Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1915-01-21
WORLD WONDER GUN
General Won Rohne Writes of AZ
Centimeter HoWitzer.
Remarkable Weapon Is Big Surprise
Of the War-DeadIy Effects of
Krupp Firms Latest crea-
ton Described.

Washington.-In the Field Artillery
Journal, published by the officers Of
the field artillery arm Of the United
States army, appears under the cap
ton Concerning the Fall of the Bel
gian Forts" the first authentic refer
ence to the great German 42-centi-
meter guns, which, as the Field Artil-
lery Journal points out, constitute
the great ordnance surprise of the
present war"
The article is of unusual interest to
ordnance officers and experts through
out the world because of the high
standing of its author, who is Lieuten-
ant General Won Rohne, for years adj
mittedly one of Germany's greatest
ordnance authorities.
During the Franco-Prussian war,
1901" General Won Rohne says, ''the
German foot artillery was in action
against 16 French forts Among these
were only three which, according to
the standards of that time, could be
designated as modern forts. These
were Metz, which held out ten weeks;
Paris offering resistance for four
months and surrendering through
starving out, and Belfort, which with
stood for three months and fell only
after regular siege. All other forts,
even Strassburg, were not up to date;
they lacked the protective outer belt
of fortresses, so that the main attack
could Immediately be directed against
the city walls. Nevertheless, Strass-
burg fell only seven weeks after the
first appearance of the German
troops.
How entirely different is the aspect
furnished by the assault upon the Bel
gian forts! On the sixth day after the
beginning of tie mobilization the Ger
man flag was -unfurled over five of the
Liege forts and a few days later the
entire fortified town was in possession
of our troops Namur fell as quickly,
if not more so, although the enemy
had the opportunity of improving the
protection of this fortress over that of
Liege.
Both these fortresses were con-
structed by the foremost strategicaI
architect of the world, General Brial-
mont, upon entirely modern principles,
and surrounded by belt of forts
which almost precluded a Smelling of
the city unless the forts were taken
first. All of the forts were protected
by armor and equipped with modern
heavy guns, in. spite of which they
succumbed after such a short period
of Smelling that even the artilIerymen,
who are generally believed to over
estimate the efficiency of their guns,
we're completely astCnished
From the experience of recent wars,
particularly the siege of Port Arthur,
the principle was evolved that a mod
ern fortress could be taken only by in
fantry assault, approaching under COW
er and having its way cleared by artil-
lery.
Before Liege a different method
was employed for the first time. In
stead of using large number of small
projectiles, one very powerful projec-
tile was thrown into the fort, which
produced such an immense effect that
one hit was sufficient to destroy all
the guns of the fort at once, and thus
break down its resistance. This is
clearly shown by the published photo
graphs of the fort turned into a pile