Harrisburg telegraph. [volume] (Harrisburg, Pa.) 1879-1948, 1917-10-30

Is more to the point to reckon in
divisions. The division, it would ap-
pear, is a better unit under trench
conditions. A corps, indeed, may
now included all the divisions, Neven
more than three, the greatest num-
per ever contemplated before 1910
that hold a given section of the
front.
In sieges, and we may regard the
western front as an elongated siege,
only three arms directly count-the
engineers to mine and trench, the
aftlllery to break down the defenses
and silence the enemy fire, the in
tantry to assault enemy trenches
and breaches when opened In re-
spect of the artillery, each side SIM
ply gets up as many guns as possible.
IL is said that on the lines of the
western front there is an artillery
man for every two infantrymen; in
snort the artillery has ceased to be
an auxiliary arm and has become
the head of the corner,
The distinction between siege guns.
mortars, fortress, naval and seacoast
guns, widely differentiated classes
tlVe years ago, is wholly broken
down, in that all of these guns, of
no matter what caliber and class,
are used with the army in the field.
OAtAS w. SiS'SSNS liSCu pe EeCObnlZCu
now-field guns and heavy guns.
The artillery strength of. an army
now includes the heaviest calibers
where recently only field types were
taken into account.
Some of the New Weapons
Almost equally radical has heen
the change of infantry conditions: 1t
can be stated in one short sentence.
In trenh warfare the magazine rifle is
almost thing of the past. Its place
has been taken by trench weapons,
by trench artillery, by the hand
grenade, the rifle grenade-the gren-
adler has come into his own again.
IT rifle fire is needed, the automatic
rifle, the machine gun, worked by
one man, can deliver it far more ef-
fectively than can one hundred in
fantrymen, each firing his own piece.
Hence bomb-throwers, automatic
rifiemen, machine gunners, now form
the important elements of infantry
units.
The cavalry has apparently disap-
peared from the conflict; the horse
and the trench simply do not fit. 1t
We're a grave error. however, to as
sumo that this great arm is done for.
If open warfare is ever resumed, the
cavalry Will again nave It's day in
court, but with changed armament.
1t will in all probability be armed
with the bayonet, will carry gren-
AIDES, and a greatly increased num-
ber of cartridges per man, will en-
ploy larger number of machine
gun sections, will be equipped with
automatic rifles, auto-cannon, and
auto-machine guns.
All the changes herein discussed
may be regarded as the result, in
their respective spheres, of the doc
trine held by the German general
staff as to how war should be made.
This doctrine imposes a certain pro-
cedure, materialized, If necessary, by
trench work, in which the trenches
shall be suitably covered; in the ac-
tual case, by barbed-wire entangle-
ments animated by machine guns.
The extension of these entangle-
ments and the enormous use made of
machine guns constitute, with avia-
ton, the great features of modern
warfare. Barbed wire will stop
anything if a body of troops, caught
in it, can be taken under fire by ma
chine guns. it ceases to exist. Hence.
comes, in part, the development of
artillery, to breach the entanglc-
ments so that infantry may get
through. And it is pertinent to rec
ollect that the entire front from the
North Sea to the Swiss frontier may
be regarded, without any exaggera,