The Fargo forum and daily republican. [volume] (Fargo, N.D.) 1894-1957, 1917-07-28
UNITED STATES
ENTERING war
OLD and Wise
American Troops Will Not
Learn Terrors by Ex-
perience
BOOKS WILL TELL
SAMMIES OF WORK
Marvelously Complete In
structions Are Com
piled for Them

cal wickedneSs that inceSsant delV-
ing into the deviltries of destruction
can bring to it.
Having escaped the first terrors
of weapons which German science
had evolved through toiling years of
military preparation, the American
divisions will nevertheless plunge
eventually into a seething cauldron
which has grown from the unavoid-
able policy of lighting the devil
with fire.. They will have quickly
to learn not only to take the awful
German frightfulness with calm en-
durance, but to return it with an
even increasing measure. In doing
this many nerve-testing and soul
searching experiences undoubtedly
lie before them, but there are al
ready thousands of young Americans
in the Canadian and British ranks
who have proved themselves tradi-
tionally worthy in the scorching
flames of modern war.
American Forces Fortunate.
The American forces are fortunate
indeed to be able to base their edu-
cation upon the bitter lessons learn
ed by the French and British SOL
diers in all the eventful days that
have followed the first rush of bat
tie in 1914. Marvelously complete
books of instruction have been build
ed upon those experiences and out of
these the American soldiers will
CLEAN the last-word knowledge that
will fit them for the foremost trench
es.
First of all, when they take their
place, will come the baptism of fire
from the noisy black high explosive
German shells that scream in from
afar and burst with terrifying re-
ports-sometimes in most unexpect-
ed places. The Germans are great
believers both in noise and high-ex-
plosive. They even mix their adored
HE" with their shrapnel shells
which break high in the air and send
their bullets showering down with
the whine of an angry winter wind.
The Americans soon will learn to
distinguish the individual songs of
the various shells for there is not
the slightest doubt that the moment
he discovers they are in the line,
the German will turn every available
calibre of weapon against them in a
flourish of Introductory hate. They
will come over in order - these
shrieking, grumbling missiles-rang-
ing in size and noise all the way
from the nasty little pip-saueaks or
whiz- bangs, up through the four
DO4uI@IWOSts I1lC o4N
then on to what the British Tommies
laconically call "the big stuff"-the
eight and eIeven-inch howitzer shells
and the projectiles from heavy cali
bred, long range naval guns, known
without affection as "Whistling
Percys".
There viii be little opportunity to
hear a big Bertha, for those
famous old 42-centimeter howitzers
are seldom used nowadays. 1t is
believed that the Germans planned
to lombard Arras with them, using
prussic acid shells, but the British
advance on Easter Monday last put
a stop to that particularly nefarious
scheme against the already sadly
battered little Artois cathedral city.
Baptism of Bombs Awaits.
There is also awaiting the new
American army a bounteous baptism
of bombs and hand grenades and the
still more dismaying introduction to
the CHASTITY rattle of the machine
gun and its sinister swish of spray
ing bullets-sounds well calculated
to stab with a moment of fear the
heart of the bravest man.
But above all the American SOL
diers must equip themselves to en-
dure the lethal gas that will be sent
over against them in poisonous, vap-
orish clouds, or showered upon them
in a deluge of heavily charged cylin-
ders and shells. They must prepare
to deal also with the treacherous
lachrymatory gas which while not
dangerous to life irritates the tear
ducts until one cries with blinded,
smarting eyes for hours. The sur
prise of both these gases is their al
- Al "a IafhnI
variety suggesting the clean odor of
q sanitary hospital ward, while the
socalled tear gas has the appetizing
scent of crushed ripe apples, or
cider.
Liquid Fire Due Too.
There is also the reason shaking
terror of the "fammenwerfer,' with
its roaring stream of liquid fire far
ing with the velocity of a high pres
sure fire nozzle and with an OFF,
pouring of smoke rising like black
cyclone cloud to the heavens.
The first day of their stay in bat
tie trenches the Americans will make
the acquaintance of a very old, but
scarcely cherished, friend Of the
Tommies and Poilus-another mem
Der of the Werfer family known as
Minnie" This is the, German mine
thrower or minenwerfer, which filings
over at short range great heavy
projectiles known as flying pigs"
because of their wabbly. ungainly
fight. They go on with a deafening
roar, expanding more energy on
noise, however, than on material
damage.
A notable development of the war
has been the dread with which the
Germans have seen weapons OF |
their own invention turned against |
them, and turned with a steadily in
creasing intensity. Their prisoners |
speak of the terror these weapons |
have caused and declare the German |
higher command is realizing all too
late the Frankensteins ii brought
Into being. While the entente allies /
are multiplying these terrors on the
lines laid down by Emperor William
himself, the Germans. isolated so
long from the world, find their re-
sources and materials constantly |
on this style OF warfare and, what /
"a more important to them, combat /
ing the retributive measures under
taken by British and French.
Asphyxiating Gas Example.
Asphyxiating gas may be taken as /
a striking example, The whole world II
was shocked when Germany first re-
leased those poison clouds during II
their second attack on Ypres when
the allies, little suspecting such a
weapon, had no protection whatever
against il. The horror of those days
when men engulfed by the iethal
raves died agonizing deaths will
1880 10 Prrwoffnu E2fFf 4ha rsar |s.44~ss /