The Wheeling intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1903-1961, 1918-01-02

factor. You have to ASK yorbeA
whether you Will have arrnor
strength or speed"
The Tanks have abuud0ntly JuSrhcu
their introduction. They malerlaiN
helped t. win the BATH" of the Somme'
aud they were the great factor IN the
victory which We just celebrated.
The use that Sir Julian Eyng has
made OF them is c"idcurG l. IN" that lice
art Of Tank warfare has been diScor-
erred. For the first time the tanks have
been givcu L chance /" show their worln'
1t has taken months to evolve The
correct tactics.
After :hc battle Of the S"nine unr'r-
tunately the Tanks were not employee
To III" best advantage.
They were too distributed ~ give ell
rectiyv results. and the terrain IN which
they were cinp!uy.d was highly insult
abis The Tanks wee never inten"c"
for the uuaKIn:r,S OF FLANDERS. Thu
mud on this part al ti. front Is SO deep
that : Tank has disappeared under II IN
q night.
This is largely "a engineers war. nut
it is still very difficult I" get Officials
10 understand that an engineers ADVICE
, may be advisable. Too often the attl-
tude adopted towards him is that OF an
intrudr The moro III" engineering side
Of the var is considered III" less costly
in hul!ln life W. shall find our progress
10 the Rhine
The Tank Has Come to Stay.
The Tn;.k should rrv"lUii"niSe war as
much as lnlor-SnNirE appNI+ircS have
rcvulutiuuiScd industry.
The Tank has not "nl? come 10 stay.
! but, If may venture on n prophecy,
more and more il ~ destined 10 play IL
prominent part in modern war. Not
. merely does it guarantee that obstacles
holding up infantry will I've swept aside.
but il allows Il close pursuit of the re-
treating enemy. la this sense the Tank
Is better than cavalry and infinitely less
vulnerable.
Think what Il conspicuous and vulner-
ahl'. target Il man horseback Is anu
! compare the days capacity Of cavalry
man with III" capacity of Tank.
DO not believe the stories about Tn"
wholesale destruction If Tanks. The
percentage al: loSs"s Is very small
1t is MT easy to hit moving object
that Ele-zags like ship cvading sub
marine.
The TAM: is not afraid Of the anti
Tank gun. and il is much more likely
that It's machine guns will get the anti
Tanks crew than that they Will get
her
What Is the Anti-Tank Guna
What is the anti'rank gun? 1t Is r.
field gun on Il naval mounting turned
point-blank against the advancing 90
tect. 1t must b" operated from direct
observation. and if the gun observer
can see III" TANK 80 the Tank man can
see the gun.
On broad principles then. say the
Tank has nothing /" fear from the gun.
Tho day Is sure Ia con-" when there
will hc great Heels If Tanks on hoth
sides. Nothing is more certain IMAM
that the equipment Of every modern
army will iucludc masses of lnndships.
Will Il Tank he able to fight Tank
Why not"
\ cruiser lights n cruiser. The decid-
ing element will b. the calibre or the
shell. Tho Tank able to throw the
heavier armour piercing shell Will win
the day.
We arc by no means at the END OF
Tank development. although as SHOWING
the merit Of the original design the
Tanks used today are practically iden-
Iical with those that swarmed over the
Grrman lines on September Is. 1916.
The chief changes made have been III
regard u fittings and in The direction
1T increased comfort for the crew.
II Pays to Use Tanks.
|, pays to use Tanks.
Every seven lives that Tank saves
pay FOR its cost.
Calculate the number Of lives thai
Tank has saved in III" present battle.
and | make bold TO say that they haro
paid for their cost many times over
And in proportion to- our proficiency IN
their use will be their ltte-saving anu
b;,tilu-winning value. The crews are
splendid fellows. meu OF the sporting
brced--just the sort VIC want-nolnihs
but praise can be said about them.
Heaps al people have ideas about
Tanks. Many Of their suggestions are
quite adrrirablr. only they suffer from
this defect: They are not practical.
Tank Development is\lImited by tho
railway gauge. You can have the finest
tank IN IN" world. only if you cannot
get j; t. France what good Is It? And
unless j. conforms 10 the railway gauge
vou cannot got II TO France.
There ar. tunnels To think OF. And II
j. 20 nv road now many bridges are
,herr tina; will bear L load Of 80 tons?
Tho tank presents the same problem
as III. cruiser Weight is the governing
, factor. NUu have To ASK yourself
! whether you will have armour strength
Or speed.
Tank Development Same az tho Sen
We arc witnessing on land the same
development III offensive weapons that
we have Witnessed at sen.
In the old days. what did the Navy
consist Of" 4 number Of men In row.
boats armed with c;ltlaSscs.
What does it consist Of today: Men
in sclfnroprllcd arnoured boxes with
means nj offence.
The Tank is TO the inruntryUlan what
the row boat is TO the cruiser 1t Is
your self propelled armoured box with
means Of offcnse for land use. 1t Is the
natural reply TO the machine gun.
What good Is a most Of machine guns
against a tank? But how different
a nest Of machine guns against adj
vancing infantry!
The pill box does not worry the tank
Why should 1t. seeing that the pill
box is nothing more than the old Mar
tello tower which we erected In Romney
! Marsh and other places ON tho South