Missouri Valley times. [volume] (Missouri Valley, Iowa) 1874-1931, 1905-08-10
Reports by Military Experts
Begin to Show Perfection
Of Fighting Machine.
MANY NEW WRINKLES
Entire World Finds Much 70 Profit sy
ia tho 0uartermasters Depart.
ment-seIdiars March Light
and Garry Shovel.


the army many problems to solve.
Now that the japanese commanders
have driven the Russians to suing for
peace. they are permitting the OBJ
servers to forward dispatches that give
Information that makes the officers on
duty here open their eyes with Won
der. Reports from all branches Of the
Japanese army have been received by
the general staff except from the en-
gineers. Major Kuhn is still i'm the field
and unable to get through the reports
that will be Of worth to the American
engineers.
The quarternoster generals depart
mcnt II the one that has found most to
think about in the reports from Man
churia- The extraordinary mobility of
the japanese troops, of course. Is q
fact which all the world has been spec
ulattng about But the whole world has
not been able to ascertain how the cat
like moves were accomplished by men
supposed to be weighted down by the
customary camp ACCOMPLISHMENTS. am
E'unftfon and ordnance.
The quarterrnaster's department has
satisfied Itself that the Japanese travel
extraordinarily light. They do not
carry as muci. weight as Americans
would in like circumstances. They do
not carry half as much. as u matter
of fact.
Japs Travelled Light
\ Every piece of metal I'm {; Japanese
soldiers carrying outfit is aluminium.
He carries an aluminium canteen, an
aluminium cup. and wherever metal is
required in the way of buckles that
light metal is used. His haverSsck is
made of lightweight materials and his
gun liz lighter than American SOL
der would have to pack with him.
Because the general announcements
are light weight. each japanese foot
soldier is able to carry entrenchfng
tools; that is Il pick and shovel This
is a fact not generally known. and it
accounts for the comparatively small
mortality on a number of fields in
which the Japanese apparently fought
without cover.
Examination of the fields at Lao
Yang and Mukden show that on every
advance the japanese army practically
entrenchcd itself. The first line OF
skirmishers thrown out dug very shall
low trenches. The second line occupied
them and then moved forward. The
third dug them still deeper. and the
fourth completed them. But i'm trench
ing the Japanese showed 81 new trick,
They dug their trenches as if they were
preparing to bury huge telegraph poles,
each bearing as many cross arms as
possible
The trenches in which they were ia
lie led back to the ammunition carts
and the reserves. The traverse. or arm
trenches extended parallel with the
front of the Russian positions. The am
munition servers passed through Tho
long trench running from rear to front
and We're never exposed to rife fire a
all. Shrapnel fire might reach them
but it did not often.
Undoing of Russians.
After having constructed the cfab
oratc entertainments In the face of tho
enernys fire, the Japanese. were ready
to show another trick. That was IL
fall back from their trenches nearest
the enemy, and thus invite him t
charge forward. only to be met by the
making the attack in the last trench
into which machine and mounted guns
had been hurried as soon as II WI:
completed. When the Russians reached
the last trench the calling fire was too
much for men exposed. and they went
down by the thousands.
!. Another fact with respect to theil
! field work IS that there was no blint
. firing. That is there was no shooting
: simply because the Russians wer'
known to be in certain directions from
= the japanese troops There was n,
shooting until the range finders hat
9 picked up the Russians. and the dis
tance was accurately measured will
{ the best scientific Instruments thu
Japanese government could buy.
). The men with .angc finders went gu
0 with collapslble extension ladders
: They popped up all over the bn:tl
4 ground. took measurements and tce
. phoned the result TO the men VIII,
/ were TO do the shooting Each rang
a finder operator had telephone trum
e pet strapped to his ears md Il trans
I mitter in front of his mouth and H.
: never took observations beyond tn
r end of his coil of Insulated telephon
s wire This range finding work wa
a done not only for artillery. but for In
: !antrv as we'll
; Health Wei! Guarded
Il But the most startling fact Is tina
!. the Japanese forces never change
e bivouac until after the medical corp
II had examined the site of the propose
r camping place and agreed that 1t woul
o not endanger the health of the mer
1t The doctors were from :went four I
: seventytwo hours ahead of the army
II After them came the luartermaster
y to assure supply of water. fuel an