The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1890-07-06
MODERN WARFARE.
some OF Its Exigehcies' Discussed by an
Expert

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At the ROYAL United Service Institution
yesterday, lecture on the employment of
large cavalry masses, Of smokeless powder,
and Of movable Notifications, as illustrated
by the last German autumn man0uyres,
1851. was given by Ueorge Saunders, Esq,
correspondent Of the Morning Post, Berlin.
General Sir G. i. Beauchamp Walker, {.
n. g., the e-prcsident, was in the chair.
The lecturer after describing the man
Uuyres on the 18th, 18th aud 18TH Of last
September Of the Seventh and Tenth
German Army Corps. stated that they
tended TO show that the practice Of recon
nOissahce BY cavalry in force will in future
European warfare obtain much more eN-
tended application than in the past All
that can be done by small bodies Of cavalry
acting against such a network OF advance
posts as covers the defense Of a modern army
is to drive in few outpos,s and Brighten IA
few sentries. The accommodating parties will
as often as not return very little the wiser
for their expedition, and will have left the
enemy without any serious injury To his
own means Of observation. or TO the veil by
which he covers his position and plans. The
attack on masse, on the other hand, consti-
tutes in itself an operation Of serious and. it
may be, mOmcntous Importance, and II pos
sesses the great advantage Of being capable
OfeNecutiOn without involving to the attack
ing party risks at all propOrtiOnate to the OBJ
jects which may De secured in the event Of
success. The unanimous opinion in Ger
many is that cavalry. thus employ
ed can best be met by cavalry,
when either the enemy's movements will he
anticipated by similar operation on the
part OF the defending force, or his cavalry
will be opposed 10y an equal body Of horse
which will Illustrate the objects of the adj
vance. For cavalry encountering cavalry
the lance will remain the decisive weapon
Of attack and defense. Great attention has
been paid during the past year in Germany
to the improvement of the lance itself, and
the hollow tube Of steel, rolled by the Man
nesmann process, which has been substi-
tuted for the wooden lance shaft, is Of won
derful lightness, and, Of course. Of very
superior Durability.
Mr.. Saunders, after describing the opera
tions during the three concluding days of
the manWuyres, and incidentally mention
ing the interesting novelty of the employ
ment OF dogs as dispatch bearers, pointed
ont the advantages of the employment of
smOkelcss powder. IL exercised "A most de-
mOralizing and bewIlduring effect upon the
troops exposed 10 infantry fire. The. enemy
experienced extraordinary difficulty in de-
termining the distance and direction whence
the fire came. 1t gave "A greatly in
creased certainty Of aim, arising from the
absence of smoke. especially i'm the
csc of artillery. The new powder weighed
halfas much as the old, thus enabling dou-
BILE the quantity TO be transported, and it
does not half 50 readily cause the gun to
heat as the old. and leaves the bore Of the
gun almost clean after several rounds Of
firing. Further, il is only when the prOiec-
tile reaches the mouth OF the tube that the
fun eXpulsiYe power of the charge takes
effect The German smokeless powder
stinks abOminably, and is said in exploding
20 put a greater strain on the metal Of the
gun than the old. Ii is not. rs was at first
stated, nOiseless.
The lecturer then drew the attention Of
his audience to the employment of the NOV
able fortihcatiOns, known in Germany as
Schumann's armed turrets. constructed
i'm Gruson's works at Madgeburg. The
turrets. each OF which contains "a quick
firing gun, are placed in position IN the IN
fantry trenches. and strengthen the lines.
They are transported on specially cQnstruc-
ted carriages. and AT the manHuyres Of last
autumn they were mostly sunk into
the ground i'm their entertainments.
Il is evident that the method OF
attacking Notifications has received a
INV anu Mlut ufNilVliili'ntt III D tAhNNf -
well as in Germany, there exists a strong
tendency to avoid i'm the future the error of
stalking too much upon the defensive
strength Of permanent Notifications; and
there also exists a belief that more Will be
achieved by developments i'm the cOnstruc-
ton Of imprOyised defenses "a branch Of
strategy, in the future Of which the trans
portable armored turrets may very probably
play prominent part.
Mr.. saunders concluded his paper by Civ.
ing brief summary Che was enabled to
state i'm general agreement with the,Ger-
man general staff OF the considerations
which, il is anticipated, would predominant
in facing the next great European cam
paigu. Accuracy of aim and range Of
weapons Of precision have maryelOusly in
creased since the last great war. 1t Is not,
however, anticipated that this will result
in an increased loss Of life in future cam
paigns. Movements i'm the field will be eX-
ecutcd with increased rapidity. which
VIII impart new excitement and
greater liyeliness of aspect to
the battles Of the future. On
the other hand, il is not improbable that the
same factors will produce certain stagna-
tiOn in the conduct of modern campaigns,
owing 10 the cautious tactics which the
deadliness Of the new weapons Of precision
will enforce. The functions of great masses
Of cavalry will become more important than
ever. The excellence of weapons Of pre-
cisiOn will, it is anticipated, rebound pre-
eminently to the advantage Of troops act
ing on the defensive. 1t is, in fact, regard
ed as probable that the great battles OF the
future will more than ever have
10 be- fought out on the wings, and
that the success or failure Of thanking
movements will generally determine the
issue of the combat. Sm0keless powder. i'm
particular, will confer a prcpOnderating
advantage upon the troops on the defensive.
For theNast armies Of to-day, the question
of communications, and, above all, the i'm
p0rtance of railways. will assume fresh
prominence, bOtn in view Of the commits
sariat and Of rapid mobilization The
speed and prOmptness OF strategic opera
tons which will be necessilated by
the vast numbers Of troops TO be
manGuyred AS well as by the cOnsdera-
ton already indicated, will deprive great
permanent Notifications OF their former i'm
portance. The views believed TO be enter
tanned in Germany by those best capable of
prOnOucing an opinion are distinctly in
favor Of the superiority of the Army which
is best disciplined, best equipped. pest led,
over a rival who, while stronger in numbers
is somewhat inferior in these regards. Good
shooting has become indispensable. Ammu-
Ullihu must bN NNltlNltN fANi'liiENNs anu
every shot made 10 tell. The demands Of
modern warfare are more than-eyer in the
direction Of requiring superior morale in
the individual soldier There is probably
no one who is familiar with the composition
Of the armies of Europe who will be pre-
pared 90 deny that Great Britain possesses
raw material capable Of being very highly
educated in theImilitary virtues and that
she possesses this particular material 10 an
extent equal if not greater than her Cont
mental neighbOrs. Similarly, the education
of officers in view Of the conditions Of mod
ern warfare has become matter Of over
whelming Importance. The Germans be-
lieve that the traditions Of the last eighty
years, aud the present thoroughness and
success with which this department Of mil
itary efficiency is cultivated amongst them,
give them an lncOntestable superiority over
their neighbOrs on the Continent. But
an Englisman whose lot makes him
stranger within their gates, Mr..
saunders remarked, may claim with
justiiiable pride that the traditions of
the British army, in respect Of its officers,
are IN nOwise in danger OF being unworthily
maintained, aud that the testimony, based
upon his last years visit % Aldershot, of
one Of the foremost German soldiers of the
IL