The Washington herald. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1906-1939, 1915-07-12
j. 5. ARMY NEEDS
MORE ARTILLERY
Officer Says Cannon Only
Thing Our Forces Want
for Effectiveness.
CAN MAKE AMMUNITION
Best Pieces Used in Europe Are Three
inch Congress Will Be
Asked to Provide Them.

The lessons of the European war
as regards military equipment solves
one problem for us and creates An
other. We find that We must have
upward of 100 per cent more artillery
per 100 900 men than we had esti-
mated upon. and an even greater in
crease in the amount of ammunition
for these guns"
This statement is made by a very
high officer in the United States army
one who is in a position to know
what the ordnance branch of the War
Department is, doing and thinking.
Ammunition Sufficient.
I'VE can supply as much ammuni-
ton for these guns as they may be
expected reasonably to use in the
light of the lessons of the present
war. Our capacity for turning out
ammunition has increased in some
sizes tenfold over what we thought
we could produce in an emergency,
as a result of the munitions industry
which has sprung up in this country
in the last ten months. Our capacity
for the manufacture Of rifles. too, has
increased greatly.
But the increase in the output of cam
non has by no means kept pace with
other lines, though no doubt if We were
called upon to enlist the capacity energy
Of all plants now turning out arms We
would find a substantial gain along these
lines, too.
1T is impossible to estimate accurately
just what the present capacity of the
private industries In this country is.
The manufacturers themselves do not
know yet what they can do. However.
II
there has never been any uneasiness in
the ordnance department of the army
as to ability of the Industries Of this
country to furnish enough ammunition
in advance to supply a first line army
All we want is money from Congress
to buy this ammunition.
HammerinR Away for Years.
We have been hammering away for
years, and gradually are getting larger
appropriations for ammunition and guns.
At the rate we were going it would have
taken years to accumulate enough ammu-
milton to supply the immediate require
ments of an army of defense drawn up
to repel an invasion by frst-class power
1t would take twice as long to obtain the
cannon necessary for the equipment of
such an army. 1t is to be hoped that the
next Congress will profit by the lessons
of the present war and act accordingly.
One encouraging lesson from our point
of view lies in the demonstration that the
ordnance of no army abroad has been
proven more effective than that with
which our army is equipped. In fact,
much of the ordnance Is far inferior to
the types now being furnished the United
States army.
Artillery Doing Real Work.
THE real work abroad has been done
by artillery no heavier than that with
which our army is partially equipped.
I refer to the 3-inch field piece, which
has done the most terrific damage for
all armies. Moreover. the 3-inch field
pieces in use abroad are. In most cases.
inferior to the guns now being built
for us. particularly in the matter of car
riages. We are installing a carriage
which adds greatly to the range of the
projectile by permitting greater eleva-
ton. The Italian army has many Of
these pieces
Terrific damage has been worked
abroad by machine guns. The a-Iota of
these pieces for infantry units of 1000
Lien has been multiplied by three in
some organizations and In the case of the
German army by four. Our own esti-
mates no doubt will be greatly increased
than fUur machine guns per 1000 men in
our theoretical war army organization.
! should not be surprised II this num-
Der would he increased to twelve guns
for loo men