The Daily Ardmoreite. [volume] (Ardmore, Okla.) 1893-current, 1917-10-11
VETERANS or 4. :. ARTILLERY
GREET WITH DELIGHT THE
MONSTER PIECES.
LARGEST IN WORLD
Exceed Noted big Bcrthas." Of German
Army. and Huri Explosive Mlsslle
Weighing Just short Of Ton-Will
Soon Re Turned Against Enemy.
gy the Associated Press,

American Training Camp IN France.
Wednesday. Oct. 10.-tDeiayedD.-Not far
behind the American field artillery
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 bis,
guns at home. and they greeted almost
as comrades the monster French weap-
ons which they now are grooming for
eventual use against the enemy.
Some Of the guns with whfcf, tho
American artillerymen are training are
wonderful and ponderous examples OF
the French gun makers skill and daring.
They range from the modest but mar
,elously effective "155" up to the sting
gering 400" that hurls n high explo-
sive missile weighing just short OF n
ton. The 4oo's are more potent than
the German big Berthas" ever were
in their days of great destructiveness.
In calibre the guns range from the
short mortars. which sit upon their
launches like giant frogs, up through
the various members Of the howitzer
family TO the truly sinister naval rifles,
with their long tapering barrels.
American Gunners Delighted
The Americans are delighted with
their French weapons and are busy
studying every detail and adapting
themselves to the use OF French ma
terial. Most of the heavy gunners are
men of long experience and do not need
much active firing practice before taking
their place in line against the enemy
They have been 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 especial need
for haste when dealing with concrete
dugouts and other enemy defenses that
cannot run away. Accuracy is the great
desire of all heavy gunners.
The wireless branch Of the heavy ar
tillery service is one of great import
ance. At schools already established,
radio pupils are especially trained in
communication with airplanes and OBJ
servation balloons
Plattsburg Training Counts.
Scores of reserve officers from Platts-
burg and other training camps are
completing their technical education i'm
the artillery schools here. These Of
ficers. individually selected for the ar
tillery service. because of their educa-
ton in higher mathematics and engin-
eering, are proving a great Joy to their
commanders and instructors. 1t is pre-
dicted that all will make splendid Of
ficers in active service. te1
The American gunners have been
much interested in the big 240's, which
are hauled by caterpillar tractors, but
the real pets with the gunners from
Overseas are those aristocrats among
the heavies which command special rail-
road cars. Some of these rulers Of the
cannon world are so important and so
valuable that an entire artillery train is
devoted to them.
These trains are strange looking af-
fairs with their fantastic war. paint
resembling at n distance mammoth
[rattlesnake. Even the engines are in
cluded in the camouf1ase, and may
resemble anything from a brick house
to giant hedgehog.
French Hunsor Unsuppressed.
The French sense Of humor cannot
be suppressed by three years and more
of war. French officers have named one
|of the largest guns turned over to the
Americans "Moustique." which means
mosquito.
1T is a compliment to any of our
|artillerymen who may have come from
New Jersey" said the French command
ant The French guns, although large
and apparently unwieldy. are balanced
easily. one man being able to elevate
and defect weapon weighing fifty tons
or more.