Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922, 1914-09-25
URFACTORSM MAKE
GERMAN SUCCESSES
War Operations First Month Won on
Aviation Corps, Heavy Artillery,
Soup and Sturdy Legs,
BIRDMEN HIGHLY VALUABLE
Principal Effectiveness ~ In LOcRt-
Ing Enemy, DIRECTING the Fire
Of the MIA Guns and In
saving Ammunition.


Correspondence Of The Associated Prcss)
BERLIN. Sept. 2L-Four factors largely
responsible for the success OF the Cor
man arms In the first months operations
against France were the heavy artillery
OF the field army. the travelling field
kitchens accompanying the troops the
sturdy legs OF the German soldiers and
the service OF scouting and information
OF the German aviation corps.
This verdict by one OF the German
military aviators boastful though il may
SEEM in It's conclusion az his own branch
Of the service is confirmed by the opinion
Of other officers, who have had oppor-
tunities Of observing operations at the
front and who agree completely with
him as TO the great service rendered by
the aviators in locating the hostile forces,
and establishing their strength, following
every movement OF tho hostile columns.
and marking down the positions OF the
enemys artillery or trenches with such
precision that the German fire could be
directed upon them without wasting n
shot Both German and foreign critics
have united In the thorough going appre-
citation OF the work OF the German heavy
artillery--not tho mammoth sixteen and
one-half-inch siege mortars, which
smashed Llege and Namur, Mononvilliers.
! LonRwy and MaubeuRe into submission
and surrender In few hours or days
! but the heavy howitzer batteries, which
accompany the field army and have used
with terrible effect in ali the great battles
OF the war
Battle of Field Guns.
! In regard to field guns the French
artillery has proved a most worthy OPP
ponent--German officers cheerfully admit
that the French field guns practice has
been renarkable--but thus far they have
had nothing to oppose to the heavy Ger
man artillery, which by It's indirect.
/ plungng fire has rendered trenches and
/ gun positions untenabIe and has pounded
retiring troops from orderly retreat into
fun flight
The sturdy legs of the German infantry
men have made possible the great flank
ing armies. which officers state have
averaged twenty-five miles or more a
day and wherever they have halted,
whenever pause in the battle gave OPP
portunity the wheeled camp kitchen,
drawn by four-horse teams have been
on hand ready to serve out meat stew or
hot coffee to the soldiers.
Fritz Werner the military aviator
! quoted above, Is in civil life a society
man. crack tennis player in the Bad
Homburg tournaments When mobilisa-
ton was ordered. he disappeared from
Bad Homburg, donned uniform, became
corporal Werner, seventh detachment
aviation corps, and was heard from no
I more until he appeared In Berlin early In
September to take over a new aeroplane
In place OF one worn out in a months
short service. He had been attached 10
one OF the armies which entered France
by the Belgian door, which one II Il not
permitted to state. and for a month had
been scouting and accommodating daily
above the enemy.
Sketches Made of Field.
questioned about the series OF engage
ments in which the British army was
rohed back before the advancing flood az
Serman troops, Sergent Werner bor-
roWed pencil and paper sketched out IN
lew strokes roughly accurate man Of
the tranco-B Belgian frontier region. In
serted Mons. Le Cateau, 81. Quentin.
A'ulens' Icon and Compiegne. and en-.
parked upon an illustration descrintior
OF that part of the German campaipn
his estimate OF the fighting QUALITIES =,
the allied forces tallies with that q,
higher officers OF tho general starr y,ho
nave returned from duty at the front
Except at Liege," no said one ao,
CLANS ran away almost without f,eht,r~
The practice or the French artillery ,vs,
excellent. The British were the best sci
diers that We met. In the first engage.
mentH' before their morale was shake,
by repeated defeats and heavy Iossa.
they stuck to their trenches doRRedlv
oiilcers ana men stayed in the trenche,
keeping up tho fire until our men WAY,
nsht upon them Our heavy artillery ant
the way In which our men kept comm,
/ regardless OF losses, finally got them anc
/ then they ran too
: What Are Fifty Menu
heard at headquarters that the Rri
uSn were excellent at minor tactics. The,
: were great at preparing trench for M
IN Vihsge' would lie low In the house
on either side OF the main street. ge
! machine guns ready at the windows an,
when our columns came along would lie
the ADVANCE party get clear In town be
fore opening fire. They usually got mos
OF the advance party, but what difference
does the loss OF fifty men or so make I,
settling big battle? They were great
TOO In little night raids. causing our pick
cts considerable annoyance. but withou
atfecting the general result"
Warmers flight over Paris and nj
dropping OF bombs and bulletins OF Ger
man victories have already been men
toned in cabled dispatches. His critic
isms of German and French flying ma
chimes are interesting from the point a
view OF an expert. He had been usin
; Taube monoplane. a type OF aeroplan
which, he complained. was under-engined
rose too slowly and had not sufficleu
carrying power They could not get OF
Y the ground with less than $50 yards r,,y
couldn't shoot up in the air quickly I
avoid hostile artillery or rifle fire wbe
= scouting or 70 get above lighter an
. faster French aeroplane in a conflict
a the air and with aviator and observe
i on board, could carry only two or thre
o OF the five-pound bombs with their nj
a trogiycerin contents. Now he was r,
|. turning TO Berlin to take over a biplan,
a machine which he tbo,,.ht -.