Washington sentinel., 1898-06-25
German Mimic war,

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his men to rust. Periodical
bodies of German troops are des
patched into some part of Germa
territory that presents as man
difficulties as possible, with order
to attack or defend certain posi-
tions under all the conditions c
real war.
If the. cavalry has orders I,
charge, the charge must be mad
with the desperation and reckless
ness OF men who are TidinI
through deadly FIRE. Artillery i
often hurled headlong into coun
try difficult Tor infantry. Men anC
horses 60 down and accidents are
common events OF the routine
Only occasionally are they made
public, as, for instance, the greal
one OF last year, when two bodie:
OF heavy cavalry rode into each
other at full speed, killing ano
wounding many men.
Great areas are "reserved"-
practically seized-for the purpose
of these evolutions. A circle OF
sentries is posted around the re-
served territory, and the people
who live in il are ordered to leave
their houses and to remain outside
OF the lines until the practice is
ended, In artillery practice, par
ticularlY. this clearing OF the terri
tory to be used is done with par
ticular care, for the artillery FIRE is
genuine, service shot and shell be-
ing used.
A remarkable feature OF Ger
man artillery mock battles is the
use of movable wooden figures TO
represent the enemy. They are
exact copies of infantry, artillery
and cavalry, and are worked by an
elaborate system of wires.
An official German eye witness
describes an artillery attack as iol-
lows:
"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
command the officers. The long
lines thunder up the ravine, officers
fresh from reconnaissance clatter
down the lines and report to bat
terry chiefs that there is no cover
where the artillery must 90 into
position and that swift movement
of the guns is necessary to bring
them into action with the least
possible loss ofmen, as the enemy's
FIRE controls the place.
But this time the upper end OF
the ravine is reached. Battery,
gallop-marchP a d with furious
speed the heavy cannon go into
the open-into unknown, snow
covered country full Of trenches
and deep cuts. Perhaps this is the
most exciting manoeuvre OF the
day. Last year an ensign with his
battery rode over the snow hidden
edge of a hill and disappeared with
horses and men, woundlng many
seriously. Snow covered water
courses and drainage canals cut the
country up. A horse falls. Riders
and gun thunder on top Of il.
Axles break and men fall beneath
iron hoofs.
Nov there is pale lightning in
the misty distance. Then, even,
during the reckless charge, the ar.
tillerymen must mark the direction
from which the shots come, for the
fame is the only sign Of the where
abouts 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 'haltp In
an instant the cannoneers are out
of the saddle, and almost at once
the first shot booms from the right
wing. A great crowd Of smoke
and snowdust shows where il has
struck, but the dim fash Of the
enemy's gun through the vapor
shows that It has fallen short. The
next shot comes from our lett wing,
and this time we have dropped It
into the woods that cover the foe.
"Now we have him caught be-
tween the tines Of our fork shots,
and closer and closer we crowd
him with the ever concentrating
lire Of our whole batteries. At
last we throw a shell into Just the
right place. As the white smoke
rises it makes shining back
ground, against which the dunn
mics, representing the enemies
artillery, are plainly visible tor a
moment. Merrily the shrapnels
ay now and smash into them.
"Then, moved from the sides
with long wires, infantry and sharp
shooters 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 sudden
ness several squadrons Of cavalry
rom the trees. They come swiftly,
as if they had grown out Of the
earth, and approach the batteries
with startling speed.
"Slowly a few trial shots are
thrown toward them to get their
rrnge. There is silence for a sec
ond. Then the air is full of metal.
Figures fall here and there, more
and more, faster and faster scream
the shots; at last the line Of FIRE
makes A steady roar. in which in