Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1915-08-05

| sunk,
| The German Far East squadron defeat
ed Vice Admiral Cradock's British squad
ron off the Chilean coast on November
l. sinking the Good Hope and Mon
mouth The British obtained their re-
venge in December when. off the Falk
land islands, a powerful British squad
! ron defeated the Germans. sinking the
Scharnhorst, Gncscnau. Leipzig and
Nuremberg
German squadrons have twice attack
ed the English coast, causing some loss
Of life and damage to properly. English
towns including London have also been
attacked Ivy German aircraft. which nave
made several successful trips across the
North sea, raiding points on tho east
coast
Methods of lighting have been altered
radically in consequence of the lessons
learned in the first year of the war. It
has been cmincntly a war Of ma
| chimes, The resources afforded by mod
ern scientific development have been tax
ed to devise new Instruments of death
and destruction more potent than ever
had been employed. II has been also a
war Of surprises New problems have
arisen, necessitatne reconstruction of the
! theory of war. Plans and methods here
'ofore approved by authorities on mill
| tarN affairs We're discarded and the
STATS of the various armies We're COM
PEELED to graphic with situations tor
which there was mo- precedent
The first great surprise Of the war was
the German i9-centimctcr GG - inch
gun, which hurl, FOR some - mites
shell weighing almost ton. The great
fortihcations which were the pride of
Belgium, and believed TO he almost i'm
preSnahe were battered into ruins by
these guns in a comparatively short
time. Two of these guns. stationed IL
miles from Antwerp, wrecked its ella b-
crate defense works Idegc and Namur
fell similarly.
The use Of artillery and machine guns.
in fact, has hcon one of tho principal
features of the war Great exec ution was
done ny the new Krupp ll-iu,h howitzcr.
weighing nearly Ia toms with a six-mile
radius The Austrian Pinch howl;zer
also has proved exceptionally efficient.
The French 75-millmetcr gun is regard
cd as one of the most effective field
pieces
ON all the European battetelds artillery
has been the main reliance of the var-
Gus armies. Trenches bristlc with ma
chine guns, which military mon say bid
fair to releEatc the rifle to a SECONDARY
place. 1t WAS with artillery that the
Austro-German forces blasted their way
across Gaicia few weeks ago making
what was said to he the greatest con-
centration of heavy and light field pieces
ever seen With artillery the British won
at Neuve Chapeile. the Germans at Sois-
sons. Every considerable movement of
infantry is preceded 10y a heavy artillery
homhardment, and frequently the infan-
try has little more to do than occupy the
positions Of the enemy made uutonab bic
by artillery fire.
The headlines. of machine guns neces-
STATED recourse to trenches. for no troops
in exposed positions could live within
the range of the rapid frers ConseGuent-
ly trench warfare has developed to an
extent never before seen. Whole armies
moved into underground Quarters. with
elaborate lahYrnths of passages and sub
terranean living and sleeping quarters
SUBMARINE WARFARE
Almost as conspicuous is the develop
ment of submarine warfare The remark
able exploits of submarines have proved
their efficiency SO thoroughly that already
the supremacy of battlcships has been
CHALLENGED. Germany, compelled to rely
on these craft for her marine activities
has gained the greatest success with them
Their first large achievement was the
torpedoinE and sinking ly one submarine
within AN hour of the British cruisers
Grassy, Ahoukir and Hogue in the North
sea in September. Since that time hun
dreds of vessels Warships and merchant
men. have been sent To the huttum in
the North sea, the Baltic. the English
channel the Adra;ic. and at the bar
daniels. From all causes more than 800
vessels have been destroyed. England
has been the greatest sufferer by reason
of her preponderance of shipping and al
So ON account of the German govern
ment's attempt to blockade that country
Following the declaration of war zone
around the British Isles last February
In size, speed and cruising radius the
new type Of submarines far exceeds the
earlier small vessels, designed primarily
for coast defense. Gcrmanys new sub
marines are as long as a good sized
cruiser Captain otto Hersing took the
81 about 1000 miles from W'ilhelmshaven
past Gibraltar. through the Mediterranean
and to the Dardanells, where it torpedoed
The British hattleships Triumph and Ma
1estc, and proceeded to Constantinople
The voyage from Wihelmshavcn to the
Dardanelles required one month
The arcoplane, almost an unknown
quantity at tn" beginning of the war SO
far as its military value Was concerned
has proved It's practcahility so thorough
~ that it must be rated with the sub.
marine and the heavy gun as one of the
great features of the war. In fact. it has
exercised a dominating influence over
land operations and IN its use perhaps
asCribed the deadlock month after month
in the principal fields Of battle 1t has
rendered priceless service in reConnoitcr-
ing, taking the place of cavalry. 1t has
ca used a revision of the tactics and STRAIT
egy of war, Aerial observers flying over
the opposing lines, are able to discover
movements of any large bodies of troops.
rendering that form of strategy based on
surprise attacks or quick movements in
force impossible Aeropanes also have
been Of great value in locating enemy
positions, enabling the artillery to get thu
range and fire accurately on the unseen
foe
Dirgibl" balloons also are employed
but to much less extent. although Ger
many still is constructing Zeppelins and
has used them effectively for long dis
lance raids. They are generally REGARDED
as less valuable than the aeroplanes.
.t.,I..