St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1898-07-13
GERMAN MOCK WAR.
ELABORATE SYSTEM OF DUMMIES
REPRESENTS THE FOE.

Fields Are Reserved"
Though the German soldiers do not
get the steady practice in real fighting
that the British troops have the kaiser
does not allow his men to rust. Period
ically bodies Of German troops are dis
patched into some part Of German terri
tory that presents as many difficulties
as possible, with orders to attack or de-
fend certain positions under all the con-
djtions of real war.
If the cavalry has orders to charge,
the charge must be made with the des-
peration and recklessness of men who
are riding through deadly fire. Artillery
is hurled headlong into country that
often is difficult for infantry. Men and
horses 60 down and accidents are COM
mon events Of the routine. Only ooca-
sionally are they made public, as for in
stance the great one when two bodies
of heavy cavalry rode into each other at
full speed, killing and wounding many
men.
Great areas are "reserved''-practi-
cally seized-for the purposes of these
evolutions. A circle Of sentries is posted
around the reserved territory, and the
people who live in it are ordered to
leave their houses and to remain outside
of the lines until the practice is ended.
In artillery practice particularly this
clearing of the territory to be used is
done with particular care, for the artil-
lery fire is genuine, service shot and
shell being used.
A remarkable feature Of German ar
tillery mock battles is the use of NOV
able wooden figures to represent the en-
envy. They are exact copies of infantry,
artillery and cavalry and are worked by
an elaborate system Of wires. AS these
evolutions take place in the winter, the
cavalry dummies are mounted on sleighs
and come down on the artillery in reg
ular charges.
An official German eyewitness de-
soribes an artillery attack as follows:
"The terrain has been cleared Of all
except the military. In long columns
the guns crowd a ravine, the last cover
before they 60 into action. Six great
horses draw each gun. A messenger
comes galloping from the front with the
order to move. Mount TrotP COM
mand the officers. The long lines thun-
der up the ravine. Officers fresh from
reconnaissance chatter down the lines
and report to battery chiefs that there is
no cover where the artillery must 60 into
position and that swift movement Of the
guns is necessary to bring them into ac-
tion with the least possible loss Of men,
as the enemy's fire controls the place.
"By this time the upper end Of the
ravine is reached. Battery, gallop-
marchl' and with furious speed the
heavy cannon 60 into the open-into
unknown, snow covered country full of
trenches and deep cuts. Perhaps this is
the most exciting maneuver Of the day.
Snow covered water courses and drain
age canals cut the country up. A horse
falls. Riders and gun thunder on top Of
it. Axles break and men fall beneath
| iron hoofs.
"Now there is pale lightning in the
misty distance. Then, even during the
reckless charge, the artillerymen must
mark the direction from which the
shots come, for the fame is the only
sign Of the whereabouts of the enemy.
"Quickly the batteries form in line,
the battery Chiefs far ahead, stand high
in their stirrups and raise their arms to
signal Haiti In an instant the can
noneers are out of the saddle and almost
at once the first shot booms from the
right wing A great crowd of smoke
and snow dust show where it has struck,
but the dim flash of the enemy's gun
through the vapor shows that it has
fallen short. The next shot comes from
our left wing, and this time we have
dropped it into the woods that cover the
foe.
"Now we have him caught between
the tines Of our fork shots, and closer
and closer we crowd him with the ever
concentrating fire of our whole batter
les. At last we throw O shell into the
woods in just the right place. AS the
white smoke rises it makes a shining
background. against which the dunn
mics, representing the enemy artillery.
are plainly visible for a moment Mer-
rily the shrapnels fly now and smash
into them.
"Then, moved from the sides with
long wires, infantry and sharpshooters
appear here and there. The batteries
must direct their fire in all directions in
quick changes until they have made the
whole line of woods untenable.
"When that is accomplished, there
burst with startling suddenness several
squadrons Of cavalry from the trees.
They come swiftly, as if they had grown
out Of the earth, and approach the bat
teries with startling speed.
"s lowly few trial shots are thrown
toward them to get their range. There
is silence for a second. Then the air is
full of metal. Figures fail here and
there, more and more; faster and faster
scream the shots. At last the line of fire
makes steady roar in which individual
guns cannot be discerned, and the SQUAD.