The Bamberg herald. [volume] (Bamberg, S.C.) 1891-1972, 1919-08-21
French wOrkmen.

French workmen.
Construction of the guns them
selves and their carriages went for
ward swiftly. Under the agreements
the French and British we're to sup
plv the first American armies with
all of their field artillery and inter-
mediate batteries with the exception
of the powerful American Al rifle
and howitzer which was taken over
by the troops and which proved high
ly effective against German field
guns. The American eXpeditionary
force received from the French be-
fore the armistice was signed 1928
Is nm guns and 772 155 nm howit-
zers. They had also received from
the French ZIG 155 nm rifles and
from the British 1913 S-inch howit-
zers with 40 9.2-inch howitzers COM
pleted and ready for delivery. Addi-
tional contracts were made with the
British for 302 howitzers of 6-inch
caliber for delivery by April, 1919.
Already in Game.
To fill their own factories with
forgings for guns, both French and
British we're drawing heavily on
American industry when the United
States entered the war. These or
ders were not interfered with, but
on the contrary we're stimulated and
expanded in order that the United
States might furnish forgings in
trade for completed guns and at the
same time create wholly new source
of supply for the bulk of it's own
artillery programme. The report
shows that between April, 1917, and
the conclusion of hostilities there
we're supplied to the allies forgings
for 1902 guns of calibers ranging
from 3-inch to 9.5-inch; additional
gun tube forgings to the extent OF
1853 and shell forgings totalling
5,01S,451.
There were four gun makers in the
United States when the country en-
tered the contest, but by October,
1918, there were 19 factories engaged
on this work. During that month,
with three of the 19 factories still
lacking their complete equipment,
they we're producing 2,031 gun forg-
ings of calibers up to 9.5-inch or at
a rate of $4,000 guns year as COM
pared to the capacity for 55 finished
weapons a year in the spring OF
1917.
The actual production of completed
guns up to December, 1918, was A.
O39, including 1913 of rs nm cali
ber; 230 of the 3-inch anti-aircraft
type; 21S of the 4.7-inch type; 1,456
of the 155 nm howitzers; 129 of the
1855 nm rifles; 191 S-inch howitzers
and 2 of the monster French 240 nm
howitzers, which have supplanted the
smaller British guns of this type in
1918. Over the same period the
number of gun forgings produced to-
tailed S,440.
The report points out that the gun
programme in reality depended upon
the ability to produce the recoi
mechanisms. This picture of what
such mechanisms are called upon tt
do is drawn:
'Now long ago touring car
weighing two tons, Travelled at a rate
of 12O miles an hour along a Florida
beach. Conceive of such car golns
337 miles an hour, which is muc1
faster than any man ever Travelled
then conceive of a mechanism which
would stop this car, going nearly si'
miles minute, stop it in As inches o
space and half second of time, with
out the slightest injury to the auto
mobile. That is precisely the equiv
alent of the feat performed by re
cuprator by a 240 nm howitzer afte:
shot"
Summarizing the production o
guns by the United States as com
pared with France and Great Britail
the report says that between April
1917. and November, 1918, the Uni
ted States produced 2,oSS complet
artillery units as against 1905 b.
France and S,065 by Great Britain
and during those 10 months turne'
out 4,275 gun bodies as against ~,
4o2 by France and 1852 by Grea
Britain.
Only Begun to Fight.
"And our artillery capacity
adds, were then, in the autumn O