The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1917-10-01
BATTLESO OF AIR
/. PARAMOUNT TO
~ ~-s-'--
TRENCH FIGHT
Wonderful Changes Made in
the Science of
War
(By FIilaire Be1loc, Foremost iistor
ian of the World)

(By Hilaire Belloc, Foremost Histor-.
ian Of the World)
Since war became an, organized af-.
fair every action has consisted of two
parts. The first part has been 'obser-
walton, the second, the piercing or.
turning of a line. 1:
When we say "since war became an
organized affair." it is well to remem-
Der that this phase carries one back
far beyond the beginnings Of recorded
history. 1t is clear that great bodies
Of men, moved at a fairly rapid. rate
over vast distances, as they were in
the very earliest of recorded wars,
must have need high organization:
and the confused impression that these
large forces went forward in sort
of herd will not stand examination.
Mere food, let alone the supply of wea-
pons and the completely Of command,
makes it certain that even before re-
corded human history began, human
beings acting as great military bodies
worked under a highly-organized
scheme. 4.
To those two divisions in any action
-(1) preliminary observation, and
| (2) the action proper (wether by the
piercing or the turning Of line)-
was added, as artillery slowly develop
| ed, division.
The second and main part, the ac-
ton, consisted more and more in two
parts; (a) fighting first at long range
and then (b) fighting at short range.
Throughout the eighteenth century
! this subdivision of preliminary artil-
1ery work as the first chapter of ac-
| ton, followed by infantry of cavalry
work as the second chapter, develop
ed as the artillery arm was more and
more understood; I will not say more
and more evolved" because the guns
tremained Of much the same character
| for $50 years, and all that changed
was the method of handling them. For
instance, right up to the French reyo-
luton there was in most armies nc
organized method of driving guns
even as late as Va1my. in 1872, q greai
number TO the guns: were: driven Big
farm hands locally impressed for the
purpose. Napoleon conceived the dis
tinct preliminary function Of the CUR
that it should prepare the action OF
infantry and cavalry; and from his
time UPWARDS it has rightly been takeT
Ifor granted that an action divided it.
Eself into those two separate chapters
the first of which was the artillery
preparation designed to shake and t
lweaken the opponent,) and the sec.
ond of which is the attack properly
so-ca1led. .-s-s> +
Il Observation remained quite distinc'
during all the niheteenth century land
the first years of the twentieth. It wal
absolutely essential to success, but i
was not part of the action properly so
Ecalled. It was essential to success be
. cause upon it depended your know
ledge of what the enemy had to use
and even of how he. intended to use 1t
land because it gave you the onl!
chance of effecting surprise.
Observation meant, as it means still
1 % positively Cor offensively) tn
knowledge of what and where you
opponent was, and CD negatively 20
defensively) the prevention of you
Eopponent knowing what and wher
you were.
Until the advent of aircraft thi
function of observation might be sep
arated into the following categories-
speak, of course, of tactical obser
walton alone, not of strategical obser
walton:
1. The examination of prisoners i
order to discover what units you ha
in front of you, and the collection G
printed and written matter throug
spies to the same effect.
3. The feeling by cavalry sprea
out out like screen in front Of you
4 army. +" " i:i@f
This screen fulfilled two function
| 1t discovered in a. cropping sort of "a
. shion what there was in front Of
. and it prevented your opponent fro1
. finding out what you were doing be
hind that screen.
Upon the efficiency Of this cava11
. screen observation really depended ii
? less than, ten years ago. That is. VIII
!. the Continental armies were accuse
by observers; unaccuston1ed to tt
= theory Of war of overworking the
= horses and of being bad florsemaster
. It was well worth the while Of ar
:, commander, up to quite the last fe
), years, to wear out q very large nun
g Der of horses by keeping men COZ
:, stant1y in the saddle on condition th;
n by. so doing he could get some. roua
4 idea of what histopponent was dom
a and prevent that opponent from findir
q out what he was doing. In 9th,
n words, cavalry was sacrificed as to i
v horses just. as a knight is sacrificed
q the early part of a game of chess b
n cause it meant ESSENTIAL: early knox
: ledge and was the determtnant OF o.
: servation at the very beginning Of ii
# struggle. ~ b. st:g, 80,
But with the advent Of aircraft 6
this was changed. ~ y. y,=; !,
IL Observation now became quite a di
l. ferent matter. Aircraft permitted "
3, to see nearly all that the enemy W.
doing in fair: weather during the hou