Willmar tribune. [volume] (Willmar, Minn.) 1895-1931, 1915-01-13

emy's gunners and battery horses. II
the sixties the log rampant and shall
low trench behind were the answer
to shrapnel and hurting shell in pro
tracted fight like the Aisne-Yser line
of 1914. A modern concealed trench Il
far ahead of logs and dirt rampant tt
protect men. Not alone devices fol-
covering fighting men tend to mini
mize mortality. but tactics work fol-
the same end. Rushes of dozens led
by sergeant carry forward under fire
the thousands which formerly charged
en- masse.
Secretary Of War Garrison says that
it is much more difficult to kill men in
battle nowadays than Is generally sup
posed. Medical reports of the Russo
Japanese war. he says, show that on,
of every hundred casualties 50 pei
cent were caused by bullets: also that
in that war it took 10000 bullets to
kill one man. Another authority says
that it took 1868 rife shots.t to put one
japanese out of the fight In 1904
whereas in the Franco Prussian wal
In 1870 one bullet in every 375 found
its mark.
Next to bullets come artillery shots
In effectiveness. In 1870 it required
eighty French shots, weight 66(
pounds, to disable one German. but in
1904 $50 shots. weight nearly one ton
were fred to disable one Russian.
Appalling accounts Of slaughter, es
pec1ally Of Germans, have been given
but at their worst Geok-Tepe in the
Russo Turkish war of 1881 leads in
carnage. With breechloaders 1000
Russians slew 5000 Turks in one
hour. Dead battle lines have been re-
ported in the western zone The writ
er saw one such at Antietam in 1862
when General Hooker's guns to the
number Of thirty swept with canister
thirty acre field of standing corn
screening a Confederate line Of battle
In his official report Hooker said, I'm
the time l am writing every stalk of
corn in the northern and greater part
Of the field was cut as closely as could
be done with knife" Along the
northern fence of that field lay. well
aligned. over a thousand dead in gray.
Prisoners Counted In Losses.
1t appears from analysis of reports
Of losses In Europe that when given in
gross for any battle or campaign the
prisoners are included among the
missing" Where the classes are sep
arated, as In the English and German
reports. the ratio of killed to wounded
does not suggest carnivals of slaughter.
In the Belgium to Paris campaign in
August and September the total for the
British was about $4,000. October to
December. in western Belgium, the rec
ord was about $4,000. The British orig
inally mustered 10000 strong: increas-
ed later to 100000 total. its loss of g.
600 amounts to % per cent.
The French and Belgians also lost
$1,000 in western Belgium out Of ap-
proximately 100000. The allies esti-
mate the Germans in Belgium at 5OO.-
600 and doubtless wouldn't own to su-
perior numbers opposed. therefore their
losses of 100000 may be computed on
100000 or less, hence at least 20 per
cent
Russians report heavy losses by
Germans in their frontal attacks before
Warsaw in December and name 10000
as q safe aggregate. Elsewhere they
place the German strength at 100000.
If so the loss was but little over per
cent, which is Insignificant for a series
of battles. Assuming that only 100000
men were involved. the loss was 20 per
cent, therefore not phenomenal.
Military Lessons.
The old and very obvious lesson that
the belligerent which can move forces
and supplies along interior lines has
the advantage has been demonstrated
anew in 1914. Germany may have
lost her grip upon Paris the first week
in September because Russia was
pounding at her back door within the
border Of East Prussia. But she saved
Berlin by being able to rush troops by
rail from her western to the eastern
border.
The machine gun once more justifes
the enthusiasm Of its early advocates.
The modern idea is. it Is true, that In
fantry should not be pushed against
line in blocks or masses. But it will
happen that leader will suppose that
position which he covets is but
lightly defended or has been half sub
iected by long range artillery firing.
Thinking that rush will carry the
day. he sends his men in. and that is
the time for the machine gun to SOW
the field in front with bullets.
The massive cannon. in which Ger
many seems to have the lead. has
often shown its capacity In practice.