The Arvada enterprise. (Arvada, Colo.) 1908-1970, 1916-04-06

|
les of field artillery. for artillery OF
this kind has come to be one Of the
mainstays. perhaps the mainstay. OF
the armies OF the world.
Information recently has been forth
coming In Washington concerning the
development OF the artillery arm OF
tho service. and 1t is certain II pre-
paredness measures are enacted into
law that the increase In the artillery
will be much greater proportionately
than the increase In any other branch
OF the service.
The engagement quickly resolved
itself into an artillery duel" The
words quoted appear In scores OF dis
patches from the scenes OF the con-
tlict In Europe. 1t Is an artillery
war largely. The word battery" Is
read by Americans probably five times
where the other words, regiment or
battalion, are read once.
There are batteries OF horse nrtil.
| lery, batteries OF light field artillery.
mountain batteries, siege batteries,
and sea coast batteries, although the
last named may be eliminated from
| discussion because thus far, save for
some operations in the far East. and
a short engagement on the Belgian
coast. they have cut little figure- In
the lighting.
The great arm OF the artillery serv.
leo Is the light battery, for In 1t lies
| the chief artillery strength OF the
armies. The field guns OF the Ameri-
can army az formed into batteries and
AZ equipped for conflict are virtually
on the same basis rs the light artil-
| lery Of the other armies OF the world.
When the field details OF the Ameri-
can artillery are known, the compost
| ton OF batteries, the allotment OF am
munition. the complement OF can
noneers, caissons and other adjuncts.
1t Is possible to get definite informa.
ton of the conditions In the armies
now fighting In Europe.
In virtually all the armies OF tho
world there are four guns to bat
| terry, change from the days OF the
muzzlc-loading neldpiccc. when there
were six and occasionally eight guns
to each battery. The brccchloadcr,
with its method OF taking up the no.
coil and with the case Of IFS mouinula.
ton. burns nm ammunition at the rate
| of twcnty.fiy. shots n minute. This
| is something TO be thought on, |,
means that n shell with it's dread
charge of lydditc or other high cxplo
siyes leaves the muzzlc of each piece
| every two and half seconds or there
abouts.
| They arc firing TODAY from the field
| artillery TWENTY-FIVE shots in the tim.
that IL took to fire one in the old DAYS
| but the havoc todnv ia not twcnty.iiy,
| times as great. because soldiers hay,
| been taught and forced to tnke Il
cover.
| A United States standard light bat
terry of field artillery md II Will stapt
rs n tyne. at war strength has n tota
OF five commissioned officers and III
enlisted men. There are GO driver,
and 65 cannouccrs. four gunner cor
porals and 10 caissons. one store wax
on and timber and four field wagons
n total OF ll2 draft wagons, AZ saddl,
horses and lG mules. making l72 ani
mails.
The ammunition ia the thing. Their,
are In the caisson body 20 rounds nm,
in the timber chest &c rounds. while /,
the emergency tubcs'' on each gu,
there are four rounds So that I'm cnc,
gun section there are log rounds O
Fixed" or made ammunition I'm IN,
| caisson. 20 rounds I'm the pun limbo
and four rounds In the nmmun,,io,
tubes on the gun carriage In cach n
the four caissop sections there ARE 81,
rounds.
Thus with "A field battery of light mr.
tillcry there are .432 rounds IN ,hc n,
ing lin. md on whc,ls closc hv md.
cover. That figures ont 35s shots IN
rife. with the ammunition troi, thor,
are or should ne four wagon. ono,
with log rounds and .t ,ho ndv,pc,
supply dcpot s5G round. oraCl sho,,
n rife raIsInv IN, Ammunition .,,n,I,
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