The star. (Reynoldsville, Pa.) 1892-1946, 1902-12-17
AUTOMOBILES In BATTLE
MILITARY cHARIoTS AS DEVISED BY
MODERN MAN.

Germnny's Interesting Experiments with
Motor mnxi,nites - An Invincibie Ma
chine Manned by Gunncrs Behind steel
Pintes-Future OF Military Automo obiie.
The automobile seems so eminently
fitted for pleasure purposes that II Is
somewhat of distortion Of its origin
nj object I'm life to convert II into an
engine of warfare; yet so progressive
are modern military experts In adopt
ing every imaginable invention for
their particular line Of work that the
automobile appears destined to create
as much of revolution in transporta-
tion In times of war as in times of
peace. The development of the war
automobile has been fully as rapid in
the last few years as those designed
for ordinary riding. Germany in par
ticular has striven to construct practi-
cal war machines out of automobiles,
and somo quite remarkable tests and
experiments have been made by the
military authorities of that country.
There are two distinct purposes
kept in view in developing war auto
mobiles. One is for the simple pur-
pose Of transporting troops rapidly
| over Il country that has not been pro-
| vided with railroads. In Austri-Hun-
| gary the Minister of War has lately
| had a number of automobiles con-
| str'icted for this purpose. These war
| machines practically represent an en-
| tirely new type of transport They
are the heaviest motor vehicles yet
constructed, and are intended to carry
| troops over rough country at an aver
age speed of IL to Is miles an hour
Each vehicle has a capacity of five
tons, and this will be sufficient to
carry 40 soldiers, with their necessary
| provisions and equipments. A score
of such machines would be able to
| carry q respectable sized army across
country in a short time. The success
OF the experiments seemed to justify
the Austrian army in carrying on fur
thcr work in this line.
The second line of development Of
the military automobile is for the pur-
pose of carrying small field or Maxim
rapid firing guns, the gunners aud
operators being protected from the
enemy by shields of nickel plate. With
the shield In front of them they can
run down an army, and almost annihi-
late body of infantry without ex-
posing themselves to any great dan
ger. In the German army q number
of these motor-maximites have been
constructed and tested so satisfact-
orily that more of them have recently
| -
ed the German army will have more
than q dozen mechanical gun movers
in the field equipped with Maxims, and
the small automobile cavalry thus on
eanized will he quite able to attack
almost anything in the way of light
soldiery.
Germany learned much from ing
lands experiments with the armored
cars in South Africa last year, and
military experts were sent there to
investigate the practical field tests of
these new war horses. The armored
cars which the English operated were
all right except that they bad one very
weak point. They were easily de-
rallied and their progress or return
over railroad lines easily obstructed.
They were thus rendered almost help
less by band of quick horsemen. who
could double on their tracks and tear
up the rails In the rear. This nocessi-
tatei repairs by the soldiers under the
exposure of sharpshooters on distant
hills. The effect OF the armored rail.
road car was thus totally neutralized
by simply military tactics.
But 1t is reasoned that the military
automobile, carrying it's Maxim guns
and ite soldiers. could not thus be
crippled. There would be no track
to tear up. and the automobiles could
, return across country where no enemy
could possibly obstruct their ways
| There would, of course, be certain
parts of the wild country, where the
operators might be entrapped SO that
It would be impossible to escape with
cut running back over a narrow road
, But that would be the fault Of the
/ operators rather than OF the machines
! The modern military automobile Is in
. tended for the open country. and moi
for narrow, mountainous defiles, where
, mobile. wandering band of horse
) men could entrap them.
Finally. there is another field in mill
7 tary tactics for which the automobile
, is eminently SO far perfected better
, than any other nation. AS armet
! scouts tho modern high racing mill
: tary automobile is of the greatest pos
sible promise. The machines bull
Cor experimenting in the French army
are of the heavy, fast type, with speet
l and durability emphasized above
Q everything else. They are capable o
l rushing across country so swiftly tina
e they would quickly outrun anything
5 which might be sent in pursuit. A
: the same time. the operators beini
y protected by steel shields from any OF
binary rifle bullets. they could ap
proach the lines Of the enemy ia
better than any other scouts could
e Their only possible enemies would b,