Brownsville herald. [volume] (Brownsville, Tex.) 1910-current, 1917-11-29
OF
GERMANY HAS
BEEN TR|PLED
ENTENTE ARMIES HAVE NOT BEEN
ALONE IN RECOGNIZING GREATER
VALUE OF ARTILLERY A SCOM-
PARED WITH INFANTRY.
(By Associated Press.)

u
FRENCH FRONT. Nov. 29.-The en-
tente armies have not been alone in recog-
nizing the greater value of artillery ~
compared with infantry in the method Of
mcdern warfare in operation on all the
European fronts since the cessation of the
war of movements at the end of 1914.
\ glance AT the strength of the German
field artillery branch at the opening Of
ho~tilities shows that il then consisted Of
642 batteries. Al present 1t J. composed
of 1000 batteries at least. A the bat
teries now contain only four pieces instead
of six at the beginning of the war the cal-
culation of the power of the artillery in
the field must he based on the number OF
guns rather than that of batteries. Where
a in 1914 the German army possessed
only 3.S52 field guns il now possesses
5000 if the minimum figure of 1000 bat
teries with which it was furnished ut the
end of 1916 Is taken IA the basis of cal
culation.
These field artillery batteries are di-
vIded into two kinds-thoSe armed with
the 7T-ccntimetre cannon (thc 3-inch) and
those armed with light 4-inch field howitz-
erS. The German 3-inch cannon has been
much improved and its range greatly in
creased since 1911.
a. to the German heavy artillery, the
increase in the number Of pieces has been
even greater in proportion than that Of
the field artillery. In peace time the Ger
man empire had organized twcnty-four
regiments of heavy artillery. Each rcgi-
four batteries. and each battery was armed
with four guns. thu, totaiing 76S heavy
guns.
A soon a. the army had been moblizcd
in 1914, the German military authorities
established new heavy artillery formations.
Soon each artillery regiment of the regular
army had attached to il reserve regiment
consisting Of four batteries Of skilled gun
ners. also 4 battalion Of four batteries of
landwehr, or second rcSerylStS. and, final
~, battalion of four batteries formed
from among the third reservistS or land
strum. When the arsenals and she'll fac
tories later had reached higher level of
Z
batteries were formed from among the men
OF the Er>atZ reserve. Since the first year
of the war large numbers of the recruits
of the younger classes which have been
called out for service have been sent 10 the
artillery branch. BY the end of 1916 the
number Of heavy batteries had been multi
piled more than five times and in the
course Of 1917 further additions have been
made to the total
| OF the German bic guns. % per cent are
long range cannon and the remaining a
per cent howitZers. The most numerous OF
their long range guns are finch, -
inch. 5-inch and 6-inch but they possess
also batteries Of S.T-inch, 9.7-inch, IL
Inch and l5-inch long range guns. although
I these are very few in number Their
howitzers are for the most part of 6-incl
caliber: but besides these they have il
line batteries Of ll-inch, 12-inch and L.
inch howtzer~.
Germany had not developed any liking
for mountain guns before this war. bu
she has been forced To change her view,
by the developments of the fighting. il
the NoSges, for instance. and now ha,
twenty batteries Of mountain guns, IL
pieces of 3-inch calibre rapid fire to
battery. and also haS formed several bat
Iterie~ Of 4-inch mountain howitzer~
II Trench artillery n well ha> been de
voloped in this war, and the German arm,
i now well provided with weapons of Va
riouS kinds for use in the advanced lines
IT. trench mortarS range in calihre fro
three inches Ia ten inches. Finally. IN
! small trench cannon oi | 10 inch, 2-inrl
! and l-2-inch calibre have become YER
numerous in all sectors of the line.