The Clio messenger. (Clio, Mich.) 1907-current, 1917-05-11
NEEDS FIELD GUNS
ARMY'S WEAKNESS IN ARTIL,
LERY is RECOGNIZED AND
WILL BE REMEDI.:D.
OUR FIELD PIECE THE BEST
Lessons Learned From the Experiences
of the European BelIiserents-PIenty
Of Machine Gun Detachments Will
Be Provided In New Army.
BY EDWARD 3. CLARK.


hington.-Infantry regiments of
the National Guard that were on duty
on the frontier of Mexico found them
selves turned Overnight" into field
artillery regiments. Infantry outfits
which showed marked soldierly quail
ties were made into artillery outfits.
The need of artillerymen and of artil-
lery is great.
The new army will have field guns
and more field guns. The lessons OF
Europe since the beginning of this war
have not been lost.
There Is no secret about the weak
ness of the American army in field
guns and in field-gun ammunition. The
equipment of the artillery is II sharp
problem, but il is said it will be solved
and solved quickly.
American army officers prior to the
outbreak of the war in Europe knew
that artillery was to be the main re-
lance In their future campaigns. III
is doubtful, however, If Uncle Sans
officers appreciated the extent of the
development of the artillery arm which
would be necessary to meet the condi-
tons of modern warfare. The French
had the best field artillery on earth
and the French officers had a realiz-
Ing sense of what superiority In this
arm of the service would mean to
them, but even the Frenchmen prob
ably did not grasp the full significance
of the situation as ii was to confront
the world within few weeks after the
coming of the conflict.
Our Field Gun Unsurpassed.
1t is said by men who are supposed
to know that our own field piece is
equal in efficiency to that of the French
seventy-five. If this be true, the Unit
ed States has a weapon which has no
superior In the world. The regiments
Of artillery will be increased all out
Of proportion to the army equation of
other years. Activity in artillery max
ing will mark the operations Of the
near future, and coincident with the
making of the weapons will be the
training of the men for this new COM
handing branch of the war service.
Years ago Gen. John NJ. Schofield
urged the increase of the artillery
branch of the service. In his youth
Schofield served in the artillery and
his urgent plea that the proportion Of
batteries he increased to meet what he
said would be the future needs of the
service was set down by the legisla-
tors and by some army officers simply
to the generals love for the branch
in which he had been an officer. Now
the officers of the army are willing to
give General Schofield credit for far
sightedness. Things have turned out
just about as he said they would turn
out. There will be something like the
prOverbial feverish activity in artil-
lery and artillerymen making In the
next few months.
Thousand upon thousands of the
young men who soon are to be part
Of the army of the United States will
be assigned to the field artillery. There
is no more appealing service in peace
time or in wartime. Even In dash and
in high spirit of battle maneuvers the
cavalry has no finer excitement and
no finer enthusiasm.
Cavalry Also Necessary.
The cavalry during the present war
has not had much to do except on the
east front. Therefore there has been
feeling that the proportion of cav
airy to the other branches of the serv-
ice might be decreased when the new
army is raised. There is little or no
Il 4
countenanced by the army authorities.
On the west front in Europe the cav
airy has been quiescent most of the
time since the war began, but when
the horsemen are needed they will be
needed badly. Their places cannot he
taken by the men of any other branch
of the service. Cavalry regiments will
be recruited, sent to the front and
used when the time comes.
The United States is short on ma
chine guns. This Is no military Sc
cret, for the, fact has been blazoned
not only at home, but abroad. for
years. The enemy knows II, just as
he knows everything else connected
with the past of our armed forces.
The machine-gun situation will be met
Just as the field artillery situation has
been met. The guns will be provided
and the detachments of men tn han
die them will be trained. 1t is the In
tention of the authorities to have just
as many machine-gun detachments and
just as many field-artillery batteries In
service with the new army as are
proved to be necessary by the lessons
learned in the European conflict.
The infantry, as ever, will he the
backbone of the new army. The i'm
fantry forces, of course will outnum-
Der the other men of the branches.
The field artillery today is the saliva
ton of the infantry. The foot soldiers
advance behind the barrage fire.
Their salvation is the field gun, and
the infantry know II. The army Is TO
no nronerly balanced between rho