The Montgomery advertiser., 1907-04-23
Infantry Ammunition.


 : A writer in The New York Sun who discusses the question of increasing the supply of ammunition on the bat tleheld, to provide for the increased rapfdity of fire, says: All nations are striving to increase the number of rounds carried by the soldier. The Germans have accomplished this to a certain extent with their rifle "9S" and their sA-called "S" ammunition, a pointed bullet of small weight but high velocity The number of rounds that could be, carried by the soldier was raised 1om 120 to 150 The French are seeking to control the expenditure of ammunition by limiting the occa- sions when individual rapid fire. which wasted so much ammunition. could be used, prescribing targets of special im- portance and adopting the so- called rafale. fire. The French army is also at work on the problem of how, with out increasing the total weight car- ried by the. soldier, the number of rounds of ammunition carried can be raised to 200 a man.
 The Japanese believed that the more the fire action is condensed (delivered in short periods of time) the greater its effect. and hence that victory can be. insured only by the long continued use or expenditure of large amount of ammunition. The. Japanese increas-  ing aside their knapsacks and making a roll of their pack. which was car ried in a long bag over one shoulder en bandoliere. Into this roll, which contained two or three days rations. the soldier stuck as many rounds Of ammunition as he could get. often 200 to 25O. Others wore their overcoats with cartridges. Each company had a light ammunition cart carrying about 16.000 rounds. but the poor roads pre- vented its use, and pack animals were preferered. or light wagons drawn by horses or coolies, or even carried by coolies. Data are available only for the earlier actions, and from these 1t appears that at the battle of the Yalu the Japanese troops fired seventy five rounds a rife; at Kintchow the troops most energetfcally engaged fired 143 shots a rife. The troops were seldom out of ammunition; but this did hap pen with one regiment in the Yalu fight. with several battalions of Nod gus army at Liao- Yang, and once be- fore Port Arthur at 203-Meter Hill
 Officers Ignorant.
 A writer in The Army and Navy Journal urges that lieutenants be giv- pared to take command of their com. panies when emergency arises: Ana he continues: In the ueIu of officers the maneuvers of recent years have brought out the fact that many of our captains and field officers are wofully ignorant and inexperienced in the, command of combined arms, having spent all their service in one branch, they have lost touch with the others. Would 1t not be possible to correct this by designating one month in the year during which all junior of hcers not in command of companies should be transferred during that month by the post commander to other branches where there is more than one branch at that post, l. e., lieutenant of infantry be assigned to troops or a. battery, and a lieutenant of artillery or cavalry sent to the infantry. Dur ing this month all training should be essentially practical. The experience SO acquired would be of incalculable benefit in later years. The duties of our officers has not yet become so spe- cialized that an officer should not be prepared to command other troops than his own.
 '"The idea of the present system of practice marches is to harden the men and horses and keep them in good condition. Would any athlete training for an important event go out only one day a week and put in a hard days workY Would he not rather exercise moderate amount every day? The present method causes a discontent among the enlisted men and serves nc good end. If. instead of practice march, one day in the week were de- voted to minor tactical problems In which all the troops in a post were engaged, far more practical results would be obtained. In addition 10 these, the three days camp and march every month breaks the monotony or garrison life.
 The present system of small arms target practice does not by any means represent service conditions. The sol dier goes on a range on which the distances are accurately known, and the target is large and conspicuous. He fires his first shot and immediately indicates the exact point of the target which he hit. He then adjusts ms sights until he works on to the bulf 3 eye. Would a kindly enemy indicate to our sharpshooters how close their bullets were coming to him? Or would such a conspicuous target ever be or- feredr
 -Tor tnStruation and training Of the