The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1914-10-17
SURPRISED BY GERMANS,
HAD BELIEVED THEM
FORTY YEARS BEHIND
TIMES.
Unexpected Mobility Of Big Guns
Brought to Play Upon Battle Lines
AstOundcd Critics.

who was one Of the few survivors of
his company, said to an American in
the field hospital at Amiens:
I'VE thought the Germans were 40
years behind the times; they are 40
years ahead" And, according to an
American military expert, there is a
solid basis of truth in Tommy Atkins
statement. The Germans apparently
knew what they were about, he
thinks. when they refused to gener-
alize too much from the Philippine,
Bocr and Russo-Japanese Wars.
Campaigning in populous coun-
try with perfect road system and a
hazy atmosphere is quite different
from work in a crude open country
DISTINGUISHED by dry, clear air and a
sharp horizon. Too little is yet
known Of the actual fighting in Eu-
rope for accurate deductions; never
theless certain facts are apparent
which will have their effect upon
military practice in the United States.
The outstanding facts so far no.
ticeable arc the terrific effect of siege
artillery in the field, the weakness Of
open-order fighting when q vast num-
Der OF men are available, the COM
parative failure Of aeronautics as
pictured in popular imagination and
the immense advantage Of thorough
preliminary training.
Gcrmany's great surprise in this
war has been her artillery. The su-
psriority Of her army organization
was already known to the world, and
this superiority and her perfect prep
aration were reckoned, and properly,
her greatest assets. 1t was also
known that she had 11-inch howit.-
ers, but they were supposed to be
siege guns to be used against con-
crete forts and nothing else. AS such
they more than surpassed expccta-
tions at Namur. But the mobility of
these big guns had not even been sus-
pected by foreign critics, and their
use as field artillery came as d great
shock to the allies.
In the old days artillery stood in
exposed positions, as the aim was
taken directly at the enemy. Conse-
quently it could be captured by in
fantry and even cavalry. But now
artillery fire is directed from conceal
ed positions at n high angle and is
exceedingly difficult for the enemy to
find. And this is the most important
use to which the aeroplane has been
put. AS the wounded British de-
scribe the fight at Mons when their
army came SO close to being wiped
out. they had very little trouble in
Keeping the German infantry in check
until the aeroplancs signaled the COR
rect range. Then the men were sim
ply blasted out OF the trenches. The
artillery so far captured appears to
have been abandoned in retreat.
To corne to infantry, one which the
ultimate decision in all wars rests,
tho German fighting unit appears to
be inferior to the English or French.
lie fires without aiming and does not
make n sufficient use of cover. But
what the German infantrymcn lacks
individually Is atoned for by the per-
feet discipline under which he and
MS fellows act. American tradition
trusts great deal to the individual,
The German theory trusts nothing and
relic, no doubt, Of frontier fighting.
considers it less important that COM
mands should he sacrificed through n
i"istake In their disposition than that
they should take it on themselves to
override the orders of superior.
Much has been said by newspaper
critics on the subject of close-ordcr
lighting. America learned omen or
der, as we'll as the art Of taking the
best advantage of cover from the In
dians. And in the Civil War the
skirmish line grew of more and more
Importance until it became the battle
order in the last phase of the strug-
gle. In the Spanish War the space
intervals became greater in the Phil
ippine lighting than i'm the earlier Gu
ban. The tendency i'm South Africa
also was to scatter. Russia abandon-
ed the old solid formations in Man
churia. The result was that English
critics scoffcd at the closely packed
infantry advances in the German
maneuvers of previous years.
open order. all critics admit, is an
immense advantage when fire can be
concentrated on an equal number of
enemy in close order. But when The
battle line Is of enormous extent the