The daily telegram. [volume] (Clarksburg, W. Va.) 1901-1926, 1915-08-23
National Defense Problems
V..Isssons Of the Nara utomoble Artillery
By Frederic J. Hasdn.

ic ). Hashn 81
e1eoe1a-acEa1c
], required every four hours In order
/, to keep big gun moving apace with
4 q marching army This would re-
\ qutre at least $50 horses for every
u gun and 1t would also necessltate
! the carrying of provisions for the
] horses and the attention OF o num-
4 Der of men In handling them. with
i a very poor net result.
il Tremendous Gums.
The motor tractor has done away
n with all these separate units. A
single tractor is capable of hauling
j the train of three cars which COM
u prfses the entire equipment for the
u big gun and its crew. It can SO
hasten the transportation Of the big
heavy artillery that it can easily
i outstrip the fastest moving infantry.
In this manner the big guns may.
In advance Of the coming of troops.
Il concentrate their fire upon a FORTH
j ication for a few hours and then
be separately hurried to other points,
where their Irresistible BON bardmentI
is necessary to prepare for other as-|
Isaults.
Some idea of the tremendous force
OF these big field pieces may be had
from the fact that "a 30.2 centfmeteri
], gun throws an explosive projectflei
weighing 500 pounds distance OF
more than six miles. The forty-two
.centimeIer gun hurIs a sixteen-inch
shell. weighing more than ton.
something over seven miles. No sui
could Withstand the onslaught of
such a battery. but 1t is highly inn
probable that a feet commanderl
would engage In duel with land
battery In which he would be sol
,lhope1ess1y outweighed.
, But it is not alone In the destruc-l
ton of the European forts that theI
! important role. They have invad-l
j ed the theater of diplomacy and It'll
lis not too much to say that thel
necessity for the rapid movement OF
the big guns-whfch was synono-
nous with east transportation by
1.-the tractors-1ed to the invasion Of
Belgium during the first days OF the
war. The highways of Belgium and
those connecting northern FranceI
with the Flemish border, are much
more level than those elsewhere on
1.-THE frontier and it is an open secret
J. abroad that this was potent real
Llson for the choice Of the German
'Iroute.
4 Certainly war which Includes the
1OIlTGSS6S 1ud0S pUS@I
Isfble by motor tractors and the att
tempted changing of the entire poli-l
lIticaI may OF continent In order
slthat these numbering juggernauts
may have an easier path, is some
thing novel In history. Who knows
,lbut that Germany's decision to in
: wade Belgium may not lie at thel
door of some contractor, long since
dead, who failed to build the roads
: Ito the south Of that country as we'll
: las he should?
Forts ON Wheess
If the motor-driven artillery has
) Supplied the body blows of the pref
Sent war, the armored automo bile, al
member of the same family, has been
irresponsible for a great many smaller
!, but no less telling victories. But
1.-THE allies and the Germans have
fused the fort on wheels" with ex-
|cellent effect and the entrance OF
Italy into the war assured the al
lied forces Of large number OF
4 very valuable machines, the Isotta
IFranchini type of armored automo-
bile, with revolving turret not
unlike that OF Gruson battery, being
considered to represent the finest &C |
kievement in this line of offensive
/ warfare.
4 The armored automobile has prov
venting the depredations of snipers
and in disposing of large forces Of
armed citizens or smaller forces Of /
trained troops. 1t is almost GER
tainty that the plan OF campaign Of I
an invading army for the next de-
cade or two will be to throw out |
fan of these rapidly moving forts.
each armed with machine guns and
carrying crew of three or four men,
and sweep the country clear of snip.
lers and isolated bodies Of men who
would otherwise render the advance
Of the invading army very difficult
Snipng Eliminated.
This PROCEDURE is applicable not
only to open country but also to the
| towns in which citizens may have
barricaded themselves in anticipa-
| ton of the enemy's entrance. A
| few armored AUTOMOBILES. the crews
of which are amply protected from
| rife fire by the light steel coverings,
! could sweep the streets and effectu-
ally dispose of any armed resistance
Light barricades could be over
4 thrown by charge of these ma
chimes. while heavier ones could be
shot away with the machine guns.
| In this manner the entrance of the
/ invading army could be made COM
paratively safe and sniping. one of
i the terrors OF warfare, would be-
practically eliminated.
| The lessons of the present war
/ have been many and, from a military
standpoint, revolutionary. But when
! the final accounting is made and the
| nations take stock of the weaponsI
4 which they will need to hold the
pace OF the god of war. it is doubt