The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1917-09-14
BIC AMERICAN GUNNER FORGE
 WITH PERSHINC
Presence Revealed by Story of Training With Airplane
 Fire Control.


 American Training Camp in France, Sept. 14-American guns are booming in France, booming under the eyes of observation balloons, with air. planes to trace each singing shrapnel shell, each missile of high explosive powder.
 Thus far the guns have not been turned against the enemy, but there is tevxery likelihood the artillery will beat the infantry to the front, for it is planned to complete the intensive training of the gunner under actual battle conditions, under the fire of German guns and with their own weapons directed against occupied German trenches.
 While the plans of the American commanders are unknown it would seem logical from 8 military stand point that after the artillery has com p1eted several weeks of training at the front in unison with the French infantry and supporting guns the greater part of it would be withdrawn for maneuvres with the gradually multiplying American infantry.
 The corporation of artillery and infantry is so close under modern battle tactics that it is essential they should be trained to act together al- most as unit.
 And just as the first contingent of American infantry will devote itself largely through the fall and winter to training other units as they arrive so the first contingent of artillery will train the batteries, regiments and bri- gades which will be thrown. into France before the spring campaign of 191Sis likely to begin.
 While it is not known here what announcements may have been made from Washington the arrival of a large section of American field artil- Iery in France has been kept a care- fully guarded secret so far as Europe is concerned. The announcement Is permitted now, only after the officers and men have progressed far in their intensive training under general SUI pervision of Frances most expert ar tillerists.
 There are no longer any French of- ficers or poilus actually serving at the guns, the crews having been Ameri- canized throughout. At the observa- ton posts and in the schools of in- struction French officers sit now only in an advisory capacity.
 Through various reports received from trained observers, attaches ana other confidential sources during the last three years the American artillery officers of the regular army have beer enabled to keep in fairly close toucf | with all the gunnery development il the world war-sufficiently close, fl
 any event, to keep abreast with th'
 more modern theories of the variou I artillery schools.
 I What thet American artillery ha l now. and never had before, is plent. I of shells. It is easily conceived wha l this means to enthusiastic officers an' men, whose batteries are expendinl l within two or three weeks 10 time the number of shells formerly allottel Ito them for an entire year. + Modern artillery training is a mag
 of technical details, labyrinth 0 mathematical problems, in which sue
 elusive and subtle subjects as orien
 tation, triangulation, Reflection, drif elevation, calibration, meteorolog1 range finding and a dozen -othe branches of optics and geometry ar
 involved.
 In beginning the fu1filment of ii
 contract with Washington the Frenc ] government has supplied the Ameri can artillery units with the latest ou put of guns.
 These 75s correspond with and talk the place of the old 3-inch gun in tn American army. The French hay also supplied the Americans with 6
 inch howitzers-a gun of great powe and accuracy which corresponds wit the noted German 5.9, probably tn most effective weapon in the entil
 German gun list.
 The Americans nave been quick master the details of the FA~nc H weapons, and are handling them no as if they had been friends of year standing. Under the watchful super vision of splendid old French ms jor, who speaks English as if it wei
 his own tongue, they have taken dow
 and reassembled the two types 4 guns with which they have been trai1 ing. The mastery of artillery as whole, however, is a matter of month rather than weeks, and there still IT ! mains much for even the first Amer ican artillery contingent to. learn. The work of corporation with ba looms and airplanes has only recent been started The airplane servit
 has attracted many of the brighte young officers in the artillery, who al practising now to qualify as obser7 CTS. 3| The French artillery planes, wfis are being used for training purpose have twin engines and wide sprea' ing wings, giving them wonderful st' bility, although when occasion r quires they can sideslip, stall, spin al T 1 spiral.
 A trip which the corresponds
 made in one of these over the arti
 lery camp and school revealed a vii i sweeping range of beautiful hills al
 valleys. The American zones of fl ? stretch for miles in parallel tracks al
 are filled with splendid natural ta gets.
 Scores of German prisoners CT ployed about the camp on constru
 ton work are getting striking fiji
 hand impression of what Americ'
 participation in the war may yet me; H to their country.
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