The Fargo forum and daily republican. [volume] (Fargo, N.D.) 1894-1957, 1913-01-16

followed the operations i'm the Balkans
during the past few weeks are at one
in their admiration of the rapidity, ae~
curacy, and murderous effect OF the
French made guns. A Germany artil-
lery officer who witnessed the battle OF
Lule Burgas declared that the day was
won not by the rifle fire of the Bull
garians, but by their canno the bait
teries placing shell after shell with as
tonishing rapidity at points FIVE feet
apart. The gunners fred with auto
matte precision, and the officer added
/ that he was convinced that one OF the
most important results of the present
war would be O. modification Of the
German artillery. "Krupp guns he
declared, q neither fire so rapidly
nor with so much precision as the
murderous Creusot guns"
The Pneumatic Brake.
But it is the special pneumatic brake
that gives the man who serves y
French made artillery his greatest adr
vantage. When the shot is fired and
the recofl takes place the gun corne
back in a straight line and is ready to
be r~edischarged Immediately, That's
to say, nee the gunner has got the
range, he can keep he gun going at
the rate of from twenty-five to thirty
shots a minute. Yet the carriage. re-
mains so steady that If a glass of wa
ter be placed on the wheel during h
L nIlUk hOls q AAOP VIII W 0pAiGAs HHCh
the other hand, when the Krupp gun
recoils there is always a certain
amount of lateral displacement every
time.
The murderous effect Of the allies
artillery was demonstrated during the
b-ombardment of Preschevo, when h
Servians had seventy men rendered
hors de combat. while the Turkish
losses exceeded 1000. The Bulgarians
and their comrades -in-arms never fir
ed at random. Taking his orders from
the officer beside him, who through his
glasses watches the results Of the firing
the gunner lands his projectiles exactly
in the zone corresponding to the square
marked on the little chart before him
land, whether the enemy be slow nov
ling infantry or gaIloping cavalry, the
gunner does not need to walt for the
officers assurance, when the smoke has
cleared away, that not a living thing
Iremains in the fatal zone. The terrible
ravages of modern sharpnel can hardly
be exaggerated, and, remembering how
Ill prepared were the Sultan's troops
starving. d~isorganized, and dispirited
Ito give battle to the enemy, is ii any
wonder that In the accounts OF Sue
cessive engagements we n the same
sad record OF what happened to the
Turks: Panic broke out in their
ranks they quickly became disor-
ganized," and t defeat became q
ApuLt lA GFtIy Artillery COilDdL SllNG
the outbreak of bostilities the ranks Of
the Turks have been decimated by the
swift and deadly batteries Of their en-
emies, and as they watched the broken
columns OF their foes scattering before
their merciless fire, the victors broke
into fierce, exultant shouts of joy and
the gunners kissed the cannon which
had won them conquest n glory.
Duel Between Krupp and Creusct.
"vos canons francais sont epatantss''
C'Your French guns are astonishing,'l
exclaimed Prince Alexis, cousin of the
king of Servia, when speaking to the
war correspondent Of a Paris paper
after the Turks had been hurled from
the fortress of Ferisovic. He could
not LAY paid a. better tribute to the
wisdom Of King Peter, who learned the
art Of war as a pupil at the military
college OF st. Cyr and knew what
French methods and French artillery
the Seryian army have all passed long
were capable of. The best oficers In
periods In the French army and at the
Ecole Supericure de Guerre, and when
the Greek army was reorganized two
years ago that important task was
conided to a French mission.
For a score of years the Turkish
army was in the hands Of Germany,s
Instructors. The Ottoman generals ars
the pupils OF the celebrated Won der
lAOtNEs NIA LiiNtA AHlAltnIY tQaI4DAt VIVID
received at the Academy OF War in.
Berlin. In the struggle which is now
drawing to a close the Turks have re-
lied on German strategy and fought
with German cannon. The Balkan
troops have put into practice the Ies-
sons they learned in Franch military
schools and their gunners have served
French artillery. The duel between
Krupp and Creusot has been all to the
advantage of the latter.
What is the inference drawn BY
~Frenchmen2 Al very natural one; that
If such admirable results have been att
tanned in the latest contest between
French-trained officers and French
guns when pitted against generals who
studied in German colleges and cannon
made in Germany, the French army
has no reason TO fear d war with Ger
many. The Kasier may pride himself
on possessing the most colossal army
In Europe. but lf the enemy has the
best guns In the world, then superior
numbers are only so much chair a
cannon. Dash. initiative. and strategy
no one denies these qualities to the
French, and when the race from which
King ferdinand sprang asserts that
French intelligence has been Victer@
ions IN the Balkans and that the
triumph OF the allies Is a moral victory
= for France" Impartial oniOokera are
bound 10 admit that events have large
q ly justified their claims.