The Rock Island Argus and daily union. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1920-1923, 1921-07-26
Frederic Haskin's Letter
ts,~s., c.respondssos a
If War Should Come Again.

portant as a defensive weapon Cor
vessels than ashore, as the gun :
carried with the object of attacr
ali the time. Tho air space which
an attacking plane must occupv IN
bomb ship can be completely COW
cred by an aerial, barrage of high
explosive shells, experts of the nav
say, and this may render battIesbins
practically immune from their N.
tacks, particularly If pursuit planes
are used also to chase and briny
down the enemy bombers.
1t is the view of many naval ev-
perts and students of the ouestion
that the capital fighting ship-tbe
superdreadnaught and the het,Ic
cruiser-will continue as the main
unit OF sea warfare As DESTROYER.
are utilized as a screen against sub
marine attack, and as heavy armor
is carried as protection against gun
fire. SO anti-aircraft guns and air
planes will protect this fighting
unit of the sea. This will continue.
i is believed. as long as warfare
lasts and while the commerce q
the world is borne upon the surface
OF the sea.
While fighting ships can be pro-
tected against aerial attack by prop
er development OF a nations own
air forces, it is conceivable that
in another great war, should one
occur, aircraft would wreak ter
rtble havoc IN the commercial fleets
os the nations unless before that
war occurs the nations evolve some
adequate defense from air attacks
for these commerce bearers.
The New Big Gun.
Recently newspapers published
reports of the development of q
gun which would hurI a projectile
weighing many tons a distance Of
from 200 to 800 miles. Naturally,
such a weapon would be practical
~ useless against ships at sea, as
they are far and away beyond the
horizon and beyond reach of spot
tiers in observing planes. Add TO
this the fact that a fleeting target
would always be on the move, and
the uselessness of the big guns
against navies becomes more ap-
parent
II the gun proves practicable, it
would be terrible weapon in land
warfare, however. The present day
big guns are so powerful that the
strongest Notifications are soon de-
stroyed by them Early in 1914 this
was demonstrated by the advancing
German armies, when the finest
and most modern fortresses in the
world were reduced one by one
by the big guns.
The "seVenty-five-mile gun" with
which Paris was bombarded did not
do a great deal of damage from a
military point of view, but it did
demonstrate to artillerymen all over
the world that it was possible to
shoot a gun of tremendous range
with accuracy, and that further de-
velopment Of the weapon would rem
der it more useful as q destructive
agent in the future, il wars are to
continue. The explosive shell used
in the long range German gun was
a mere pin prick in comparison with
the destruction which the new gun
now talked of would accomplish
Hurting a high explosive shell hun
tory, and demolishIng everything
for long distance around the point
of explosion, it would be a truly
awful attacking weapon. No sort
CT armament to withstand such gun
fire could be effective
There is little doubt that the pro-
posed new gun could be made &C
curate. Marvellous accuracy is OBJ
tanned with all of the big guns now
it use, including the indirect firing
guns. or mortars. The charge which
propels the projectile is measured
almost to the last grain of pow
der. So well is this science per-
fected that in target practice at
sea, when two big guns are fired
sometimes only one splash will re-
suit when the two projectles hit the
sea at exactly the same point and
at precisely the same fraction Of a
second.