TRENCH MORTARS

Dominion, Volume 10, Issue 3039, 28 March 1917, Page 7

TRENCH MORTARS

PRACTICE AT FEATHERSTON

THE TWIRLING TAILS

' A form of training for warfare, new to the New Zealand training camps, was demonstrated , at' Featherston yesterday, when the Twenty-third Artillery, under Lieutenant Ferriday, trench mortar instructor, fired livo bombs from trench mortars. The shooting was carried out under the direction or Captain Bradley, chief artillery instructor, and Lieutenant-Colonel Roberts, :inspector of artillery superintending operations.. The Camp Commandant '■and Adjutant, and other camp officers witnessed s the display. Only a few tivilians ( were present, and they, with the various artillery drafts in camp, '.watched from a safe distance. There ■ are risks conneoted with trench mortars, ;whioh. do not! occur in other gun practices,.a fact which was aptly-ilms-vtrated by Captain Bruco Bairnsfather in his pioture entitled ''Whose Trench •Mortar Was That?— Ours of/Theirs?-" '

. The trial of tho mortars was made on Jevel, stony ground. Trenches and emplacements had been prepared -to ;iiold tho four mortars, two of which I'roere 2-inch ind tho other Tickers 1.675. .The former is a well-tried weapon, and ;ib regarded as one of the most efficient weapons devised during this war. The iVickers is a new weapon.. Judged by results, it should bo as effective a .weapon- in .war as the older mortar.- In iappeorance, both weapons looked like. i-miniature.. cannon, squatting-, on steel '■'bases,; with -muzzles -pointing -to the ,leavens. .At-their bases is a-trigger similar to that of a riffe, and the propelling charge is loaded and jfired as ■ it-isjin;a rifle. ,■■.,■ Though tho .; bores : of .-these- mortars- are -2in.- and :1.570in., ■..tho:;bonibs are-much larger "than that diameter suggests.- They are iznouirted on hollow steel stems, which the" bore of the muzzles. When the mortar is loaded and ready for firing, the bombs appear to be .perching ion; the" muzzles like huge plum puddings. 'The fuses.are on their tops;;. Just before the trigger is pulled a'.'pin is , .'and the fuse begins to; "travel to the high'explosive. Properly-timed,; the: bomb .should veiplquo.. .about immediately after "strik-. ing the'earth;'just enough tiirieibeing ■ luibweit to ■' lot ■" the "heavy projectile plunge into the"; earth. :: The'SmVmor.tar.fires a 501b. bomb,--the. extreme raiigo being 375 yards. ■ The smaller mortar fires «181b. bombs up to; 375 yards and 331b". bombs' for 290 yards.

Firing Begins.

!. Tlie: weather -was-dull and the rea Hvarning flags showed up vividly. An omcer. o.n tiie parapet waved his arm .to signify-that allwas ready: . Tho 'answering signal was given, and, all ■waited in breathless '.silence.-,.' A light report-told that.a 2in. bpmb.hai.been fired. : :: '■.'.:..'.. ' . :'■-'....';■,'■■ •'■■.....

' ' J'ThereJt goes,": someone-said, The bomb,, with .its long steel tail, was clearly, outlined against-thb : clouds as it;rose —up, up, up. ... ' , "How high does it. rise?*';a civilian asked. . ....'. .': .., .■.l.:';V -.-...-

, "About 400 feet," he was told. ' Presently '. the bomb .began to fall, plum pudding first and the tail upwards. Down, down, it plunged at terrific speed towards < the targets,, a line -of trenches beside some manuka clumps.' the earth, but no eloud of smoke rose, no heavy explosion followed. .The-fuse had'been knocked off by striking a largo, stone. There [Was only a putF of-smoko -from tlie .burning -fiiso; ..-.. -■■■.■-..■;■■ -,''::' ■ "A Yankee!" was the comment. :.

■The nest shot was fired from a dickers with an 181b. bomb. Tho smaller projectile shot into the air, •with tail twirling,-turned its somen sault, arid came.to.earth.' The report was sharp and heavy, and white smoke rose in a column,' It was a good shot. The! third/shot was a big fellow. It exploded beautifully' with a burst of red fire in a denseSmass. of brown aiid yellow, 'smoke. .The report was shattering, andsetthe echoes Tolling along the; hills. . ; , ' .-".". ;

' the psngerous Tails. ■ ■'; Alternately the larger and smaller niortars wore fired up till, tho seventh shot. At the fourth s;hot';a'.r.emarkablo pluino. of whito '[ smoko with a writhing crest'. rosb straight upwards. Tho fifth, a, big one, iburst with an appalling, crashing /sound. 1 ' The sixth, a small one, followed with'"a, '.. queer cracking explosion: Just then the sun came out; from tho clouds, and tho seventh shot was fired. Tho bomb burst just before striking-the earth; Theonlookers; saw a" hugo l-flarb of white smoke from which a peculiar outburat of stnoko and -'fire shot.;' out sideways. There was a 6creaming, tearing sound,' made by the steel tail, which hurled hundreds of feet" to the right. This is the danger most feared in using trench mortars:- • Somptimos tho tail is hurled backwards. A New Zealand officor was killed in this way at Gallipoji. Tlieeighth and-ninth shots wero made' by the Vickers mortar, ■ using' 831b. bombs.' One fell and bounced without exploding. It was right on the target, -and-had it behaved itself a stout manuka tree would liavo been dismembered.- -The ninth" was a fino shot. ■' •' ... '.:■-, : -, .- ■:-. .V-

. Once more thosignal .-was given; Tho sboot was over,, and th'o onlookers: walked across tho intervening paddock to see tho '.effect of' the bonios and to look for pieces as trophies'.- The two lines ;of ■ trenches were well: peppered lyith missiles. In one place the bomb had fallen' and burst...: right- in- the trench, while those .which burst on tho stony ground had pulverised hugo stones and ;tom, up'.,'tho. ecant. earth among theitf. ■ ;■ .■..'; ;