El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1918-01-26
equal in number and efficiency OF
batteries.
Use Long Range.

/, equal in number and efficiency OF
I batteries.
Use Long Range.
However many guns the defence
might lose, they could count upon so
I REDUCING the strength of the ariuery
! Of the attack that it would be unable
/ TO carry out the necessary prelimi-
nary bombardment, and so the assault
! would be prevented, or fOredoomed
l 10 failure. This is evidently the idea
/ in the mind OF Won Salzmannn 10 re-
! assure the German public, alarmed by
/ the gradual pushing back Of their
There are two conditions upon
which the German application Of the
artillery dueF' to defensive purposes
] depends. The first of these Is the
/ possibility of carrying out an artillery
duel in the old sense OF the phrase.
It was easy enough when ranges
were short, and batteries depended on
direct observation OF their targets in
order to engage them. But now
ranges have increased until opposing
heavy batteries, upon which the mod
I ern equivalent Of the artillery duel
depends, are usually separated by
eight or nine thousand yards at least
and never within sight of one an
] other. The problem is complicated by
} the necessity Of discovering the posi-
I ton of a hostile battery before it can
I be engaged, and Of securing some
means. of observation in order to de-
stroy it.
Allies Master Of Air.
To a great extent the discovery Of
hostile batteries, and the observation
/ Of fire upon them when found, de-
wolves upon the air services. Scout
/ ing aeroplanes and balloons must be
! able to recOnnoiter the hostile terri
I tory for these purposes, and this re-
I afeTaHr
I the side that has the mastery Of the
! air 1t is indisputable that this mas
/ terry is held by the allies. our aero
/ planes are constantly over the Ger
I man lines, whereas ii is comparatively
rare occurrence for a German scout
! TO fly over our guns, even for a few
{ minutes.
The second condition is that the al
I lied and German artilleries are of
! approximately equal strength and ef-
4 ficiency. That this is not the case,
I, that the British artillery is immeas-
urably superior, is admitted by the
/ Germans themselves. The superior
/ efficiency of the French artillery is
II recognized by the whole world The
| British can mass batteries upon a
| larger scale than the enemy. and each
individual battery is more than a
match for that the Germans can bring
/ up to oppose II. There is no doubt of
the last IS months has proved them
beyond a doubt.
Germany Heavy Loser.
In counter battery work. which is
the modern equivalent of the artillery
duel, far more German batteries have
/ been put out Of action than British,
! even when conditions were entirely
/ in favor Of the former. This may
. seem a statement impossible OF veri-
| fication. but the number Of British
batteries put out Of action is known,
and a constant succession Of aero
plane photographs reveals the condi-
ton of German batteries. For in
stance. during September last the
British artillery destroyed or neu-
traliZed 1913 German batteries, and
during the same period the Germans
only succeeded in ranging on 743
only a very small percentage were in
any way prevented from continuing
their fire. Apart from this. the Ger
man reply to the British fire reveals
by its weakness their enormous SUI
Deriority And what is said about
British gunfire applies with equal
force to the French.
Both conditions. therefore, are in
capable Of realization, and Won Salz-
mann's scheme Of artillery duels as
means Of defence necessarily fails.
If the German infantry have proved
themselves unable to resist the adj
man supreme command dare place no
reliance upon their artillery. for that
arm. too. has proved its inability TO
stand up before the guns that menace
it.-Copyright, 1918, by Mcclure
Newspaper Syndicate.