LATEST IN GUNS.

Taranaki Daily News, 29 December 1916, Page 6

LATEST IN GUNS.

KOW IX NEW ZEALAND. ; TRENCH MORTARS ARRIVE. FOR USE IN TRAINING CAMPS. In pursuance of the policy of keeping the instruction of the-Xpiv Zealand Reinforcements as up to date as possible, the Defence Department has now introduced trench mortars into the Dominion for use in the training camps Owing to the demand for these engines of destruction exceeding the supply at the -front, New Zealand's requirements in this respect could not be met as early as was desired, but the Imperial fiovernment lias done what it could, and a number of these weapons have now come to band. They are being issued to Featherston Camp for instructional purposes. Altogether four different types of trencli mortars or trench howitzers,, as they are sometimes called, have been sent out. They are all of the 1010 pattern,'ami therefore the latest things in

modern war. The varieties are Hie 3.7iu., which fires jam-tin bombs; t!ie 4in„ which fires high explosive shell?: tlie Vickers 1.57uin.. which fires a good-sized bonil\ ami the 2iii.. which fires it 5011) bomb. The :i.7in and 4in are fired with rifle mechanism, and in appearance can only be likened unto short- lengths of gaspipe. with elevation and sighting appliances attached. The latter, for firing high explosive shell?, is riflo-bored. and looks particularly prim. The Vickers 1.575 and the "in throws bombs •with tails (a steel tube) attached, and are fired with friction tube. - The smaller fellow- in build is such as delights the heart of the gunner. He is properly mounted on a regulation platform and has a periscope sight, together with all other appliances. His barrel measure* about ISins in length, and certainly has 4he look of a gun. The bomb is mounted at the muzzle of the steel tail, which runs down the barrel. The 2in mortar is a queer customer. He lias a barrel about 4ft in length, resembling an ordinary gas pipe. This is mounted on a flat castiron platform, and the gun is elevated and sighted with the gear attached. It looks simplicity itself, but it is far from being harmless. With the 501b bomb which it throws it can make a whole in the ground big enough to bury a team of horses in. For enabling it to be quickly transferred from one position to another it has a travelling carriage on bicycle wheels.

These mortars have a range of anything up to 500 yards. A curious thing about them from a gunner's point of view is that to decrease the range one has to raise the angle at which the gun is fired. They are certainly novelties so far as our experiences in New Zealand goes, and will be inspected with not a little interest by the Reinforcements when they return to camp after the holidays.