The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1915-08-04
SURPRISE IN Store
UNITED STATES ARMY HAS A
SECRET HIGH EXPLOSIVE
Held IN RESERVE F0R WAR

MLD IN RESERYE lux WAX
War College Experts are Working to
Complete the Details of Reorgani-
zation-An1munition and Tractors
for Big Guns are Also Needed
Experiments Under Way.
Military experts at the War Col
lege are working ground the clock to
complete the details of the army re-
organization program which Secre-
tary Garrison will present to Presl-
dent Wilson as a basis for national
defense legislation.
'.The United States army has a
high explosive which would surprise
the world in event of war
This is the announcement Of high
ranking officer Of the general staff,
in discussing the impending reorgani-
zation of the army.
"The General Staff is thoroughly
conversant with the developments in
military science as shown by the
work of the various armies in the
European war" this officer continu-
ed. HOur observers abroad have been
particularly observant of the effects
Of various explosives. Knowing the
intensity Of the explosives used
abroad-particular the mellnlte
shells OF the Germans-they are IN
; position to make comparisons with
the explosive which the ordnance eX-
perts Of the United States army re-
Gently have perfected.
t'Of course the formula is a secret
which it will be unnecessary to dis
close before an actual emergency
causes it to be turned over to private
manufacturers to be used for the
army. At present the explosive is be-
ing manufactured only IN United
States arsenals, where the formula is
most carefully guarded.
.eThe trench warfare abroad is
development of that form of opera
tions which was wholly unlocked for.
In no previous war have lntrench-
ments played so important part or
have they been so elaborately con-
structed. More than anything else
this has called for the use Of high
explosive sheIl-a shell that not only
viii destroy any unprotected force
but'wiu destroy the protection itself
Shrapnel will not do this, but the
high explosive shells simply demol-
ishes trenches and everything they
contain"
ordl ance officers and artillery ex-
perts declare that trench warfare as
employed abroad has been to some
extent anticipated by American I'M
proYements in field gun carriages, as
the result of which the angle to
which our three-inch and 4.7-inch
field guns may be raised has been IN
creased from ten degrees to twenty
degrees.
This makes possible high angle
ire which can be used not only In
getting behind hills and earth fortifi-
cations shielding hostile batteries.
but in. dropping high explosive shels
into covered trenches as well. IN
. addition this Improvement increases
the range of our field guns by seventy
2 Der CSuL., giving q eAAASS " -
eight thousand yards.
Field guns, however, can not be as
effective in destroying trenches as
howitzers which give a high angie
FIRE, especially designed for that pur-
pose. A tremendous increase in
{ howitzers, particularly the se-en-
inch guns, is contemplated, and with
these; using the new explosive OF the
department, officers believe trench
warfare will be made almost rs haz-
ardous as open field manoeuyers.
While ordnance officers refuse to
discuss their plans, it is known they
are working on plans for mobile guns
and howitzers as large at teast as
the German twenty-eight censlmetre
guns. The most serious problem ID
this connection hes in the dlnlculty
Z in making these guns mobile, con-
structing a carriage and base OF sur
fcient stability for the purpose and
at the same time sufficiently compact
and light to make possible their
transportation by tractors over the
roads which it might reasonably &c
expected to encounter in this coun'
try.
This is a problem over which both
ordnance and quartermaster experls
are engaged. The transportation ser
vice Of the Quartermaster,s Depart
ment now is experimenting With
three different types Of tractors, an!
one of which is as practicable ano
efficient as those used abroad, ano
the next appr .priation bill will cal
for money with viii n to purchase
several of these tractors.
According to the belief existing II
the navy and war departments, the
greatest of emphasis will be placed
in asking for national defense appro-
priations from the coming congress
upon the lack Of shells for heavy
guns. This comes directly from les
sons taught by the European war
where recent battles have SHOWN that
with modern artillery the number OF
shells used is tremendously greater
than it was in the past.
AS an illustration of this, Brig
Gen. William Crozier, IN testHylng
during the last session OF congress
stated that it was estimated that the
present appropriations would furnlsf
eighteen thousand rounds for the
three-inch guns of the army, but
much less for those Of larger callore
He also said that he had recently
talked with an European officer, whc
stated that while his battery was m
der hre it had used aE average OF SIX
hundred rounds gun each Gay.
Gen. Crozier also stated that the
present rate Of manufacture woulc
take four years to bring the supply OF
ammunition up to this figure, which
Il used at the rate given by the OIL
Ger in question, would be only
enough for a three-dag battle.
Along these same lines it is inter
estipg to note that at the present |