The sun., 1917-09-14
BIG AMERICAN
GUNNER FORCE
WITH PERSHING
Presence Revealed by Story
Of Training With Air
plane Fire Control.
USING NEW FRENCH 75s
Likely to Go to Trenches Be-
fore Infantry to Get Actual
Battle Practice.

BY the Associoted Pvess.
AMERICAN TRAINING CAMP IN FRANCE.
Sept. 1a.-American guns are booming
In France, booming under the eyes OF
observation balloons. with airplanes 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 every likelihood the artillery will
beat the infantry to the front, for 1t is
planned to complete the intensive train
Ing Of the gunners 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 COM
ma nders are unknown 1t would seem
logical from military standpoint that
after the artillery has completed sew
eral 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would be withdrawn for maneuvres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 tho gradually multiplying Ameri-
can infantry.
Must Train with Infantry.
The cooperation Of artillery and in
fantry Is SO close under modern battle
tactics that 1t is essential they should
be trained to act together almost as
a unit
And just as the first contingent Of
American infantry will devote itself
training other units as they arrive SO
the hrst contingent Of artillery will
train the batteries, regiments and bril-
Eades which will be thrown into France
before the spring campaign Of 1918 is
likely to begin.
While It 10 not known here what an
nouncements may have been made from
Washington the arrival of q large Sec
tion of American field artillery in
France has been kept carefully
guarded secret 50 far as Europe Is con.
cerned. The announcement IL permitted
now, only after the officers and men
have progressed far in their intensive
training under general supervision of
Frances most expert artillerists.
There are no longer any French Of.
ficers or poilus actually serving at the
guns. the crews having been American
ICED throughout. At the observation
French officers sit now only In an ad-
visory capacity.
Now Has Plenty OF shells.
Through various reports received from
trained observers. attaches and other
confidential sources during the last three
years the American artillery officers of
the Regular Army have been enabled to
keep In fairly close touch with all the
gunnery development In the world war
sufftciently close, In any event, to keep
| abreast with the more modern theories
OF the various artillery schools.
What the American artillery has now,
and never had before, Is plenty Of shells.
1t is easily conceived what this means
to enthusiastic officers and men, whose
batteries are expending within two or
| three weeks ten times the number OF
shells formerly allotted to them for an
entire year.
Modern artillery training Is a maze Of
| technical details. a labyrinth Of mathe-
matical problems. in which such elusive
and subtle subjects as orientation. tri-
angulation. detection. drift. elevation
and dozen other branches Of optics
, and geometry are involved.
In beginning the fulfilment of its
| contract with Washington the French
Government has supplied the American
| artillery units with the latest output OF
guns.
Using . Inch Howitsers.
| These seventy -hves correspond with
and take the place Of the old inch
gun in the American army. The French
have also supplied the Americans with
s inch howitxers-a gun Of great power
and accuracy which corresponds with
the noted German SO. probably the mos,
effective weapon in the entire German
gun list.
The Americans have been quick to
master the details Of the French
as II they had been friends Of years
standing. Under the watchful SUPER
vision Of a splendid old French Major
who speaks English as II It were his
own tongue. they have taken down and
reassembled the two types Of guns with
which they have been training. The
mastery Of artillery as a whole, how
ever, is a matter Of months rather than
weeks, and there still remains much fol
even the first American artillery con.
tingent to learn.
! The work Of cooperation with bal
looms and airpianes has only recent,
been started. The airplane service ha
attracted many Of the brightest youni
|
tising now to qualify as observera
| Planes Have Twin EnElnes,
Tho French artillery planes. whicl
arc being used for training purposes
have twin engines and wide spreading
! wings, giving them wonderful stability
although whom occasion requires the!
can sideslip, stall, spin and spiral.
A trip which the correspondent mad
In one of these over the artillery caml
and school revealed a wide sweepinl
range Of beautiful hills and valleys. Tn
American zones OF fire stretch for mile
in parallel tracks and are filled witt
splendid natural targets.
Scores OF German prisoners employe,
about the camp on construction worl
are getting a striking hrst hand i'm
pre.rion of what American participation
in the war may yet mean to their coun
| try