Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1902-11-30
GERMANY MUST GET NEW GUNS.
The French Field Artillery Tar in
the Lend
Courier dos Etats-Unis.)

| Courier dos Etats-Unis.)
| IT modern battles artillery. haG alwa vs.
| played decisive role. Up to 1890 the ar
| tillery of the different armies IN Europe
remained stationary Then, taking a, step
| in advance Germany brought out her
| model of 1896. It was simply an improved
| Barge gun, which, as tie Germans be-
| lieve gave Germany an immense advan-
| tage over France. This gun is still in use
in the German army. 1t is a nickel steel
piece with gun carriage of limited recoil
After each shot the niece does recoii
enough to require repointing. It can be
loaded rapidly, but, IN rea4l,y. it is not
a rapi1-firirG gun. At the maximum it
can fire only six shots a minute T.
The new French artillery followed one
year afteruard: It proved to be a revc-
latiCn in the art of war. The system is
unlike that Of any other gun; it may be
called q reformation; that is to say, the
tube which fires the projectiles is mobile,
while the gun carriage is fixed. After the
first shot, the carriage is anchored in the
soil and remains perfectly stationary as
long as the firing continues. Its immobil-
ity is SC complete that one may put a
watch Oh the top of one OF the wheels
and ten-cent time piec-, on the top OF
the other and they will remain there
throughout the entire firing time. It is
the gun itself which recoils On rollers,
pressing upon a hydro pneumatic brake
Which sends it back TO it's place instantly.
With trained personnel the gun can
easily fire thirty shots a minute. The
gunncrs are protected by double steel
shield attached to the piece, and after
the first shot the pointer and firer take
their places on the seats of the gun car
rage and remain there while the piece
is in action.
When battery is placed in position
the caissons come close to the pieces.
The rear caisson Of each ammunition
wagon in service is fashioned in q man
ner t:.at. makes it look like a shelf for
holding bottles in m open cupboard The
end of the caisson facing the enemy is
armored and acts as a shield for the SER
wants.
On account OF the absolute stability OF
the piece, repointing is unnecessary as
regards direction, and the firer has very
little TO co to assure rigorous precision
in the matter OF elevation. For instance,
when the piece has fired a SHE'LL the
pointer, to avoid useless waste. turns it
literally by means of 2 crank, to secure
the desired direction. The second projec-
| tile bursts little further than the first,
! and sweeps a zone which the balls of the
| 1t is what is called the tir fauchant, or
! the moving method of firing. A battery
! can sweep {. piece of ground 200 metres
| wide and 40C metres long. This progress
| Sivc moving fire is accomplished in four
| series Of shots, and lasts only thirty
! seconds Tilc battery every ten seconds
/ fires a series of three shots, each time
! frightening its fire by 100 metres. When
(, The forty-eig!lt shots per battery are fired
| the firing ceases and the battery prepares
| to cover a new zone if that becomes nee
| essar.
TIE Germans are now endeavoring to
! get a gun equal at least to that Of the
! French. Some models from Krupp and
/ Ehrhardk are under consideration the. Rel
| chenau gun particularly. 1t is an arm Of
| small caiibre. five centimetres. and car
ries a shield. 1t fires melinite shells Cen
| eral Rcic;lcnau claims for it an effective
range OF $500 metres.
It must not be forgotten that a complete
renewal of the German artillery will
cost nearly four hundred millions and