The Tacoma times. [volume] (Tacoma, Wash.) 1903-1949, 1917-10-04

ftions to an exact science-of which
the saving of men Is the biggest
factor.
The British artillery OK
| perts have reduced their
losses to Ono-half those Of y
year ago.
On the other hand the French
system of artillery attack, which
grew out of their defensive meth
DDS earlier in the war, proved cost
ly In life in this years offensive.
Barrage Fire.
Their terrible losses caused the
removal of Gen. Nivelle from COM
mand, and the French political
crisis in the spring.
The modern system of attack Is
based on two kinds of artillery
fire, which screen the infantry.
Two kinds of guns produce the
two different "barrages," or eur
tains of fire." always sprayed be-
tween the attacking troops and the
enemy.
When the troops. advance at a
walk (they never rum their light
field guns behind them-Britisn
three-inch and French 75-milli-
meter guns-throw in advance Of
them the rolling barrage."
This rain Of shells, advanced in
exact time to the mems advance,
explodes in a veritable sheet of
flame and only 100 yards ahead Of
the troops.
Another Barrage.
These shells are shrapnel. They
burst high in the air and from the
front end of the shell. Their frag-
ments and contained shot descend
downward and forward on the
enemy, but not backward.
The rolling barrage" is stop
ped when the attackers take the
enemy's first line.
In the meantime the heavy guns
back of the field guns have been
hurting the other barrage high
over the heads OF the troops and
over the rolling barrage." This
rain of shells falls behind the Ger
man first line-between 1t and the
second and support lines.
These huge shells are loaded
with high explosives and shatter
In every direction. They are de-
signed to prevent reinforcement
to the German first line trenches,
to head off counter attacks and to
smash the communication trenches
and machine gun nests back of the
first line.
A Safe Area.
For this barrage, the French
built huge guns throwing IL and
even 16-inch shells with a shatter-
ing and killing effect for 1000
yards radius. To keep from kill
ing their own troops, the French
had to hurl these shells at least
half a mile beyond the French
front or half a mile back of the
German first line.
Thus there was always
about half u mile Of compare
lively safe territory between
the trolling barrage" and the
stationary barrage.
The Germans, learning this,
began to plant large numbers
OF men and machine guns In
shell holes, pits and subsidf-
airy trenches for half q mile
back of the first line.
When the French troops reach
ed the German first line, and their
rolling barrage" was lifted, they
were confronted with Germans
who had remained alive in the half
mile safety zone" between the two
barrages. In the fighting which
resulted the French suffered enor-
nous losses, especially from the
German machine guns.
British Plan.
For their advance barrage fire
the British artillery is composed of
five, six and seven-inch guns,
with shells of a shattering radius
less than half that of the large
French shells.
The small distance between the
two British barrages affords no
safety strip for the Germans.
Therefore when the Germans
expect a British advance they pull
back their men to their reserve
lines and counter attack when the
British have seized the first line.
When they expect French as
sault they mass large numbers of
men and machine guns right back
of their first line.
The British advances have been
slow, piece by piece, with small
losses. Frequently the French
have made further progress, but
at frightful cost in bloody hand
to-hand fighting.
The French barrage has often
killed many of their own men
when they rushed ahead too fast