The Washington herald., 1918-01-27
German Cannon Smashed
-. By Artillery of Allies
Destruction Wrought by Shells Vastly Greater
Than Enemy Can Bring About in Our
Lines-Story of British Battery.
BY JOHN l.. BALDERsTON.

BY JOHN l.. BALDERSTON.
France. Jan. 2-Perhaps it is true.
as the gunners say, that the infantry
and the aeroplanes get all the public
ity in this war. so that the all-im-
pOrtant work of the servants of the
guns is less known to the public. 1t
ought not to be so, for aviation in its
most important aspect is really a sub
ordinate branch of artillery. and men
are becoming less and less important
than cannon. A great soldier long ago
said to me that before the end Of this
war battles would be fought in which
more artillerymen Nthan infantrymen
would be engaged
There is nothing more dramatic
than the work of the guns. This story,
IN which is set down the history Of
bettery. in training, in transit and in
action, is due to Mai. C. ]. Street. of
the British army, in command OF a
battery Of siege artillery. who has sup
piled the material
The battery consisted of four 6-inch
howitZers of an old type placed right
up in forward position among the
rield guns. 1t was skillfully hidden in
the cape betweenNa row of semi-de-
tached cottages, each gun in a pit dug
into the ground and covered with
roof of girders and EARTH upon which
vegetables had been planted to ap-.
pear Ike the cottage gardens that
surrounded the pits. All about were
batteries of field guns and howitzers
The village afforded the only conceal
ment in a somewhat bare land. The
Germans knew this. of course; al
though their aeropIanes were not very
venturesome.
Village Freely SheIIed.
But it was pretty obvious that there
was no other place where guns could
be put, and the village was, in con-
sequence. shelled fairly frequently. By
good luck and efficient protection the
battery had escaped with very few
casualties.
Close by the guns was a battered
water tower. which was continually,
manned by an observer. not so much
for the purpose of carrying out def
mite shoots. which could be more
easily accomplished from observa-
tion posts further forward, but as
a general lookout. The tower gave
a good view over the country in
German hands. and movement could
be seen from it on a fine day. Some
times, too, at night. the flashes of
= = u.
From here it was that an officer
saw about noon, one fine winter
morning, a dense cloud rise slowly
from the German trenches and
drift gradually on a faint easterly
breeze towards the English lines.
= AT the same time a furious bonn
bardment opened upon the newly
dug trenches that covered the ter
ritory that had been won a few
weeks before.
The officer reported at once to
the battery, and its commander,
taking the responsibility upon his
own shoulders, opened fire immediate
~ upon the trenches from which
Lhe cloud was rising, while he re-
ported In turn to headquarters.
Ammunition was scarce. The stocks,
aepleted by a four day lombard
nent and the operations that had
followed. were not yet replenished,
and batteries were not allowed to
lire without definite orders.
But 1t very soon became obvious
that a German attack on a large
scale was impending. and headquar-
ters sent orders to fire upon GER
ain definite targets at the maxi
mum rate of which the battery was
.apabIes and also promised to send
np ammunition at once, without
waiting for darkness.
The observer in the tower saw moth
ng for the rest of the afternoon. The
loud Of smoke and gas released by the
snemy spread. and hung low over the
ground. hiding everything but the
shrspnel that burst in spurts of fame
and white smoke above it.
Toll Is CeaseIess.
But In the battery itself there was
lenty to see and much to do. 1t re-
Huired the unremitting toll of every
loul in the battery to keep the howit-
iers going. The German guns concsn-
rated on the village, scattering shell
III over it at random. The damage
hey did was Insignificant. but the
soise was appalling. The field guns
larked madly all round. the heavy
lowitzers OF hte battery roared several
lines a minute, mingling with the deep
rashes of the bursting she'll Tele-
,honeS and magaphones were alike
lseiess. and orders were only to be
onveyed by gestures, or by running
nd shouting into the recipients ear.
Among the German shells were a
proportion OF gas-shells. and the men,
oiling In gas helmets, covered with
lack grease and oil from the over
teated guns, booked like devilsr con-
rolling. the fires Of he'll. The amuni-
ion came up in the height of the tu-
noil. brought by galloping horse
cams. as lorries would have been too
God mark for the enemy's fire. The
Eagons swayed and crashed over the
uins OF houses. now lost in the smoke
Z bursting shell, now tearing along a
treteh OF open road. their heImeted
rs-sieaning low over their horses
Ike competitors in a chariot race.
hey came to a halt by the guns, and
aen fen upon the the tumbling shells
heap on the ground. There was
% tins for careful piling.
Suddenly from No. ! pit came q