The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1917-11-26
THE TOPEKA STATE JOURNAL
GNFQRMATION BUREAU
By FREDERIC J. HAsKIN. Director.
washington. d. c.
THE NEW WARFARE.
Science Wins.

ing than romance. Now. IN the midst
of war, they cannot be written; they
can at most be limited. Some must
not be mentioned; some can be de-
scribed vaguely; only a few can be
known, and those usually the ones
which have already been cast aside
for newer wonders. Such are the iron
laws of military secrecy.
The whole scheme of modern war
rests on a foundation of advanced and
applied science. 1t is a new founda-
ton, that did not exist in other wars.
This war is fundamentally different
from other wars 1t is not only big
ger, and more engrossing and more
terrible, and more expensive. 1t is
different in nature, as science we'll
knows. When that difference is not
kept in mind by military leaders, dis
aster overtakes them.
One effect of the new scientific
warfare has been to lessen the relative
Importance of the fighting man,
and increase the Importance of his
tools, above all of the new and strange
devices that science uses to gain mill
tary advantage. This difference has
been well expressed by one authority
who says that in former wars the
tools and machinery were largely
taken for granted. and the issue turn
ed on the ability and courage of the
individual fighting man: while in TINS
war the ability and courage are taken
for granted, and the issue turns on the
superiority of machinery and tools.
The Ideal Modern Army.
The ideal modern army is not pri-
marily a fervent and courageous body
of good men ready to dare and die for
the cause, altho such men are a neces-
sity. They are taken for granted. The
modern army strives to be huge
scientific machine. working as stead
Il Oh
nels under the Hudson, just as patient,
Just as precise, just as sure. 1t at
tempts to reduce its problems to
mathematics, to assemble its data as
tho for a laboratory experiment, ana
to work them out and apply the solu-
ton according to immutable laws
which can onl.- lead to one conclu-
sion. Only, instead of working against
changeless natural obstacles, the army
machine works against the changing
intelh- mt barrier of the enemys line,
which has its own science continually
improving, its own brain continually
working to devise new wonders OF de-
struction and defense.
From the outset, this has been a
war between scientists. 1t would be
too much to say that this war Will be
won by science alone, when every
effort and sacrifice on the part of
every citizen is needed as a matter of
fact but scientists have said that the
war will be won in the laboratories,
and their epigram has in it meas
ure of truth.
When the supremacy of the air is
in question, for example, and aviators
go forth to battle for the advantage.
the modern war machine does not
look primarily for strong, brave and
daring men. That business of select
ing champions belongs to the dead
days of chivalry. Nowadays the
FOL nfnd EsXy-
cry effort is put into the machines.
Acres of reprints are drawn and
re-drawn: all the mathematical brains
of an empire are set to studying end
less formulate, the angle of a wing
surface is changed by an inch, the
steel shell of a cylinder is scraped a
fraction thinner; new propeller
blade is'invented, a metallurgist per-
fects a new alloy, and finally one
side turns out a machine that can
climb eight thousand feet while the
enemy is climbing six thousand. And
that settles it-until the enemy's
scientists discover a new trick.
A Modern Infantry Attack.
A modern infantry attack, say men
of science, closely resembles some
huge and dangerous industrial opera
ton. The attacking infantry are
hardly more than the hand labor
which must accompany every indus
TRIAL pIOCeSS- ohlll6u ldOOI, anu
picked labor, in a new sense of the
words. they certainly are; but by their
own unaided devotion and heroism
they can achieve little or nothing
They do not go forward to an I'M
known problem, but to one which sci
ence has studied and solved before
they start.
The precision of every movement in
time and place must be of a truly
marvellous delicacy. For days before
aviators have crossed and recrossed
the ground, taking thousands of pho
tographs. From these photographs a
detailed map of the terrain is made
Already, science must have perfected
the engines of those airplaneS, stand
ardized the cloth of their wings, cal
culated their stability and wind re-
sistance, cast and ground the optical
| glass for their wonderful cam eras
sensitized the glass plate which car
| blink at a countryside six thousan nc
/ feet below for a fraction of a second
and carry away clear and detailed
copy of it for all time. Even the tir
/ drums in which the volatile gasoline
/ for the airplane motors was brought
| across the sea represent expert study
and patient experiment.
Then comes the artillery prepare
! ton. Every shell that is fired stands
| for months of improvement in the arr
of making high explosives. The great
guns are fired from miles behind the
lines at invisible targets, guided by 6
maze of mathematical calculation.
/ that allow for everything down to the
! force of the breeze that rustles the
tree tops. The time. fuse is so deli
| cately set that the shell can be ex.
! ploded within any desired distance 0.
the ground. In order to score a hit
( the power must explode just hare
enough, the fuse must burn just fas
enough. the wind resistance must bt
just strong enough, the angle of tn,
gun must be true to a hair.
To the Fraction of Second.
Before the men go over the top
watches are set to the split fraction O
a second. Then the mighty machin,
| really begins to work. The curtain
of shell fire moves to a certain point
and the men follow on At a give1
second the infantry advances, and be
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