The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1919-11-10

ley were SIN against the man at the
'me court of the empire, an act of high
tanning or manufacturing the necessary
materials. sulphur and nitrogen were
par ticuiary important 1t was very diff
LIEUT. task to solve the problem of
eneir supply We aimed at doubling
approximately the previous production.
1hls was gradually reached in spite
OF many obstacles, including heavy ex-
plosions and shortage of coal When
me explosives programme was carried
ou'' steel began to get scarce; in short,
we mad one trouble after another, be-
lore we succeeded in increasing the
munitions production to the desired
point.
! A point deserving special attention
I was the supply of the various sorts
OF ammunition to the troops. There
were too many varieties; 1T was moth
ing less than work of art for battery
plles. and for the. staffs to get the
| right supplies up TO the right place
at the right time. Our fuses were not
OF satisfactory construction. The pre-
war fuses were not simple enough and
| IL was essential to get the best de-
sign.
HAD TO GIVE UP SHRAPNEL
we were considerably hindered by
having to go sparingly with supplies
| or copper and brass, owing to the
snort supplies. In spite of the efforts
J OF the artillery testing commission. il
was very long time before we had
reliable fuses, which worked in such
a way as to burst the shell close to
the ground at the instant of contact.
The she'll fragments thus scattered far
and wide over the surface of the ground
instead of being buried. We soon
abandoned shrapnel, the training of the
hni irc, finsa e. <lo1;
cate work. Shells with sensitive fuses
were everywhere preferred.
Gas production, too, had to keep
pace with the increased output of am
munition. The discharge of gas from
cylinders was used less and less. The
troops being opposed to it from first
to last and the use of gas shells in
creased correspondence Our yellow
cross she'll was greatly feared by the
enemy. The fear of injury from their
own gas still remained very strong with
our men and did not abate until much
later. Privy Councillor Haber rendered
valuable service in connection with the
conduct of gas fighting.
Smoke shells, too were now manufac-
tured
The infantry were supplied with
light machine gun, which might we'll
have been lighter and more simple, for
ut required too many carriers. 1t was
necessary to come to a decision, how
ever, for the manufacture had to be-
gin; it lacked months and months. Each
company of infantry was to receive, at
first four, and later six of these light
guns
BIGGER ANTI-TANK GUN
Our older heavy machine gun was
good, and the men liked it, The artli-
lery was shortly afterwards equipped
with this for protection against raids
and for anti-aircraft work.
The supply of armor- piercing bull
lets to the infantry for use against
airclaft and tanks was increased, and
the ministry of war also undertook the
construction of further rapid fire wea-
pons for the infantry, as well as of
weapons of heavier calibre, to render
effective aid against tanks.
Great attention had to be bestowed
on the manufacture of motor lorries
Our horses were getting worse and
worse, and remounts came forward
slowly. We had to build lorries to re-
place horse transport although here,
too. we were met with difficulties as
to supplies of material
We also needed lorries for carving
troops The enemy backed by their !
enormous industries, found it easier !
and easier. not merely to move their /
reserves quickly in lorries. but also to /
use them on an increasing scale for |
bringing troops up from billets to the /
line and taking them back again, thus |
achieving an important economy of I
strength. We had to be con- |
tent if we could find lorries enough |
for troop movements in case of the /
greatest urgency.
The time was not yet come for us to !
the construction of tanks
SOME REMARKABLE AIRCRAFT |
Our aircraft industry took a quite
exceptional position. The opposing !
armies were competing one with I
another to produce the fastest and fast
est-climbing machines. Each passed /
the other in turn, and our industry
was often ahead Especially in 1918 we I
had some remarkable designs. to which !
together with our own courage our fly /
ing men owed their victories.
In the preceding passages have i
dealt merely with some of the more /
important supplies in which great in t
creases were necessary; but, in fact, in /
creases in all material were essential t
Barbed wire, for example, was as urg-
emily required as small arm ammuni- /
ton. To decide the volume of the i
various material to be manufactured
one had to weigh one against another,
and consider their relative Importance
and the probable future requirements. |
The whole programme constituted
a piece of highly difficult brain work,
passed on prophecy. for which a great |
part of the credit is due to Colonel
Bauer, of my staff. 1t was only defin- !,
itely settled after repeated discussion 4
in Berlin, and received the name of 4
the Hindenburg programme. although Il
the programme put forward, by the
supreme army command was not con- II
fined to the proposals for munitions T
production. but included in addition a
demand for the increase of both our
man-power and the maintenance of
moral
HAD TO HAVE LOCOMOTIVES
1t was clear that considerable time
would be required for the carrying out
of the Hindenburg programme; indeed. Il
is very introduction was the cause of
which for the moment
tended rather to reduce than to in
crease production. There were a guam
-ity of inevitable irritations to over
,ome AS soon as matters were more
,r less in order we were met with the
difficulty that the factories which in
,eace time had been employed in the
of locomotives, and had to
De given back again for locomotive
our means of communica-
ion being by now in need Of thorough
'verhaul Their munitions work had.
II course, to be handed over to other
actories. and all works had to be used
n no n,<