The Bamberg herald. [volume] (Bamberg, S.C.) 1891-1972, 1915-08-19
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tered radically in consequence OF the
lessons learned in the first year OF
the war. 1t has been pre-eminently
war of machines. The resources
afforded by modern scientific devel-
opment have been taxed to devise
new instruments of death and de-
struction more potent than ever had
been employed. 1t has been also d
war of surprises. New problems
have arisen, necessitating the recon
struction of the theory of war. Plans
and methods heretofore approved by
authorities on military affairs were
discarded, and the stats of the va
rious armies were compelled to crap
pie with situations for which there
was no precedent.
The first great surprise of the wal
was the German 42-centimeter Cl6
1-2-inch) gun, which hurls for some
fifteen miles shell weighing almost
a ton. The great Notifications which
were the pride of Belgium, and be-
lieved to be almost impregnable,
were battered into ruins by these
guns in a comparatively short time.
Two of these guns, stationed ten
miles from Antwerp, wrecked its
elaborate defence works. Liege and
Namur fell similarly.
The use Of artillery and machine
guns, in fact, has been one OF the
principal features of the war. Great
execution was done by the new
Krupp 11-inch howitzer, weighing
nearly forty tons. with six-mile
radius. The Austrian Pinch howit-
zer also has proved exceptionally ef-
icient. The French 75-millimeter
gun Isl regarded as one of the most
effective field pieces.
On all the European battlefelds
artillery has been the main reliance
of the various armies. Trenches bris-
tie with machine guns, which mill
.tary men say bid fair to relegate the
rifle to a secondary place. 1t was
with this artillery that the Austro-
German forces blasted their way
across Galicia a few weeks ago. max
ing what was said to be the greatest
concentration of heavy and light
field pieces ever seen. With artll-
lery the British won at Neuve Chap
pelle, the Germans at scissors. Ev-
cry considerable movement of infan-
try is preceded by heavy artillery
BON bardment, and frequently the in
fantry has little more to do than oc-
cupy the positions of the enemy made
untenable by artillery fire.
The deadliness Of machine guns
necessitated recourse to trenches, for
no troops in exposed positions could
live within the range of the rapid
firers. Consequently trench warfare
has developed to an extent never be-
fore seen. Whole armies move into
underground quarters, with elabor-
ate labyrinths of passages and sub
terranean living and sleeping quar-
ters.
The result of machine warfare
Was the use of ammunition on a
scale for which the world was un'
prepared. England recognized it as
her greatest problem and made Da-
vid Lloyd-George minister of muni'
tions, with power to mobilize the ma
tion's workers for the production OF
war munitions on a colossal scale
France took similar measures. Italy
which had ten months to prepare for
war, found it necessary after two
months of fighting to appoint Dy
royal decree a supreme committee to
increase the production Of munitions
The battle of Neuve Chappelle alone
is said to have cost the British the
expenditure of more powder than the
entire Boer war.
One result of the development OF
this form of warfare is the eclipse OF
Cavalry as one of the principal arms
of the service. Cavalry is still useo
to a small extent on the eastern
front, but its employment in France
virtually has been abandoned. The
cavalrymen have been dismounteo
and placed in the trenches.
Almost as conspicuous is the de-
velopment of submarine warfare. The
remarkable exploits of submarines
have proved their efficiency so thor
oushly that already the supremac!
of battleships has been challenged
Germany. compelled to rely chiefly
on these craft for her marine activl'
ties. has gained the greatest success
| with them. Their first large achieve,
ment was the torpedoing and sinking
bv one submarine within an hour ol
the British cruisers Cressy, Aboukll
and Hoono in the North Sea in Sep