The Washington times., 1917-10-12
FRANCES BIC GUNS
| USED IN TRAINING
, us. ART|LLERYMEN
BY HEYwOOD BROUN.

Especial Copyrighted Cable TO The Times
A NJ E r ICAN EXPEDITIONARY
ARMY IN FRANCE, Oct. 12.-Ameri-
can coast artillerymen are in France
training to fire guns bigger than the
German "Berthas" Most Of the men
have had experience with big guns.
but need practice in French methods
and mechanical devices.
There are also number of reserve
officers in the camp. They had two
months training at Fort Monroe
and will soon be almost as good as
the best, because they have all had
college technical training or its
squivalent Just now they are at
school again, examining on French
big guns and all the textbooks avail
able. However. they need not de-
pend on the books alone. for the camp
contains specimens Of most types of
French artillery.
The pride Of the contingent is a
monster mounted on railroad trucks
which fires a projectile weighing
1900 pounds.
Big Gun With n Sting.
After the French custom, the big
howitZer has been honored with
name. Mosquito" is painted on the
carriage in huge letters.
I'VE call her MOSQUITO" explained
. French officer, because she stings."
Mosquito" has buzzed no less than
300 times at Verdun, but she has a
number OF stings left. The Ameri-
cans detailed to this type OF gun
are loud in their praises and assert il
10 be the finest weapon in the world.
There are those, however, who swear
by Petite Lulu" a squat howitzer
which throws a shell higher than any
mountain in America. There are cham
q 1N ok,.
creature which outranges all the rest.
marcel" can talk little faster than
any gun in camp, but her words carry
less weight.
None OF the guns is being fired vet,
for first the Americans are going
through the motions and learning
every dull operation. Aeroplane
observation will also have to be mas
tered before the big. gunners are
ready. but he coast artiIlerymen as
sert that their experience with naval
guns is invaluable and that only
small amount OF work will be neces-
sary before they can attain the same
accuracy against land targets as
against sea ones.
Technical Training Essential.
Every one has a good word for the
held officers assigned to the big guns.
The colonel in charge Of the school
said:
Technical training IS much more
essential than military training for
the big guns. Mathematics means
more to US than the manual of arms.
That Is why we need lots of new
officers. 1t is generally impossible in
heavy artillery to bring a man up
from the ranks unless he has had a
technical education. All the expert
ence in the world won't help him
much except to fire a gun, and that's
no great trick"
There are many college athletes
among the reservists. The most IA
nous all-round football star ever
turned out by Harvard is with the
trench mortars, and a famous Grim
son iinesman has been assigned to
the same work. The assignment of
younger officers to mortars, howitz-
ers and rifles was done by lot.
French mortars were considered the
least desirable branch, but the men
with the mortars won't admit 1t now.
ADouEhbOys, Tried In Trenches.
The "doughboys" came out of their
practice trenches this morning after
two days and nights, during which
the weather behaved like a Boche-
The enemy was absent but the ele-
ments did their best to make up for
this lack by pelting the soldiers first
with rain and then with sleet.
A driving wind made the soldiers
only too eager to obey the command
of their officers to keep their heads
down. Conditions OF actual warfare
were carried out as far as possible.
There were relief patrols and brief
sessions in the dugouts during a
theoretical intense bombardment.
The experiment served to test the
new American field kitchens, which
combine several features taken from
other army models. The cook did
well with his new ccntrivance, and
managed to keep the men tolerably
cheerful with frequent rations OF hot
soup, stew, and coffee.