The Madison daily leader. [volume] (Madison, S.D.) 1890-current, 1917-11-26
AMERICANS LEARN
TOUsE Big GUNS
Take to Heavy Artillery In France
With Avidity.
MEN need LITTLE PRACTICE
Most Of the Heavy ounnsrs Are Men
Of Lcng Experiencs-oreet Almost
a. Comrades Monster French Weap-
ons They Are Grooming for uss
Against Germans.

Not far behind the American field ar.
tillery. which has been In training in
a rugged section of France for the
past two months, have come the men
Of the "heavies." They are veteran
gunners and many are familiar with
the big guns at home and they greeted
almost as comrades the monster
French weapons which they are now
grooming for eventual use against the
Germans.
Some Of the guns with which the
American a~rtillerymen are training are
wonderful and ponderous examples OF
the French ~gunmakers' skill and dar-
ing. They range from the modest but
~marvelously effective "155" up to the
staggering 1900 that hurls a high ex-
plosive missile weighing just short Of
a ton. The zoos are more potent than
the "Big Berthas'' ever were In their
days OF great destructiveness.
Mortars Like Giant Frogs
In caliber the guns range from the
short, squat mortars, which SIT upon
their launches like giant frogs. mp
through the various members Of the
howitzer family to the truly sinister
naval rifles with their long, tapering
barrels.
The Americans are delighted with
their French weapons and are busy
studying every detail and adapting
themselves to the use Of French mate
rial. 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 a
great factor. These heavy weapons
are used for destructive purposes and
there Is no special need for haste when
dealing with concrete dugouts and 9TH
err enemy defenses that cannot run
away. Accuracy is the great goal OF
all heavy gunners.
Asked II his men would not find 1t
difficult to shoot without direct obser-
walton, the general commanding the
heavy artillery contingent replied:
Eve will have direct observation
here. The only difference will be that
the observer. instead Of standing be-
side the gun will be sitting aloft In an
airplane. You can depend on II that
each shot we fire at the enemy VIII
be watched and recorded"
The wireless branch Of the heavy
artillery service Is one Of great impor-
lance. At schools already established
radio pupils are being specially trained
in communication with airplanes and
observation balloons.
Graduate Work Or ofscers.
Scores Of reserve officers from
P~lattsburg and other training camps
are completing their technical educa-
ton In the artillery schools here.
These officers, individually selected for
the artillery service because of their
education In higher mathematics and
engineering, are proving q great Joy to
their commanders and instructors. II
is predicted that all will make splen.
did officers In active service.
The American gunners have been
much interested In the big 240s, which
are hauled by caterpillar tractors, but
the real pets with the gunners from
overseas are those aristocrats among
"the heavies," which command special
railroad cars. Some of these rulers o.
the cannon world are 80 important and
so valuable that IN entire artillery
train Is devoted to them. These trains
are strengthening affairs In their fan
tastic wal paint. resembling ut a dis
: lance a mammoth rattlesnake. Ever
the engines are included In the camou
fage and may resemble anything from
a brick house to . giant hedgehog.
The French sense Of humor canno'
be suppressed by three years and more
OF war. French officers have named
: one Of the largest guns turned over t
3 the Americans "MoustiQue," which
means mosquito
TT is a compliment to any Of you
: artillerymen who may have come from
New Jersey" said the French com
8 mandant, who said he had spent tel
years on the eastern coast Of the Unit
: ed States.
. The French guns. although larg
and apparently unwisldly. r bal
! anced easily. one man being able to efe
vate and defect q weapon Weighing 9
s tons or more.
4 ALASKA PLACERS MAY cL0SI