Shepherdstown register. [volume] (Shepherdstown, Va. [W. Va.]) 1849-1955, 1919-01-30
Big Bertha Wanted As A Souvenir.

The French people want one of the
German Big Berthas" or supercannon
which bombarded Paris TO display in
the Place de la Concorde as souvenir
of German frightfulness that failed OF
its purpose to destroy French morale.
The armistice does not stipulate that
one of these huge instruments shall
be surrendered, but there is a move
ment TO urge the government 10 de-
mand IT. There is no expectation that
the Germans will include one OF these
weapons among the $500 guns they
are required TO give up under the arm
iStice.
Facts obtained BY military experts
show tina, the first guns that fired
upon Paris on March . last number
ed three. They we're intalled near
Mont-Joil in the forest Of Saint Co.
balm. Two were on the same railroad
spur leading out of Laon, while the
third was a little further east in the
vicinity of Creepy.
According 10 the latest information
the guns were pointed at an angle OF
more than 65 degrees, 4 charge of three
hundred pounds of powder propellinS
tie projectie TO a height of one hun
dred thousand feet nearly 10 niles
on ITS murderouS mission to Paris.
With every shot ten or twelve marine
guns of sixteen or seventeen-inch cali
brc fired simultaneously dpon targets
unknown in order to conceal the loca-
ton of the supercannon. The shell was
of 2l0 millimetre calibre (about eight
inches II weighed three hundred
pounds, but the charge of explosives
contained therein varied between thirty
and forty pounds.
In the manufacture of the shell Re.
sided an innovation of the Germans.
Ii is said TO have been made of special
steel treated with tungsten, so as TO
offer the maximum of resistance for
minimum of weight. The guns only
protection was in camouAage and i
proved TO be no protection AZ all, as al.
lied aviatorS soon located them. There
is a report that several aviatorS, Ameri-
cans, French, British, lost their lives
in locating the first three Berthas in
the forest of St. Gobrain, but upon that
point officials are silent.
However on March p one of the
Berthas was blown up by an aerial tor
pedo which tore a hole in the ground
more than fifty feet in diameter,
photograph of which has been taken.
The econd wa7 PIT out of business in
the days of April, while the third
of , original three was silenced in
May.
1t is now asserted that two OF these
guns were remodeled into a larger cali
bre, nine-inch. and that these remodel
ed guns were the ones which resumed
the shelling of Paris late in May last.
Subsequently the Germans succeed
ed in utilizing larger calibred guns for
long distance firing for, in August, they
used a marine gun from near Sois-
sons. firing a twelve and half-inch
she'll They were preparing TO sub
iect Paris to an intensive bombardment
such as Dunkirk had TO suffer when
they were driven out of their Scissors
Chateau Thierry line by the counter
offensive of the Allies.
Commandment Mirbel, the military
expert. who organized the Turkish ar
tillery before the Germans assumed
charge of the military affairs OF that
country, told the Associated Press tha
hte whole secret of the German long
distance gun lay in the invention OF 2
pecial high explosive powder which
could only be used in guns constructed
with the generalization Of the pro-
cess, and they were manufacturing sew
eral guns similar TO their scissors
one. but Marshal Foch's offensive de-
ranged their plans