"WHIZZ-BANGS."

Taihape Daily Times, 17 July 1919, Page 5

"WHIZZ-BANGS. "

FIVE AMONG THE"‘GERM-AN GUNS. SOUVENI RMUD. '

Hardly a. tale was told or a letter written from ‘the"“"front line’’ in France Without a mention of the German “ whizz-bang” guns, which troubled our men more than" any individual arm the enemy brought into play’ during the whole campaign, not even excepting the “flanunenwerfe.r.’-" Among the captured Germain guns th-at are on exhibition outside the Town Hall at Wellington at the present time there are five “whizz-bangs,” and very neat, graceful, and Well‘-balanced little guns they are. With -an barrel about Bft 6in long, they are able to throw shells 10,000 yards, and the particular virtue of the shells (from the standpoint of the man behind the"gun) is that they give no warning their inten*ded,victi§n. All ;’.:*Zhai";«;; is he:a.rd__r-is the‘ srljen«»h;_g¢s the -gi'°ulid3l'

New Zealand gunner’i’liMl’«'::l‘i"3“3.}'ii, is he? examined the scrap-iron of war. “It is absohrtely vicious-—throws afiout 1?W..?..1!'°.Y'f.i‘."..3..5.11..0.1..1.5... to the mill.l%t?z you - can» imféz éiflihsé "?~.‘1i.%f1:J..;?.11:e.,.- §.<.:.en<{ is.'.lil’s¢_f.V‘.., when a couple Of hundied of them are oi the j‘9b.;'»"a;}3he “Whizlz_-bang’ used to worry"u'ss‘m’ore than :ailytll__ing-;‘ .a’s3.il7 gave no_ sort..o£,fival-'nir.ig at‘ 511‘. :It‘ wajs,_‘ jxist-—whiz‘z?:-Ifiaixiggfiz That is how it ~_..go‘t‘;;' the n-am-e.” - A ‘-

Most -of _’t.he firingildalqd ‘sighting: mechanism of the guns have bee'n‘-re: moved _by ‘ .tlle»s‘'Gernlans - before “they were captured, or" since by the authorities, so that the guns are, for the mos_t_ part, “sheer-.hulks.’_’ They =difler_3_.‘_ good ‘deal from the British 18-pounders their fittings, but time and again the Alliedvigunnersp captured whole batteries and turned them on the enemy, showing. that they took only. a_ few moments to Il.l§lSt€r,thC Working parts of the. guns. _— i ‘_ gEach of the captured guns has a par~ ticularly long-tfand heavy: trail, which terminates in a double seoup of steel riveted atright angiles to the trail, which’ scoup is sunk"into the earth‘ j.(%vhen the gun is "placed in position) to. give ._ t-__heW gunwcarriage. gre-after solidity, a.n‘a‘“t6' check‘ its “‘l¥ie'k” when firing. In some inst.’anees"-“these sc.oops were still éaked with the mud of Northern France or Flanders, and the spectacle is presented of people taking away pieces of the crusted earth as souvenirs from the battlefield. The 5.9 cannon, which attracts :1. good deal of attention. by reason of its size and ornate l3a.rl'el is believed to be a naval gun. adapted for field pur-ples-3s. ' \