El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1914-09-16
Bic GUNS
EXCITE WONDER.
Mount Guns on Motor
Trucks and Transport
Rapidly for Attack.

New York. sept Dispatches from
the European war. telling Of the great
IS inch siege gus Of the Germans.
which are capable OF battering down
the sturdiest Qualifications and yet
may be transported with great swift
ness on motor trucks. are attracting
the interest OF American military men.
photographs Of Liege and Namur
after the Germans demolished their
forts show the terrible execution Of
the German guns, which lire their
explosive shells upward at sharp
angle and crumble the enemy's fortifi-
cations by a vertical plungtng fire
One retired ordinance officer who
was questioned said that bearing in
mind the superior roads OF western
Europe and reports that the Germans
had been spending much money for
y lrs in devlpping their heavy artil-
lery. il was elsily conceivable that they
had perfected expeditions means OF
transporting their heaviest pieces.
similar Guns Used in L. ;.
cot course" he said. none Of US
know anything at first hand All that
we do know We learn from the news
papers II the Germans have such
pieces. Il is safe TO say that they are
not showing them TO military Observ-
ers Of other nations; and on the other
hand, ! think IL is equally safe TO say
that there is nothing startlingly new
ably much the same as the II inch coast
defence mOrtars the japanese brought
over 70 Port Arthur, and without which
IL is questionable whether they would
ever reduce the Russian fortress We
have similar pieces in our own coast
defence Qualifications
1T has for years been an open secret
that the Germans were spending con-
siderable sums OF money on perfecting
their heavy artillery, Just IS We have
known that the French were devOting
their energies TO perfecttug their mo-
bile field artillery. Doubtless the Ger
mans were Influenced 10 some extent,
at any rate by the knowledge that in
fighting France, they would have 10
reckon upon overcoming the numerous
powerful fOrtresses which the French
have scattered over the northern and
northeastern sections Of France
Heavy Guns on Motor Trucks
Bearing in mind the fact that the !
roads in western Europe are excellent, 3
II is not hard 10 believe that the Ger
mans have evolved a very heavy siege I
gun which can be transported by /.
motor thus making II infinitely more .
mobile than If IL required TO be hauled .
by horses
without any accurate first hand .
knowledge Of the gun in question, I
should venture TO say that an II inch I
piece Of the kind reported 70 have been
employed against the Liege and Ma
muir forts would weigh about 10 tons
Now, IL would be perfectly feasible 20 /.
build a special carriage for the trans
portation Of a gun OF even this weight 4
and tC this carriage you might hitch I
a powerful motor OF. say 100 horse
power. tt stands to reason that you
would get great results from such a
means OF transport. The same gun
could readily be hauled by 20 or 80
horses. but Il could not be advanced
al anything like the rate Of speed pos
sibIe with motor transportation. and
na N q
with the Germans That is why I am
ready To believe that the Germans and :
Austrians really do possess siege bat
-eries mounted on heavy motor trucks
As 20 the value Of such guns for
use AGAINST Qualifications. there can be
no doubt. Most Qualifications are built
to resist horizontal fire These guns
deliver huge shells at an angle OF IS