The Hawaiian gazette., 1912-12-20
HOW WARFARE
IS TRANSFORMED
British Correspondent Sums Up
Lessons 10 Be Learned
in Balkan War.

SOFIA, December 5.-Now that the
armistice has been concluded and Ia
view OF the accumulated facts and oh
serVatiOns, we may first consider the
war itself and what the big masses OF
troops In a campaign, which was liter.
ally Of Napoleonie brilliancy, accom-.
plishcd with modern arms, writes Fred
erick Palmer, the celebrated war cor.
respondent. The number of casualties
which the Bulgarians consider are ut.
terly secondary to their object, have not
been officially stated as yet, but il is
generally estimated that between fifty
and sevcntyfve Thousand were killed
or about one in six. This is low owing
to the small caliber of the Turkish
Mauser bullet.
The average man Is first question in
evitably will concern itself with the
result of the use of the aeropanes in
warfare. Thirty planes of different
types were located in the Greek pas
ture levels of the Martha river. Ere
quent flights were made both by the
Bulgarian officers and by professional
aviators who had military observers
with them. These flights were never
lower than a thousand feet and were
of danger of rife fire.
II was demonstrated that bombs
dropped from an aeroplane readily set
fire to n city or to large inflammable
buildings, but that they cannot he
dropped with sufficient accuracy, keep
ing at heights safe from infantry FIRE.
to hit battery positions or small bodies
of troops.
The results in reconnaissance were
not as sensational as reported during
some European maneuvers, but they
were highly important. 1t is easy for
the trained military Observers eve.
though not for the professional avia-
tor after familiarizing himself by
number of flights with the lay of the
land, to detect new battery positions.
infantry trenches or the position of
any considerable body of troops in the
open country, but not under the cover
of trees or in streets.
Where the first flight leaves the OBJ
server in doubt as to the nature of an
object, the return fight usually brings
definite conclusions.
Cavalry 'saGood Work.
Although so much has been heard of
the work of the Creusot guns, and of
the infantry it should not be implied
that the Bulgarian cavalry on account
of it's numbers relative to the whole
force, was inactive or that there was
anything to show that cavalry has be-
come superAuous branch, There
were no old-fashioned cavalry charges
or sabre to sabreAeopdicts, with the
enemies cavalry, buf 5the cavalry was
kept very busy guarding commnnica-
tions and acting as a screen and envel-
oping the enemy's infantry. The cav
airy is still valuable in reconnaissance,
while the aeroplane is unable to fly
low because Of its vulnerability.
As to night attacks and bayonet
charges. the advantage Of night at
tack owing to the confusion of the de
lenders aim, due to the rife flashes
and the bursting Of shells was demon
strated by such valorous troops as the
Bulgarians. Though the Bulgarians
fixed bayonets at thousand yards,
and the wisdom Of the officers, alone
held them back, relatively few soldiers
ever came to actual bayonet attack.
Those who did were the exceptions,
proving that good bayonets and thor
ough bayonet drill are still important.
When the contact. came the BulgaTians
had the confidence of their training
while the Turks were clumsy.
Infantry's Bold BUSHES.
Strategic points in the line will con-
tinue to be taken in wars such as this
was. With a sufficient attacking force
n position once taken can be held, thus
forcing the retreat of the rest of the
Line. European observers agree that
the Bulgarian infantry in rushing the
Turkish positions in the face of rapid
fire guns, and before the enemy's bat
teries were sileneed OF weakened, per-
formed prodigious work which hardly
could be expected from other European
soldiers.
The news Of the signing of the ar
mistice was not known here until this
morning, but II was anticipated. II
was a day Of drizzling snow and rain,
and there were no signs Of celebra.
ton of the actual announcement Of an
event meaning the ending of war
which resulted in n triumph of the
national causes, territorial addition and
economic advantages to every individ-
ual in tine future, and the great devel-
opment of the country. People are
going and coming as usual, serious
about a serious war.
L.