The Ward County independent. [volume] (Minot, Ward County, N.D.) 1902-1965, 1919-07-24
WAR ACTIVITIES KEPT SHCRIr
ARE NOW MADE PUBLIC

Germany has signed the peace terms
laid down by the United States and
her allies, the war department Is m1k-
ing public many activities on the part
of this government that the average
citizen knows nothing of. Americans,
rich and poor, gave literally to help
the government finance the struggle.
With view to informing the country
of our part in defeating Germany, the
war department has made public q
book entitled Americas Munitions"
prepared by Assistant Secretary Of
War Benedict Crowell A summary
the subjects in the book follow under
the heading:
Do you know that America had
more troops in France than the Brit
ish on the signing of the armistice?
That the French, at, the Battle Of
Souchez, in four hours fired more than
seven times as many rounds of am
munition as were expended by the
Union Army in the battles of Chicka-
manga and Gettysburg?
That the American artillery in
France fired more than four times as
many rounds of ammunition as the
Union army did in the Civil war?
That America is the only country
that succeeded in building recuperat-
ors for French designed guns, except
France?
That between April 6, 1917, and No
vember IL, 1918, we made as much
smOkeless powder as Great Britain
France combined?
That we added nearly three miles
to the range of our six-inch guns by
making stream-line shells for them
That the war developed an optical
glass industry in the United States
which will make us independent of
Europe in this respect?
That the French invented the tank
and built the first one?
That America produced two of the
three airplanes fixed machine guns
used successfully against Germany
That tracer bullets indicated the
trajectory by their light and not by
That Livens gas projectors were
secret unknown to Germany until the
fighting ended
That body armor was worn in the
Civil war and was used in every great
war Of modern times
That America has developed five
thing in Europe?
That America brought down 491
German planes during the war and
lost only 271?
That the Liberty engine drew heav-
lily upon the German Mercedes in its
design
That the United States in the war
period built almost as many aviation
engines of other types as she did Lib
ertv engines
That our gun cameras used in air.
plane gunnery practice took pictures
intervention Of films or plates
That America developed the first
successful airplane camera using
films
That America clothed her aviators
in electrically-heated suits
That the first man who ever made
a parachute jump was the first in
spector during the war of all balloons
and parachutes?
That America shipped 533 locomo-
tives to France on their wheels, pack
ed in baled hay, in the hold Of YES
sells?
That America and Great Britain To-
ic sound-ranging machines than by
any other method?
That America developed a search
light 10 per cent stronger than any
other in existence, and also produced
the first glassless searchlight with a
metal reflector and no front glass?
That America and Germany in 1900
were the two powers explicitly to re-
f,yS0 RI nnfnr a. nrf In
use poison gas in war?
That the Germans sent their best
spy into France in October, 1918, to
find out how the French made mustard
gas?
That America invented activated
carbon, which was much more effec-
tive in absorbing poisonous gas than
the carbons used by the troops of 9TH
er nations in the war ?
That American troops alone in the
war had hot coffee while under fire,
due to the invention of soluble coffee
in the United States?
That America resyrrected bark tan
ming of leather to give her soldiers
better shoes?
That the naphtha used in our serv-
ice planes at the front was colored
red to mark it as the finest engine
fuel ever produced?
That American packing companies
saved $55 100000 in the shipment Of
clothing alone to France and in gen.
eral Offset, by saving space, the oper-
alton of Uboats for several months?
That America, at the close Of the
war, took inventory of war goods; one
of the largest inventories the world
ever saw?
That the total war construction in
the United States amounted to more
than 81 900, 900 900 in cost?
That America produced over $4,000
miles Of outpost wire for signalling
purposes at the front, a material new
er manufactured until America enter
ed the conflict?