Semi-weekly herald., 1915-07-05
AMMUNITION AND FINANCE
IN THE PRESENT WAR


the expenditure of ammunition had
proved to be more than double the
amount which the staff had estimated
And that statement was made before
it had been demonstrated, as it has
been lately on the western battle
front, that the only possible way to
break the apparent stalemate pro-
duced by trench warfare was to
plow up the enemy's trenches by a.
concentration of heavy shell fire, the
ike Of which had never been seen,
and was certainly never contemplated
in modern warfare. Nevertheless in
spite of an expenditure of ammuni-
tion which today must be between
two and three times as great as
was estimated before the war by the
Germans themselves, and in spite Of
Ji.e enormous battle front on which
tLe Teut0nic allies are engaged, there
q no indications that they are suf-
itFing from 4 scarcity OF ammunition.
II is is to be explained by the fact that
for many years, the central powers
have been laying up n big reserve Of
ammunition for 4 conflict. the date
and the extent of which had probably
been determined and certainly had
been layishly provided for. Add to
this the probability that, from the
very commencement of the war, all
the manufacturing plants which were
capable of turning out ammunition
were reorganized reequipped and set
to work at their maximum capacity,
and the manifest superiority of the
Teutonic allies in the matter of am
munition supply is readily understood.
1t becomes increasingly evident as
the war goes on, that the question
of victory or defeat for either side
will be determined on the German
western battle front; and here, if,
the Allies hope and beive, they are
to drive the German line back upon
the Rhine, the thing can be done
only by blasting them out of their
trenches, line beyond line, by con
centration of explosive shell and
shrapnel fire so great, that even the
German resources viii be outmatched
not in one particular engagement or
series of engagements, but day 0y
day, week by week, and month by
month, until the thing is done.
The tactics employed in this kind
Of warfare are fairly familiar to
the general public from the published
press reports. The batteries of the
attack are masked along the given
stretch Of front 10 be attacked and
the enemy trenches are subjected to
a continuous rain of righ explosive
PERCUSSION shells, which literally plow
the trenches out of existence, break
ing down the parapets, filling up the
trenches with debris and exposing the
troops to decimating fire. When the
wreckage is complete, the high explos-
i've shell fire gives way to a rain Of
shrapnel, delivered back of the wreck
ed trenches in such volume that it is
impossible for reserves in sufficient
strength to deliver a strong counter
attack Under the protection Of this
shrapne fire, the attacking forces
move forward and capture the plow-
ed up trenches, digging themselves in
and consolidating the newly won po-
sition. This form Of warfare neces-
states, above all, an enormous supply
of ammunition, and an output from
the factories that shall be on such
a scale as to enable the generals in
the field to carry on the offensive
without any anxiety as to their am
munition supply.
| Now, ammunition, especially of the
high explosive and shrapnel shell
type, is enormously expensive, and
drain upon the financial resources of
the belligerents, if such a continuous
attack is made and met, viii be far
in excess of anything that has occur
red hitherto during the war. The
question of ammunition supply be
comes intimately associated with the
/ question of financial resources.
In the unhappy event of our becom-
ing embroiled with German the
United States, because of its manu-
featuring resources and its vast wealth
would become the pivotal point around
which the ultimate destinies Of the
war would turn Without touching a
soldier or a ship or firing a gun the
enrolment Of the United States on
the side of the allies would make
their ultimate triumph absolutely Sc
Scinetifie American.
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