The Bismarck tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, N.D.) 1916-current, 1918-08-29

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The reader Of this article, too, viii
want to ask his own technical cues,
tions, and for his Information all thu
facts about both types Of guns have
been summarized separately, 50 that at.
tention here may be concentrated upon
another aspect Of the nachine-gun pro.
grants tactical use as q tool apart
from the mere details Of how much II
weighs, how fast It fires, how many
shots d second, how many times 1t Jams
in a test, how it Is cooled, how many
parts 1t has, how quickly they can be
taken down and put together again,
etc.
One If the first questions asked by
everybody concerning the light gun, for
instance, was: IT'S II cooled by air or
waterT And the answer to that ques-
ton Is: by air-but coolihg Is not a
problem with the light Browning"
Naturally, statement Of that sort
comes as a surprise to the man In the
street who has heard that machine
guns are subject to the terrific heat Of
smokeless-powder gases, which some.
times develop the destructive tempera:
ture OF 1900 degrees Fahrenheit, and
that keeping a machine cool in action
is one Of the chief problems with that
type of weapon. But when the tactical
use Of this particular arm is under
stood, one easily understands how cool
ing may be disregarded in the light
Browning, and Its design developed II
other directions for.other purposes. So
we win try to get the tactical point Of
view-which is the point OF View Of
the American soldier carrying this
light automatic rifle over the top In
France by the hundreds and the than
sands, and probably the tens 81 thou.
sands, and not inconceivably by hum
dreds of thousands before the Hun
IL beaten. '..@ ~@ ~..,- '5'.
r.a Provide Something Better. -
Our ordnance department has been
working Since we entered the war to
send American soldiers to France with
q. complete kit of tools representative
Of American inventive ability. First
Sizing up the job Of cracking, the Hun
out Of trench, shell box, and subter-
ranean tunnel, and ascertaining what
the allies have found useful in the way
OF saw, hammer and hatchet, the ord.
nance department has worked to pro.
vide something a little better. in every
case, from poison gas apd gas masks to
machine guns and high tplosive shrap-
mel. - + - - E-.. \
The light Browning, also known aa
the "automatic rife" requires no cool
Ing apparatus, because In its tactical
use In battle as tool 1t will be called
upon only for what are known as
''hGrsts Of firing" 1t is a remarkable
new tool, better than anything OF its
particular type yet developed, and diff
,ferent from every other weapon In the
world. It's nearest prototype is the
French Chanchat automatic rifle, which
has proved extremely effective.
AT the present stage Of tactics the
Browning automatic rife will be q ST.
perior tool for perhaps three definite
Jobs in trench warfare. First, being
as portable as the ordinary army rifle,
It can be quickly brought into action
along every part Of I french By de-
tenders to stop the advance OF an
enemy. With the heavier types Of ma
chine gun fired from q tripod and re-
quiring considerable time for getting
into position, IL not permanent EN-
placement, such resistance, Of invaders
in a pinch might prove dimeult. With
The new Browning firing 20 shots auto:
matically in less than three seconds, Or
20 shots enthusiastically as fast a.
one desires to pull the trigger, loading
with a fresh magazine each 20 shots
In a couple of seconds, an entire trench
front can be protected with dutbursts
of machine-gun fire. which will mot
have to be continued long to do the
work-not long enough for heating Of
the gun to become b problem.