Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1917-06-21
WANT AMERICANS TRAINED
WITHIN SOUND OF GUNS
British Army Officers Say Only in
This Way Can Latest Develop
mcnts Be Taught.
RAPID CHANGES IN METHODS
Specialists Direct From Each Days
Fighting Mt Hand In Training
Camps Behind Trenches to In
struct Novice.

HSRD FIFE Ski sf2fntef LINES fa5fss
FRANCE. Juno e.-Use Of tho machine
gun as weapon for offensive opera
lions and for indirect fire by elevat-
Ing the gun so that the bullets will
fall into the trenches OF the enemy, is
one Of the recent Developments of
warfare. which convinces the British
army that the American e1peditionary
force should be trained within sound
Of tho guns Mt the front. This change
in tho method OF using the machine
gun hna been brought about within a
year. " shows. say the British Of
hcers. the raDidity with which methods
OF hghting are being altered. and that
n capable officers were to be sent TO
tho front from America, the systetns
they learned might be out Of date be-
fore tho troops they were to teach
arrived In France. Less than a year
ago the machine gun was regarded
primarily rs weapon of direct fire,
that Is. for moving down an advanc.
Ing enemy. 1t was thus chiefly q de-
fensivc method. md It's usefulness was
limited to the rather rare periods when
the enemy was actually attempting to
attack. But to-day the machine gun,
though retaining It's Importance In
this respect. has become still moro n
weapon Of Indirect fire, and by far
the greater proportion OF machlne-Eun
casualties nowadays are caused through
this use OF the weapon.
SWEEPS ROAD CLEAR OF
ENEMY SUPPLY COLUMNS
In one highly valued type of So
called indirect fire. a machine gun IL
trained by day on n stretch of rond
or communications which the enemy
is usins At nigh, for bringing up sup
plies and rc-enforccmcnts. The ma
chinc-gun tripod carefully Is adjusted
10 command this road. and stakes are
placed so that tn. bullets can be
sprayed over the road. Then at night,
although the road liz invis!blc, the ma
chine gun Is turned on at intervals
or perhaps an hour sweeping tho road
clear OF my enemy supply columns
that may be there. and In effect maxi
Ing the use OF that road impossible at
night.
AS in tho case OF the machine gun,
evolution Is constantly in progress in
the use OF the bayonct, In bombing. In
trenching. in sapping, in counternttack.
Nowhere. say army officers. can the
latest developments OF each OF these
specialties be taught 80 we'll as In the
training camps just behind the
trenches. where specialists direct from
yesterdays fighting are at hand to
instruct tho novice. Another valuable
feature OF the training camp at the
front Is that the soldier Is there
brought rapidly, almost unwittingly.
into the atmosphere OF modern war
fare so that when he is finally drafted
into his front-linc unit, no lnds moth
ing particularly new or strange TO
him. No matter how we'll the Aneri-
can troops may be trained in the
United States they would find the
melee OF actual battle phychologically
very trying. And war experts no
longer laugh al psychology. The train
ing OF the mind for the aurprises and
novelties OF the battle hold is ms i'm
portant as the physical side OF train
ing. say tho British authorities.