The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 18??-19??, 1914-09-22
ARTILLERY CHIEF FACTOR IN
WAR OF EUROPEAN NATIONS
For First Time Value of Monster Pieces Has Been Re-
cognlzed fuly-krupp Products Are Best in the
Word-Lessons to This Country.

when the curtain rises on the
actual happenings OF the present
rat war probably it will be found,
mDitary men declare, that never in
,be history OF the world has artillery
nlaved so important and prominent a
rart as in the present war. Ma
roleon. himselg an artillery officer
hpnd moving the possibilities of the
nm even in its crude development Of
lis time, employed artillery in over
wheIming force opportunity
ofered. Seldom was an attack
made in Napoleon's operations before
artillery prepared the a and the
French defeat at Waterloo has in
military analysis been ascribed by
more h n competent mind to
the failure of the French, by reason
Of the heavy rains of the night be-
fare. 10 bring the artillery on to the
field of battle until many hours after
The time that had been arranged.
Waterloo opened at eleven o'clock
in the forenoon. Napoleon had in
tended. in the event Of the artillery
being up, to begin the action at day.
break. and daybreak in Belgium in
June comes earlier than four
o'clock.
In Napoleop's time artillery used
round shot for long range and grape
for close range. Shell fire also was
nsed, but shell fire vas obtained by
exterior fuses ignited by the firing Of
the gun. All guns in NapoleOn's
time were muzZle leaders, and the
shot Appropriated to six pounds and
twelve pounds in weight.
Shrapnel came into use in the
ffties, and down to the time of the
Austrian war in 1866 muzzle loading
was in general service. Muzzle load
ers were used by the United States
both in the Mexican and civil wars
In 1870 the Saxon army was prOvid.
ed with Krupp wedge breech bloch
rifle guns. but the French used muz
lie leaders.
Modern artillery service received
its great impetus in the Franco
Prussian war of 1870. Up to tina
time artillery, since the days of Ma
poleon, had been assigned to posi-
tons in the rear Of infantry. Ever!
care was taken-too much care Otter
to protect the guns, and in tn
Austrian war of 1866 the Prussial
artillery suffered greatly by criticism
Of this tendency TO keep in the back
ground.
Tactics Changed in 1870.
1870 the tactics Of the former wa
changed completely, and German gun
were posted to the front and in grea
masses. At st. Privat the German
massed in one position no less tina
go guns. At Vionville, Mars-la-TOu
and Gravelotte heavy masses Of ar
tillery were employed close up wit
the infantry lines, and from the yer
outset Of the war the Germans mad
with the infantry on the trot an
kept we'll up in the front. Note
worthy instances are on record c
large masses Of artillery being ser
forward for many miles at a stead
trot. All this was in striking cor
trast to the movement of artllleT
by the Germans in 1866, when tf
guns almost invariably move out {
the walk and were only sent in {
u trot or gallop when going into pt
sition.
German field and siege artillery hs
maintained since 1870 the lcadin
position in the worlds rank. TIL
mas been due largely to Krupp. tt
German government does not unde.
take to make it's own artillery.
does the United States governmen
ON the contrary, Germany reE.
wholly on Krupp. That great estal
Germans believe that in the impo
lance and wealth of Krupp lie IL
facilities for experimentation whit
are not always to be had by a go
m bureau.
krupp experiments continually
the effort to evolve some bett
piece of mechanism or to bring o
greater efficiency, and as a III
there has been little development
the artillery line in h last for
years that did not first start
Essen.
krdpp, through the use of crucit
nickel steel, has had an advanta
over many other artillery Urn
hrupp steel has enabled the Ess
works to build on given weights mo
powerful gun han was possible Wi
less efficient metal.
The great gun works of the con
nent Of Europe are Krupp, of O.
many; SkOda, of Austria; Poutilof,
Russia; CreusQt; Of France, a
Cockerill, Of Belgium. The last ma
ed has fallen into the hands of I
Germans and will doubtless be OPP
ated as a branch Krupp plant.
New French Guns