The Bemidji daily pioneer. [volume] (Bemidji, Minn.) 1904-1971, 1919-09-13

chine guns produced to the end Of 1918
was 227,OOO. s}s5Ss n. 5zs'. '5 3S.
The Browning machine gums are be-
lieved to be more effective than the
corresponding weapons used In any
other army. :'" :E}Ss 's,.. w." 4 4 -; S. 1,'
American production Of rife ammu-.
milton amounted to approximately g.
tOO,00O,OOO rounds, Of which 1000 0O,-
600 rounds were shipped overseas. s1
The number Of rounds OF complete
artillery ammunition produced in.
American plants was In excess OF TO-
100000, compared with 100000
rounds secured from the French and
In the first 20 months after the dec
laration of war by each. country the
British did better than the United
States in the production of light artil-
lery, and the United States excelled
them in producing heavy artillery and
both light and heavy ammunition.
At the end of the war American pro-
duction of smokeless powder was 45
per cent greater than the French and
British production combined. The
American production of high explo-
sives was 40 per cent greater. than
Great Britain's and nearly double that
Of France. S..,..@r. q, ..-E5sgl Z I 4
Out of every hundred days that
American combat divisions were In,
line in France they were supported by
their own artillery for 20 days, By
British artillery for, five days and BY
French for one and half days. 80. {. 4.
In round numbers, America had II
France $500 pieces Of artillery, Of
which nearly 500 were made in. Amer
lea. and Americans used on the firing
line $3.50 pieces, of which over 100
were made in America. -.. ~, .. ..~I
>~ 80 Airp'ane Production. ~ :.
When the United States entered the
war the allies made the designs Of
their planes available to Americans,
and before the end Of hostilities fur.
nished, from their own manufacture
$500 service planes. ~ g<.a5~4 r.,
Aviation training schools in the
United States graduated 8,602' men
from elementary courses and 4,O28
from advanced courses. More than,5,-
600 pilots and observers were sent
overseas. ii. ~
There were produced in the United
States to. November 3d. 1918, more
than 5000 training planes and more
than 10000 training engines.
The American air force at the front
grew from three squadrons in April to
45I in November, 1918. On November
I'll the As squadrons had an equipment
Of TAO planes. s.s ILL.,. f..
OF 2,69S planes sent to the zone Of
thes-atlvance for American avIators.
667, or nearly one-fourth, were Of
American production. ~
American air squadrons brought
down in combat 755 enemy planes,
while their own losses Of planes num-
bered only 357. ~.
American divisions were in battle
for 200 days and engaged in 10 major
operations.
From the middle Of August until the.
end of the war the American divisions
held during the greater part Of the
time front longer than that held by
the British.
In October the American divisions
held 1O1 miles of line, or % per cent Of
the entire western front.
In the battle of st. Mihiel $4,000
Americans were engaged, compared
with. about 100000 on the northern
side in the battle of Gettysburg. The
artillery fired more than 100000
shells in four hours, which is the most
intense concentration Of artillery fire
recorded in history, .-.. ~,....
II The Meuse-Argonne battle lasted for
A. days, during which 100000 Ameri-
Fan troops were engaged.