The Bridgeport times and evening farmer. (Bridgeport, Conn.) 1918-1924, 1918-02-11

Quietly, day after day. men are
learning the trench mortar game
They study these light weapons under
the tutelage of Lieut.. J. L. L. Warren
of the British army, who has been
on the battle front and knows how
important a factor the light trench
mortar is in present day warfare.
He is teaching classes of picked
men to handle these mortars, and
when he is through with them they
will be able to fire them quickly and
accurately, pick them to pieces in
next to no time at all, run with them
from one place to another, fire them,
dismantle them again and juggle
them about like so many playthings
When the classes become proficient
they will return to their units and
teach their fellows what they have
learned.
did you ever hear of the shell
gamer" asked Col. Croft. 'Well, in
this war that's the game that wins"
Col. Croft isn't a big man. He's
short and stubby. He has gray hair
and sleepy brown eyes that are some
how always twinkIing with fun. He
accent that makes one warm to him
immeditely.
His way is free and easy, so easy
that he makes men do more than they
ever thought possible and do it with
out feeling the hardships at all. But
despite this easy way of his he can
keep better discipline among a body
of men than most of the officers who
are continually barking and shouting.
When Col. Croft raises his voice it
is joviaI mellow "holler." Also, he
is witty, and one of his brother Off
GERS, who has soldiered with him for
Uncle Sam for the past 20 years. says
he invariably precedes his remarks
: 18th joke.
- "Just a Bit Fawster."
class was just beginning when
the personally conducted" party ar
rived. They were working indoors.
About rs men constituted the class;
five men to each mortar.
In front of the class was real
trench mortar, but they were work
ing with guns they had made them
selves. On the floor beside them were
logs of wood. These were supposed
to represent the mortar proper. Other
nondescript sticks and pieces of wood
were arranged carefully beside the
logs.
At the word of command each man
bounced upon a certain part, clatter
followed, and in a few seconds the
crew was standing beside an assem-.
bled mortar" awaiting the word tt
fire"
Time after time they went through
this same performance. A sergeant
with a delightful Cockney accent de.
clared that each time they did it SO
bit fawster," and if this is true they
will soon be able with a single motor
to assemble a mortar, find their range
and fire ammunition as fast as mum
ton can turn it out for they move
light lightning
While the class was practicing tbs
sergeant explained the workings O.
the real mortar. Its purpose is t.
batter down machine gun emplace
ments, cave in dugouts, drop bar
rage fire and slaughter Huns mostl
the latter.
The working of the mortar is tn
simplest thing imaginable. The bar
IGl lOOfNS lAhS . ii piece VI
about three inches in diameter. TIL
pipe" rests on a biped. A knob Of
the base of the pipe" fits into hol
in a steel base plate. The muzzle o
the mortar can be raised and lowere
by an elevating gear worked by
crank. 1t is with this crank that tn
piece is manoeuvred until the desire
range is secured.
Innocent Looking, But Deadly.
The projectile looks like a cy1indri
cal photograph record, only it
sealed at both ends and there is
business end" of the missile.
There is no pulling of lanyards c
pressing of buttons attached to firm
this light trench morton. Once yc
have the proper elevation and tn
shifting gear is locked, there is moth
ing to do but drop the ammunitio
into it.
The small projection on the end {
the shell contains a cap that is ez
ploded when the cylinder strikes tn
bottom of the mortar. This in tur
ignites the propelling charge, and tt
missile leaves the mortar a whole i
faster than it entered it.
It takes but a fraction of a secon
for the shell to slide the three-fo'
length of the mohtar. 1t takes bl
slightly longer for it to hurtle en-