Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1918-04-27
German Supercar1non
Are Naval Guns From
Biggest Hun Batt)esh'p

Washington. April eI.-The giant
German guns now dropping shells on
Paris from a distance Of seventy 1--WE
miles. are fifteen-inch naval guns.
taken from the hattleship Hindenburs
and fitted with inner tubes which re-
duce the caliher 10 nine and one nan
inches, il was learned from ordnance
experts Of the United States army, VINO
have been making a close study OF the
guns and their effects.
These officials confidently believe
that very soon the Germans will be
using guns along the western front
that will have range OF 100 miles or
more.
The guns were dismounted from the
battleship during the winter and re-
turned to a naval gun foundry where
they wer expanded by heat and the
inner tubes inserted. AS the gun cools
IL shrinks and grips the inner tube and
holds il in place Notwithstanding the
tremendous pressure Of the powder
charge.
Tic shell fred rum the gun weighs
about 200 pounds. Attic it has
diameter Of only nine and one-haif
inches it is projected with all the force
Of A fifteen inch charge.
This is accomplished by leaving the
powder chamber intact fifteen inches
in diameter. The powder used is the
usual smokeless kind used in naval
warfare
With this supercharge OF powder op-
Grating on the smaller shell, the muzzle
velocity Of 5000 feet per second is at
tanned The greatest velocity obtained
in a six-inch naval gun is 200 feet
ard in fourteen-inch gun on an
American battleship the velocity is
800 feet a second
Additional nluzzle velocity for the
German gun is obtained by extending
the inner tube five or six feet beyond
the muzzle Of the fifteen inch outer
jacket.
The guns bombarding Paris are fired
at an angle of IS degrees. The shells
rise to height of between twenty-five
and thirty miles, or between 10000
and 15S, 900 feet stupendous fight,
vastly exceeding any excursion hereto
fore made by mundane material into
the aerial regions.
The time consumed from muzz3e to
target is between one and one-half and
two minutes, travelling. say. twenty
five miles high and seventy five miles
by straight line.
They believe also that the Germans
are building eighteen-inch or twenty
inch guns with inner tubes reducing
the caliber 70 nine and one-half inches.
These guns would have a range Of 100
miles, or even more. The Germans have
boosted for many months that they
would lombard British shores from
across the channel and the feat is now
seen to be both possible and probable.
1t remains a feat however, and moth
ing more. It is not a menace in mill
!, tary sense.
The Germans hope to invade Eng
land with the help of big guns posted
on shore and on heavy barges floated
down from the Belgian coast. Their
idea is to gain foothold at some con-
venient point like Calais or Dunkirk
and then by running out lines of barges
carrying fourten-inch howitzers to
stand off the British fleet. Thus a lane
would be opened for the passage Of
German troops. British naval officers
smile at this plan. and express a wish
that it be attempted. They sugges.
that their swiftly moving battle cruz
sers with fifteen-inch guns would soon
dispose Of the German line of barges
and any German troop ships that might
appear.