Western liberal. (Lordsburg, N.M.) 1887-1919, 1916-01-28
MAKING WAR MAPS
Only Officers Of Special Training
Assigned to Work.
Every Object In Territory Covered
Must Be Shown With Accuracy
Maps Of Vast Importance in
Modern Warfare.

Berlin.-In modern warfare. and
especially In the present world o n
fict, accurate maps are the greatest
auxiliary of the armies and they play
a far more important part In the opera
tions than the general public knows.
Without them success is impossible,
These maps are worked out with
infinite are by special departments OF
the general stats OF the armies of the
different countries. Only officers pos
sessing special training and knowledge
are assigned to the work.
The first military typographical bu-
reau raj established by the general
STAFF of the Bavarian army nearly a
century ago under the direction of
General Won Naus, who also became ia
nous as a mathematician and daring
mountain climber. Other countries,
however, were slow to follow the ex-
ample of Bavaria. In Prussia an exact
typographical survey of the country
was not undertaken by the general
staff until 1862. About the same time
the leaders of the Austro-Hungarian
army became convinced that the maps
then in existence were not sufficient
for war. The Austrian typographical
bureau was organized in 1863 under
the direction Of Capt. Julius Won
Payer, who later became famous as
an Arctic explorer. France waited
still longer, and as a result was badly
handicapped in the war of 1S70-71 by
the lack of accurate maps. In that wa
it is said the French officers were sup
piled with maps Of Germany but none
of France.
During the last forty years all coun
tries are using the same system in the
production Of the general staff maps
The method seems complicated, but is
simple enough. First the country is
divided into triangles, the rne OF
which are marked by church steeples
high poles. trees and other landmarks
Every one Of these triangles then is
surveyed separately and again divided
up into smaller triangles. The cor
ners of these subdivisions are marked
by small square granite blocks, which
are sunk into the ground so that ONLY
their tops are visible.
After the subdivisions have beer
laid out and marked the officers in
trusted with the work draw large map
of every one of them. These map
show the minutest details of the land
scape and are then joined together ant
reproduced on a smaller scale by eX
pert craftsmen. In this manner al
exact typographical picture Of tn
larger triangles, and finally Of tn
whole country, is obtained.
The general staff maps speak a lar
guage of their own. This language /
very simple, but must, of course. b
understood. Every object in the terri
tory covered by the maps is show
by certain signs. Pine woods ar
marked by little sharp cones, othe
, woods and trees by groups of sma
circles and dots, elevations by curve
/ which show the heights of the hill
/ roads by double and footpaths b
/ single lines.
! There are also certain signs fC
I church ~steeples, mills, ponds, brook
and isolated farm houses. Nothing
missing and a man looking at one {
3 these maps and understanding it hs
= the impression Of flying over the tie
. ritory and looking down upon 4. trol
. a height.
! All maps of the general staff have
= be absolutely correct. They not on
i form the basis for movements
troops, but also have to be used
, the artillery in ~ascertaining the di
lance and finding the range of the p
sitions of the enemy. In this respe
the German maps have become wor
famous, as they are drawn with Il
proverbial German thoroughness.