heads; but though the guns are .light they fire a comparatively heavy shell. Mountain artillery can move wherever an infantryman, is not forced to climb; and in the rough, mountainous country which 'forms part' of tho present theatre.'of war doubtless these guns will play a useful part. Shrapnel Shell. AH the guns Wientioned—except the machine guns, which naturally fire rifle ammunition—use shrapnel, shell, the man-killer; whilst our howitzers arid heavy guns also fire high-explosivo shell, the defence-destroyer. Shrapnel is fired with the idea of killing or disabling ithe troops themselvies; the 'material damage it does to a parapet is infinitesimal, while even a direct hit by it on the shield of a gun may inflict little damage.' On the' other hand, a shrapnel hitting a wall will usually penetrate before bursting, and if it is then inside a room the releasing of its 200 bullets may have disastrous' effeots on the garrison; But it is shrapnel which kills, and it is used primarily as a man-killer, and not as a defence-destroy-er. Its bulloixxme has great depth, covering 200 yards when burst properly in the air by a time-fuse at effective ranges; and thus for enfilading a fire trench, flanking a position, raking a bridge or stretch of road, the effect produced by shrapnel on a line of troope or a marching column is excellent, and its moral effect deadly. ,

High Explosive Shell, High-explosive shell is an aerial mine, projected by a heavy gun or howitzer, to burst either in the air or . on impact: The effect of a direct hit by one .of these shells on tho shield: of a field-gun is disastrous both, for the gun. and for the detachment; it is much the same also when one pitches in a house, the wreckage is considerable, arid the number of splinters in such a confined space has great effect. . Prominent houses can be rendered quite untenable by high-explosive shell fire in a very short time. But against the modern low-command fire trench parapets the effect is very slight l ; in -fact, the material obstacle presented by ■$. modern parapet is usually so small that it is not worth destroying or breaching, and thus energy is concentrated on disabling the defenders,- and as a man-killer the high-explosive is not a great success in the. open, its radius of activity ia too small—only ; 25 yards around the' centre of impact. Frightens More Than it Hits. But although it is said that artillery frightens more than it hits, it must bo remembered that accurate statistics are very difficult to get, and men hit by shrapnel bullets and splinters of sheil are more often killed outright than wounded, and after an action tho dead' are buried hurriedly, no note boing taken of how the casualty whereas accurate recordß are always made of patients who undergo hospital treatment. Thus it is probable that the artillery are not given full credit although overyono agrees as to the damage tho guns have done to tho nerves for the actual havoc they have wrought of the combatants. But there can be littlo doubt that the destructivo effect of modem Q.F. field artillery is vory preat; and this is proved by the everincreasing desire to render troops and entrenchments as invisible as possible,

the efficacy and de&dlinees of modem field artillery. " ■ . Even as the.backbone,of the artillery of an army is its field artillery, and the other types are adjuncts; so the artillery; arm itself is but an accessory'to its infantry, the real queen of ; the modern battlefield, and the duty of the guns is to ensuro that at'any cost their infantry shall'triumph..

was difficult to obtain a passage from London to New York after the war broke out, as there were about 100,000. Americans stranded in London," remarked Colonel' Charles Evans, C.M.G., Commissioner of Railways in Queensland, to an Auckland "Herald" representative. Colonel Evans arrived, by the Niagara from Vancouver' afters haying been! engaged in a study of,the, various railway systems of England and the. Continent. Millionaires, he said, were reported to have paid high figures for; steerage passages from Euglahd to the United States. Three special .Sains,, crowded with passengers, -were utilised; to convey people from London 'to' Liver-, pool to join the .Olympic. The scene 1 on, the arrival at the; wharf at Liverpool was almost indescribable. -The steamer, was moored- in the Mersey, and the pa_ssengers were taken out to ; her ..--in" lighters'. ..""!'*'.>'^ '■''.''.. . For proteotion against smallpox, -'diphs theria, and other infections, put .three drops of SANDER'S EUCALYPTI EX.. TEACT on loaf sugar, and allow:it to. dissolve in month. Sander's Extraot. js effective, pleasant* '' " '■-'■" • There are now being dispatched daily' to the British Fleet 380 jackets, of' "fresh" papers, in' all; to.' 13,500 per day, and a similarnuinber.of. packets of weekly newspapers 'containing 6000 papers, thus making! I '!}' minimum of 87,000 papers whibli are being regularly dispatched occasional gifts considerably redding to | tho total. :r " r r ' '"'', , Tou will bo advised to taKe";thTs and that; but if you have a Colder a;Coush; if Influenza or Nasal Trouble' of any kind is bothering you, "NAZOL v > is 1 , tho'ono 'thing needful. It cures. Is.- ■:. Belgian clocks have boeii altered to German timo in that area'"ocoupied by the Gorman troops. In reply to a pro-' test, Gonoral von der Golt replied:' "InGennanjr there shall be onlyonetirae.". Because old French reigning families aro not allowed to serve Prince Loute of Orleans, who offored'to fight in the French Army; ■ has advised by President join the British forces. ..■■.'' ...■.'•!■'.■.-. Tho Grimsby Board 0f,..... Guardians, have passed a resolution calling on the Government to "remove from tho roadV all able-bodied malo vagrants-between, the ages of 18 and 45/ who. should bo made to do some useful work, such as trenching and transport, during. ~the war." : ' .: -,'■"'," -'Vr'••• '■--' -