Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1919-05-17
America Preparing
to Annihlate Huns
fiore War Ended

4 Nnsh!" gton. May ID. Machine guns
! a'u sna.i arms produced by the mil
! horr, Gnmuniuop turned out by bill
I lao : OF rounds and tanks built by the
! ;huu ADDS w1cn the armLstice ended
Institutes :Irn,sh the subject OF
/ {. ap,crs mad. public today OF the war
departments history of the material
sd" of winniny the war.
The story OF machine gun produc-
/ ton. about witch such hot contro-
ycrsy waged IN congress as the result
| OF the failurs of the American army
( TO adopt for standard general use the
Lewis weapon used successfully abroad
! Is told as follows:
} The manufacturing facilities for
machine guns la this country wers
mrch more limited In extent than the
public had any notion OF them when
Z the United States entered the war; or
! today. We hai at the outbreak OF the
war only two factories which were ac-
tually producins machine guns in any
quantity at all
! 1T was therefore evident that We
/ had to build mp almost completely
new capacity Tor production. Never
/, theless We took advantage OF what ia
Cilities were at hand, and at once, IN
/ fact within a week after the declara-
] tion OF war, were placing orders for
machine guns. In this connection the
( reader should hear continually in mind
that thruout The development of ma
chine gun manufacture we utilized all
| existing facilities TO the limit in add
! ton TO building up new sources of sup
! PLY.
IN ~ whGnaApr
were engaged the manufacture OF
machine guns. whatever their make or
type. we did not stop :he production
| OF these types N these plants and con-
vert the establishment into factories
I for making other weapons; but We had
them continue the manufacture in
which they wee engaged. giving them
i orders which would enable them TO es-
paEd their facilities in their particu-
! lar lines of production"
! The statement shows that the two
; Browning guns, the heavy and the
light automatr rifle tof the type now
in USE by the troops in France were
pronounced ov the special test board
! which held a conference in May, 1917.
/ the most effective guns Of their types
known TO the members. IN addition 10
being designed for the purpose OF guam
! titiy production. Al the same test i'm
proved Lewis guns also proved highly
efficient and were recommended oy the
board Suhseq Iently the Lewis guns
were shifted 40 aircraft work because
, of special adapt ability md on recon-
! meudatiun OF General Persnings staff.
| The report says theT' was great
dearth of heavy machine guns for air
! craft work, 20 be syncronized with
propellors. This shortage existed IN
! the French and British service as we'll
as in the American. The Browning
aircraft gun would have met the re-
quiremen;s but il would be long
! time before II could be produced in
quantity In seeking a stop gap Weap-
| on until the Browning could be ready.
| the ordnance department, by one OF
those surprising and almost accident
| al successes" sometimes encountered.
| found that modified Marlin gun.
which could oe quickly produced met
all requirements. General Pershfng
cahled in November. 1915, Marlin guns
now rank az high as any with pilots
and are entirely satisfactory
The first twelve divisions to reach
France" the report continues. were
armed with the Hotchkiss heavy ma
! chine guns and Chauchat automatic
rifles by the French government. More
than 1000 Vickers heavy guns pro-
/ duced in the United States were traded
| TO the French as they we're needed IN
| French aircraft. During May and June
| in 1918. eleven American divisions
sailed. all equipped with Vicksrs
| heavy guns built in the United States
and received Chauchat rifles in France.
/ After June all divisions 20 sail were
| equipped with the standard American
weapons the light and heavy Brown
! ings."
! The work OF the light Brownings is
! declared TO have been so spectacular
| as compared with any existing Teap-
ons of this character that when they
were demonstrated in France the Off
| GERS Of the American expeditionary
force promptly decided to increase the
! equipment Of infantry troops by 90 per