"WHIZZ-BANGS"

Dominion, Volume 12, Issue 246, 11 July 1919, Page 9

"WHIZZ-BANGS"

FIVE AMONG THE GERMAN GUNS , SOUVENIR MUD -Hardly a tale was told or a letter 1 written from the "front line 1 ' in Franco without a. mention of the German ''whiz.z-bang" guns, which troubled our (neu more than any individual arm the enemy brought into' play during the whole campaign, not even excepting the "tiaiuenwerte'r." It,, is . interesting to draw attention to the fact that .among \ -. the captured German guus that aro on /..- exhibition outside the Town Hall at tho \;. present time there are five "whizzV.. bangs," and very neat, graceful, and ;; well-balanced little,guns they art. AVith ■ ■■' a barrel about Bft..Gin. long, they are ■: able to throw shells '10,000 yards, and - the particular virtue of-the eholls (from fh'o standpoint of the man behind the gun) is that they give no warning shriek to their intended- victims. -, All that is heard is a "whizz" as the shell hits ■the ground, and the explosion'follows immediately. /'----. "It, gives you no chance," said a New Zealand gunner in "khaki us he examined the scrap-iron of war. "it is absolutely vicious—throws' about' twenty-five shells to the minute, 60 you can imagine what the sc'eiio, is like when a couple of hiin- . drcd of them are on the job. Tho 'whizz-bang'', used to'-worry us more than anything, as'it gavt no sort of warning at all. It'was just—whizz-bang !■ That is how it got. tho name."''' • . Most of the firing anil sighting meclia',nisni of tho gnus-have been removed either by the. Germans before they weiu captured, or si.iico by tho authorities, so that the guns' are for tlie, most part "sheer hulks.", . They differ "a good deal from the British. 18-pomiders in';'their fittings, .but. tinie and'.again the,' Allied • gunners captured .'whole .batteries and turned them on the enemy, showing that they only took ai few moments to master the working parts of tho .gnus. '' Eaoh.of the captured guns has. a.par. ticularly long and heavy trail, : which terminates in a double 6coop of steel riveted at right -angles to the trail, which scoop is-sunk.into the earth (when , the gun is placed in position) to .give- ; the gun-carringe greater solidity, ana to check its -"kick" when firing. Ii» noiae. instances thes& scoopi werb still.. caked with the'mud -of•■-Northern■ France-or FSanders, and itho spectacle was presented yesterday of people taking away pieces' of the crusted earth as'souvenirs.from.the battlefield.' '•-' " The 5.9 cannon, wlucn attracts,a good deai ot attention,'by reason of its size and ornate barrel, is believed to bo a .. naval gun, adapted l for field purposes.