The Washburn times. [volume] (Washburn, Wis.) 1896-1976, 1917-11-22
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WARFARE I'M EUROPE.

There are important changes, anu
methods of training and of fighting
.Ised in previous wars must, OF course,
be modified accordingly.
The extent of these changes, how
ever is often exaggerated At bottom
the qualities that make good soldier
or an efficient army remain the same
To-day that they were before the war.
The changes that affect the individual
soldier have to do chiefly with weap-
Ions.
But behind every weapon there is y
IMAM. If the weapon is. to be used ef-
fectively, the man must be well
trained, disciplined, cool and brave.
He must have spirit tenacity, and self
reliance. The big problem now, just
as in all other wars, is to develop
these qualities-and the other soldier
ly qualities-to their highest extent.
The chief difference probably comes
I'm the fact that self-reliance is a pig
ger factor than in most previous wars.
And in American armies this quarry
has always been highly valued anu
well developed.
This war differs from previous wars
chiefly In the enormous increase IN
the use of artillery. This is due partly
Ito the immense manufacturing re-
sources of the countries at war, which
enables them to produce great num-
bers of guns and great quantities OF
ammunition. 1t is due also to the
new methods of directing gun IRE
from airplanes. 1t is evident that
,gun cannot be accurately aimed at an
object the exact location of which is
unknown. The airplane, however, Is
able to bring back or signal back this
information, so that the artillery may
now be used with much greater erect.
The size of the guns and the force OF
the explosive shells fired from them
have also been largely increased.
Partly as a result of these improve
ments in artillery, it has been neces-
sary to develop better methods OF pro-
lection. The protection of troops con-
,Sists of digging stronger field en-
larenchmentS than have been necessary
in previous wars. Here we have the
main reason for the So-called trench
warfare" which during the last three
years has largely taken the place OF
former methods of moving armies
about freely until they came into con-
flict with each other Digging trenches
and throwing up breastwOrks for pro-
Aection against the enemy's fire Is, OF
course, not a new thing in warfare.
1t is being done in Europe, however,
on a much bigger scale than ever be-
fore. A complicated network OF
trenches now protects the men on
both sides. The spade has become one
of the soldiers best weapons of de-
Tense.
In seeking protection against heavy
artillery fire a very interesting devel-
opment has taken place. This is the
use of various devices for cOncealing
field guns and troops from the view
Of enemy airplanes. Sometimes trees
are brought up and planted near the
object to be hidden. Sometimes the
gun or other object has an awning
spread over it which is painted to look
from above like grass or earth. For
the same reason tents may be painted
in green's and yellows.
The chief improvement in methods
of defending entrenched troops is the
increased use of machine guns. Ma
chine guns must be put out of opera
fion by artillery fire directed against
the gunners before infantry can adj
vance directly against them. There
Aas been also great increase during
the present war in the use of barbed
wire in front of the trenches as
means of defense. Similar devices
have been used in entrenched positions
for many years, but never on so large
N scale Through their use it is now
known to be possible to defend the
front line positions with smaller bod
les of men than were considered nee
essary during the earlier years of the
war. thus considerably reducing the
strain on the individual soldier.
The chief new instrument of war
fare developed during the present war
Is the airrlane. AS previously ex-
planned, it is used for scouting, direct
ing gunfire, and dropping bombs. The
scouting machine is usually equipped
with large camera which takes a Sc
xies of pictures. When these pictures
are developed and compared day by
day they give invaluable information
as to the exact location of troops, guns
ard supplies. The scouting and bomb
ing machines are usually protected by
<wtft fighting machines. Airplanes
have also been used at times to de-
scend close to the ground and fire
from q machine gun upon bodies Of
troops.
Another very interesting and promis-
ing device is the ''tank"--a heavily
armored machine so constructed that
e can advance under its own power
over almost any obstacles, and thus
Head an attack on enemy trenches. 1t
Is armed with machine guns. Armored
motor cars have also been used effec-
lively under some conditions.
In the front line trenches men are
often armed not only with rifle and
Dayonet, but also with bombs which
can be thrown by hand or by machine.
Another weapon of the, trenches In
PRODUCED by the Germans. in spite of
international agreements to the con-
4rary. is poisonous gas. This was at
first very effective, since no defense
against II had been prepared. At the
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