Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1918-01-27

CANNON FAR AWAY
RUN BY TELEPHONE:
Nearer You Go in Modern Bat
tie the Less You See,
Says Writer.
MEN MOVED DOWN BY FIRE
From Front-Line Trenches You
Look Out Across Field
of Desolation.
MEN MOVED DOWN BY FIRE
ny DAVID WARII GRIFFITH.
Director OF Aircraft Pictures, Who Has
Recently Returned From the
I.uroncan nnffla IrIclis.

European Battle Fields.
Speaking GENERALLY, in modern
battle, the nearer you go the less you
see.
Tho men who saw Gettysburg: and
Waterloo were thrilled with tho spec
tacle OF troops OF cavalry laundering
across the line OF fire at a full sailcp;
of charging infantry moved down b.
shell fro on the oren plain. and gen
erols on foam-covercd horses waving
their swords and rallying their troops.
Battle flags were captured and re-
captured.
There is no such thrill in n modern
battle as the advance OF tho Old Guard
at Waterloo or anything like PickcttS
charge At Gettysburg.
From tho front-line trenches in i
modern battle you look out across an
open field OF desolation. There is no
enemy III sisht--nothiaS but ragged
tangles OF barbcd wire. she'll holes.
tumbled and torn ground with an oc-
casional pitiful heap of storm stained
clothing which shows where some poor
fellow lies unburied in mo mans land"
Il modern battle is fought with =
fearful anonymously.
Tho infantry seldom see whom they
arc shooting at.
Tic artillerymcn never sec their tar
gets. They sight the guns by mathc-
MATES a: the hehcst OF the air mem
who give signals as they go weaving
figure cishts through, the air
The general or the foamiug charger
Il replaced by the crisp dry sputtcr OF
the wireless or by a desk telephone.
Most OF tho generals do not ride
horseback al all. When they arc fight
ing battle. they sit in an Office with
an oil-c!o,h map. upon which two
ORA ftsalen are at work with water
color paints laying in the changing
positions OF tho troops.
| There is u new and terrible mystery
10 II. Shells come from nowhere ana
snuff out your life.
Without the slightest warning comes
the queer and awful howl OF n She'll
coming from You know not where All
! you know about St iSgthiS fri-httal
bowling. unmcnbered voice snarlinc
from the empty air above you: then a
crash. some unseen battery has spolca
/ one can sympathizc with the atti-
;Gde OF some Of tho ignorant Cossacis
troops who, on one occasion. refused
70 light.
We arc willing 10 fight any number
or men, however terrible, who may he
thrown against US they said but we
are not willing TO fight things that
come or. OF the Sky and kin us.''
DEATH MOVES UNSEEN
ABOUT FIELD or RiT,rlc
There is no experience I can thilk
OF 50 absolutely nerve SCATTERING as 10
be shot at With guns YOU cannot Sue
/ ana whose location you cannot find
out. 1t has the terrorizing eject II u
ihufderStorrn. 1t s. demoraliZ,n.r IN
the sense that mystery is always d..
moraiizinS.
me. many officers and men in III.
Sritish army who had been severely
wounded and sent back home 10 Ir,-
, out the rest OF their lives "a scn,i
inNaliGs who had never seen n German
soldier. met battery captains whose
mighty guns had won great Victories
ana "ho were, in fact. the ma!nstav >,
! mo army, but they had never sam
what thcE were shooting at and had
| never seen thcir own Victorious Shelf
STRIKE. All they knew about it was /,
voice that came to them oven the tcle
phone repeating certain mathemati.,,,
formulae by which they adjusted m.
range OF their guns. The boy,o
shooting when they were ordered ana
/ thcS stopped when they were told to.
me whole west from; is like a terri.
bic factory OF death.
Us nave said, the actual front-,fpa
trenches are less interesting, although
more dangerous than the portion Of
the line four or five miles back.
rs you 80 back from tho front-line
trenches. especially during q battle. ths
scene becomes more active.
You are then with the guns, Tie
work OF the guns Is terrific spec-
taGie. WAS permitted TO use ono ~.
we batteries as a setting for the pic.
iufe am now finishing
iheFe have been pictures whose pro.
motors boosted that The settings hal
cost Sl,oOo.oo0 Tho settings f. 80
picture would be cheap at $1,000 900.
ooo ''sVV'SVV'-
IN the. artillery attack that / spoke
OF we saw thirty-six guns standin-
wheel 10 wheel roaring out shrapnej
AMI explosive shells.
ARTILLERY EInE WORST
IN HISTORY OF WORLD
70 war ever fought has seen ANY,
thlhS TO approach the intensity OF ar
iihery hrc seen on tho west front In
FLANDERS.
MI the artillery fire is controlled
from the reports of the air men. ri.
airpiane scouts have a signal tt,o,
corresponds to tho S o s si.nal al a.,
= means that crerysguu in that par-
uc"'ar sector IS to<concentrate its iirs
upon q given poin; As SHOWING
Sntcnsity Of tho tire5 ia tn d s,upena-
Gus concentration of heavy flye;aI swss
told the following instance. ssys<t
small deserted Belgian farmbous.
VAS selected By &tiis Z z enaral / STAR
without previous, warning. one otstbe
AR men was dirccted',o signal for on
! attack by artillery upsn this llt.tc
building. The $ Q $ signal was given.
.ad within few seconds the fife or
i'2"o guns was pouring down upon mi,
iit'!c farmhouse. OF course. II was RI.
du'cd 10 the consistency os ta,cum
powder.
Rack by the guns YOU set into the
tCon,inncd on Eighth Pagc)