New-York tribune., 1918-12-18
Gun Output
200 a Month
A. War Ended
,,,well Says L. $. Ordnance
Pureau Would Have
Reached 1000 by June
,lso Supplied the Allies
;scloses France Had 63.-
100000 Shells for 75's
March Drive Began

WASHINGTON. Dec. 17.-Faced
~ programme of producing 1000
0s of sll calbres y month, without
rsurbing the flow of guns to the
,n,ed nations or the navy's prior
.;cht the Ordnance Bureau OF the
wsr Department had achieved an out
~. of about 500 guns month when
,hs arn,istice ended hostilities. BY
mne of next year. production would
have been in full swing.
These facts were revealed to- day by
Assistant Secretary Crowell. director
II munitions, in personally conducted
rip to the new proving ground at
ABERDEEN. Md, where all types of guns
nsrty. and American built tanks and
iractors were put through their PAGES.
When the great German drive started
last March. il was disclosed, France had
q 200 600 rounds for her 75's in re-
serve. When the armistice was signed
her reserve stock had been reduced to
iS00OOOO rounds A call was made by
,he French on the United States for
100000 rounds month for these
cuns In October the United States de-
iyered 100000 rounds in France and
had another 100000 waiting at the
Socks, the monthly output on this side
having reached 3,500,000, with steadily
increasing flow.
Supplied Allies First
Mr.. Crowell said the United States
had looked upon the Allies as the first
line of defence when this country en-
tered the war; and formulated its mu-
nitions plans so as not to interfere
with the gun and ammunition contracts
for France and Great Britain. Many
American gun forgings and completed
guns have been poured across to Great
Britain and shipments to the French
armies had reached a total of 1000
guns month.
The needs of the navy as the second
defence line also gave it priority, and
tbe Shipping Board came next on the
list for steel and other commodities
needed to carry out the huge pro-
gramme mapped out for the American
army itself This placed the American
ordnance programme fourth on the list,
with the necessity of building from the
ground up, as every existing facility
for gun manufacture was in use.
Sold Howitzers to France
A striking feature of what was ac
;omplished, it was shown by officers
at the proving ground, was the fact that
in the 1856 millimetre howitzer pro-
sramme, an output had been reached
that exceeded the estimated needs of
the American forces even on the basis
of 100000 men in France anu 500
fowitzers were sold to France as ex
cess.
The demonstration to-day covered all
he trench warfare weapons and the
field artillery, including the six-inch
guns taken from American coast de-
fences and many OF which reached the
front as field guns before the war
ended. 1t took in also the first pub
lie demonstration of the giant guns
ranks of finch, 14-inch and l6-lnch
range.
Big Coast Defence Guns
Among the guns fired were 16-
Inch mortar and a 16-inch howitzer.
Koth were mounted on specially de-
signed railway carriag IS, from which
they were fired and which could be
-%O'NN 1u4NnAy w ftiACIllC2 POoO, S'o0
ing return fire. a 14-inch rifle of ex
treme range and power (also railway
mounted anG so designed that the re-
coil is taken up in the backward move
ment OF the whole massive carriage
along the tracks, also was fired. 1t is
purely american output and is the
hrst of the great mobile seacoast bat
'erles to be added to the defences of
The country.
The tank demonstrated to-day was
'ne three-ton, two-man type of Aneri-
can design. A production of 100 a
aaV OF these swift, kine-gun-armed
ana ships was almost ready to start
"nen the war came 70 Gn end. Early
IL spring it would have been reached,
pplementing the six-ton tank pro-
giamme upon which the United States
was working
Mr.. Crowell said that 5000 of the
9Sig tanks were in process Of manu-
.aaeeure IN the United States alone. All
Ha'i,S Me working parts of many others were
tu'is IN the United States and shipped
~ england for assembly. In this way
,,ney reached the front with British or
american crews.
an entire fleet of American artillery
actors also was demonstrated, as were
o"o new types of guns developed in this
country, One was an 8-inch howitzer
"ouhted on tractor which ploughed
WEI, we. rough ground or through heavy
rrSpoas, knocking down trees as it went.
a.e ,ae gun was fired with the tractor en-
ine i"e still running, and thirty seconds
location.
"A. An American field gun of 75 nm.
iFan.pre' the present standard American
"Int held gun, mounted on two and
~ sal ton tractor showed a speed over
MI MI broken ground of eight or ten
niles an hour.
Gould Outdistance Infantry
;ros Win these two guns alone at the
l;s.l ;Snl the artillery could have out
,bs,anced the infantry in an advance
tSa tSs0ugn agg any country. Backed up by
VIZ, cargo carrier" tractors equipped
Of ''.i n.or motor truck bodies steady flow
Nssh'nnuhitlon NJ was assured.
S.asi. Srowell showed that the United
stoa, .a.es has on hand now an enormous
,JnS armS,S OF reserve ammunition for all the
slanyy standard guns. For the 75s
on o,One more than 100000 rounds are
fore nand' .a and this will be doubled be-
nlst.S she contemplated reserve is com
rent ss.eo. a. 1t Is planned to keen Is per
wit OF these loaded.
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