Tensas gazette. [volume] (St. Joseph, La.) 1886-current, 1918-07-19

feigncd attack on the part of the foe.
This is in part due to the German theory that a
certain percentage of hits will result from Civ
number of shots. The Boche infantryman. eX-
cept ut short range. does not direct his aim at u
particular adversary. He fires for general re-
suits.
German officer for instance, learns that there
are Il certain number of the enemy in a given
zone about 100 yards square, 800 yards In front
of his position. He estimates that If his company
sprays this zone for half-hOur certain percent
age of casualties will be inflicted, dependent upon
the rapidity of fire. number of marksmen and size
Of zone.
An American farmer boy could tell him how err
roneous this theory is He knows, because ex-
perence has taught him. Time and time again
he has fired with a shotgun into flock of ducks
or cOvey of grouse on the wing punched appar-
emily closely that miss Is hardly possible.
There are $50 or 200 individual shot in the load,
yet such an attempt nearly always scores COM
pete miss. Naturally this percentage Of failures
must be still higher in rifle shooting
An attacking party may be advancing in what
looks like dense mass. There Is to the eye very
little space between the men. A general results
shot ought to score hit. In point of fact, 1t
usually does not. Spaces between the moving men
are constantly opening: Very little of the front
offers a vital target shot through KNAPP
sack. helmet. through baggy breeches, or thick
leggngs. through the fieshy part Of the body.
will not stop a charging foe. The only way to
make sure of a hit is to pick an individual tar
get. aim at dead center and fire accurately. An
infantryman in full equipment is a good deal like
a hawk on fence post. You are likely to get
lot of feathers from your shot and very little
hawk
The ability to shoot accurately has made the
American rifeman dangerous. This same skill is
making our infantryman superior to his foe on
the western front. General Pershng recognizes
the need of maintaining this advantage, for In his
reports he recommends that the greatest care
be taken i'm rifle instruction at the environments
since this is the most valuable weapon both in
Offense and defense.
Put company Of crack German troops against
an equal number Of ours. Let them direct their
fire based on the general results theory at our
men while our boys follow the American method
of selecting individual target An average
company of Sammies would contain about ten
experts 20 sharpshoOters, 35 marksmen and a
large number of first-class riflemen. The result
would not he hard to determine.
1t is because Of the deficiency of the Germans
as riflemen that their general staff has resOrted
so largely to the hand grenade. For the same rea-
son the French and British have done the same.
We read stories of infantrymen chasing troops
a quarter of a mile to get close enough to throw
would have been far more effective. There are
times at short range when the grenade is a SUI
perior weapon. One tossed into a group of men
will do more damage than a single rifle bullet,
but the supply of grenades man can carry is lin
tied and the distance at which they can be used
effectively is short Since the French and British
are better shots than the Germans they send
more rifemen the top and fewer grenadiers.
The British regular army had great reputa-
ton for shooting. Most of these had seen serv-
ditions in IL degree resemble ours. The work these
veterans did in the first battle of Ypres and ut
the retreat from Mons. where with practically no
artillery they held four or five times their number
shows what craftsmanship can do for an army.
The Latin instinct is the knife. For
this reason the French and the Italian revert
oftc' Ia the hayonet. Because the German does
not Ike close hand-to-hand work he prefers the
grenade.
The Canadian is our born brother mt arms The
fectiNeness soldier is due To his individual
initiative and to his skill with the rife What is
true of him is true of soldiers. Already they
show tendency To stick To the rife When they
get going we'll the Germans will pray to be put
against any troops except Americans-and the
chief reason for this dread will be Sammys ex-
perinCSS with the rifle.
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nina know gold Is current among hanks md II