The sea coast echo., 1900-03-10
NOVEL ARTILLERY PRACTICE.

The recent maneuvers at the Camp
de Chalons presented an opportunity
to a considerable number of officers TO
follow closer the progress OF the
French artillery and to appreciate the
peerless qualities of the new guns.
The actual field practice executed un-
der their eyes by the batteries faclli-
tated observations which cannot fail
to be of advantage in the general train
ing.
But it is to be regretted that the
Camp of Chalons is not supplied with
greater resources in the matter of the
establishment and mobilization of ma
chimes that serve as targets. In this
respect France is inferior to the other
powers which possess for their artillery
schools ingenious contrivances whose
utility cannot be questiond.
The German firing ground at Juter-
bog in the heart OF Prussia, just sixty
kilometres from Pottsdam, leaves
nothing to be desired fl ON this point
of view, if we are to believe the de-
tailed account of it which has Just
been published in the German militia
ry papers. On the Polygon which
covers about one square mile there
are two establishments which work
| the movable targets. The depot con-
tains an enormous quantity of panels
| representing heads, busts, lines Of in
/ fantry, batteries OF artillery, regi-
ments of cavalry all fixed on trucks
| that run on rails at varied rates of
| speed.
By this means it is easy to present
| the different phases of battle. The
! ground represents a village organized
| for defence. In ambush behind the
walls and hedges are the infantry. On
the side of the village lines of batter
les are in position. But the sharpnel
and shells soon render the position of
| the enemy untennable, and he resolves
! upon a counter attack Detachments
of infantry emerge from the wood
and, taking advantage of the shelter
afforded by the lay of the ground, ap-
proach to within 1900 or even 1000
metres. Then suddenly lines of skir-
mishers appear.
The recoil of the pieces is limited
by using the spade and rope
/ brakes. Then the lines of the enc
mys infantry are swept by murder
ous fire. During these phases of the
action each battery fires from fifty to
sixty shots The enemy unable to
stand against such a tire, falls back.
/ Just then his cavalry comes up and
sacrifices itself in an effort to turn the
tide of the battle. The horsemen
| charge rapidly on one of the tlanks of
their adyersaries. The horses and
men ave represented by pieces of cloth
stiffened by wire and NOV ell by steam,
The battery of the wing thus attacked
rapidly changes front and sends
masses of iron and lead into the enc
my's cavalry. The charge is repulsed,
The battle is won, and the enemy sends
flag of truce The bearer of the
flag IS also a mauikin fixed upon n
truck. Nothing rena rs but to ex-
anime the results of the fire. Seat
tered over the polygon there are ar
mor-plated posts of observation with
telephone connections with each 9th
er and with the firing battery. All
these posts are occupied by officers
and on-commissioned officers.
All the German artillery officers,
Bavarian, Saxon, Wurten IN burglar aud
Baden, are obliged to spend some time
at Jueterbog. There they learn the
fundamental principles of practical
instruction which they propagate af-
terward in all the garrisons including
even the most distant. In France
there is no such establishment where
instruction in firing is carried on in
summer and III winter, i'll rain and
snow and always in conditions rs
closely as possible to actual warfare.
But at WaIenstatt the Swiss army
has firing ground and training school
for infantry and artillery which is a
| model