The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939, 1916-08-17
THE NEW ARTILLERY WARFARE


The war has to a considerable ex-
tent passed into the stage that a
political campaign assumes when the
opposing managers get busy with
their opposing claims" The allies
announce that they are smashing
their way through the German lines,
just about according to their pro-
gram. They didn't expect to do it
in a hurry; they realized that a def
mite superiority in artillery must be
established and then effectively
utilized, and this meant the con-
struction Of vast numbers Of great
guns, and providing the necessary
ammunition for them.
Against this the Germans retort
that the British and French cannot
stand the immense losses that are
inflicted upon them under this sort
Of tactics. No matter how thorough
ly their artillery prepares the way,
the German line claims it's ability
to infiict such frightful losses, when
the allied infantry advances to &C.
cupy the bombarded trenches, that
the gains are not worth the cost.
Between these two campaign-com-
mittee claims it is difficult to form
judgment. But now comes Mr.. Won
Wiegand with some admissions,
from the German side, which seem
to shed real. light on the compare
tive capabilities Of the opposing
forces. 1t is not necessary to point
out the reasons why, on this front,
artillery is supremely important.
The lines have been established a
long time, and the utmost ingenuity
has been employed in strengthening
them as near as may be to the point
Of impregnability. The only thing
that could make it possible for either
side to break through on big scale
for permanent gains would be an
overpowering superiority in artillery
and in men, coupled with a willing
ness to pay the price. Do the allies
possess this?
Mr.. Won Wiegand suggests the
answer; at least, he indicates that
the Germans are concerned about it..
He writes that on the Somme front
there are apparently some 10000
great guns at work; that the allied
forces are still rapidly and constant
ly increasing the number of pieces;
and that the English are particu-
larly prodigal Of their ammunition.
"As many as 100000 French or
English shells in one day on a mar
row sector" he says, "is nothing un-
usual" And then:
"The German shells are often in
ratio of no more than one to ten"
This admission of German inferi-
ority is followed by an explanation
that the Germans are conserving
their ammunition; that they stand
alone, pitted against the modified
industrial power of the world. "With
their own industries concentrated
upon turning out ammunition, and in
addition the arsenals and industries
of the entire world open to them" he
proceeds, France and England can
be extravagant with shells upon this
one front. Dependent entirely upon
herself, with many fronts to cover
although the mountains of shells l
saw could hardly indicate any short
age-it follows that Germany ma
turally would husband her ammuni-
ton, and try to make every shot
count"
Here is the admission, first, that
the problem of defending her far
cast and many fronts begins to ap-
pail the Germans. They are not
making gains on any of these lines.
Rather, they are losing on all of
them; losing ground in the Riga and
Volhynian regions, losing it on the
Somme; losing huge forces of de-
voted soldiers in the futile and ill
considered Verdun attack They are
outstanding their resources at the
time when it is admitted that the
allies are often using ten, times as
many shells as the Germans; and at
a time, too, when despite this great
disparity 1t is admitted that the al
lies are steadily increasing the num-
Der of their guns in action.
Mr.. Won Wiegand's letter reads as
if the German censor had been in
structed to permit correspondents to
begin preparing the world for some
thing that the German staff regards
as inevitable, and as decidedly un-
palatable.