The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1917-10-12
/ S. SOLDIERS
rect BIG GUNS
IS OLD COMRADES
|merican Soldiers in France
Are Delighted With Mon
ster French Weapons.

AMERICAN TRAINING CAMP IN
RANCE, Wednesday. Oct. 1o.-(By
he Associated Press. mot Tar be-
tnd the American field artillery.
[hich has been In training In rug
ID section of France for the past two
honths, have come the man OF the
heavies." They are veteran gunners
nd many are familiar with the Dig
uns at home and they greeted almost
comrades the monster French weap-
ns which they are now grooming Tor
Eventual use against the Germans.
Some of the guns with which the
american artf1lerymen are training
Ire wonderful and pondefous ex-
implies Of the French gunmakers' skill
md daring. They are from the 169,
harry elously effective up to the stag
kering 400 that hurls huge explosive
|heIl weighing short OF a ton. Tne
00's are more potent than the Big
Barthas ever were In their days OF
treat destruction.
In calibrs the guns range from the
khort. squat mortars, which SIT upon
hetr launches like giant frogs, up
Ihrough the various members OF the
aowitzer family 20 the truly sinister
laval. rifles with their long tapsrins
barrels.
DELIGHTED With Weapons.
The Americans are delighted with
their French weapons and are busy
studying every detail and adapting
khem selves to the use of French ma.
kefial. Most of the heavy gunners are
men Of long experience and do not
need much actual firing practice be-
fore taking their place In line against
the enemy. They have been a little
surprised to find that with the big
land guns used here speed is not
great fatcor. These heavy weapons
are used when dealing with concrete
dugouts and other enemy defenses
that cannot run away. Accuracy Is
th great goal Of all heavy gunnsrs.
Asked IL his men would not find It
difficult to shoot without direct OBJ.
servation, the general commanding the
heavy artillery contingent replied:
We will have direct observation
here. The only difference will be that
the observer, instead Of standing be-
side the gun VIII be sitting aloft IN
an airplane. You can depend upon Il
that each shot we fire at the enemy
|
The wireless branch Of the heavy
artillery service is one Of great i'm
portance AT schools already estab
| lished radio pupils are being specially
trained In Communication with air
planes and observation balloons.
Officers Complete Study.
Scores Of reserve officers from
Plattsburg and other training camps
are completing their technical educa
ton in the artillery schools here. The
officers, individually. selected for the
artillery service because Of their edu
cation in higher mathematics and en-
cheering, are proving q great Joy x
their commander and Instructors. Il
is predicted that all will make splen
did officers in active service.
The American gunners have beer
much interested IN the big 240's which
are hauled by caterpillar tractors bu
the real pets with the gunners from
overseas are those aristocrats anoni
the heavies which command specia
railroad cars Some Of these rulers o
the cannon world are so important ant
SO valuable that an entire artiller,
train is devoted to them. These train
are strange looking affairs in thet
fantastic war paint, emoling at
distance . mammoth rattlesnke. Eve
the engines re included IN the camou
flage and may resemble anything frir
brick house to giant hedgehog
The French sense of humor canno
be suppressed by three years Of wal
French officers have named one Of tn
largest guns turned over to the Amer