Great Falls tribune. [volume] (Great Falls, Mont.) 1921-current, 1921-10-24
CHAPTER vii.
Shells! Sheiis!! ShelIs.!!

The story Of this prodigious effort
has never been written. We had, in
l1914, 1896 pieces of IS. Despite loss
and destruction. we had 1855 when
,hostilities ceased. As to heavy artll-
llery, the supply rose from 2S8 pieces in
1914 to 5,a77 in 1918. In other words,
we increased our field artillery by II
per cent and our heavy artillery by
Il ,943 per cent. One tenth of this lat
ter increase was obtained by recon
istruction of old pieces, nine-tenths by
NEW construction. All our artillery
combined in 1914 had less than five mil
hon shells. The monthly output at the
lend of the war exceeded nine millions.
So much for round figures. Now for
"details. In 1914, the production of
l1as was negligible and there was no
regular service of repair. In October.
1918. our workshops were turning out,
for this caliber alone. $50 new tubes
and 573 repaired, 534 new brakes and
l95 repaired; 267 new carriages and
: ia repaired. To these must be added
! shells. more shells and even more
shells. The battle of Champagne and
Artois IN 1915, lasting two months. cost
us seven and half million IS shells
an average of $4,000 day.
$4,000 Shells Daily.
/ The battle of Verdun and the Somme
III l9I6-iasting 10 months-cost US
more than forty-three million Is shells
AN average Of la, 900 day. The Of
fensve of 1913. lasting four months.
cost us nearly thirty-three million
shells. an average of 272, $500 a day.
We met this increasing expenditure.
1he output of 20 shells at the begin
nlng OF the war was theoretically 1900
a day, as a matter of fact it was 5000.
It rose to 10000 a day in October.
d9l5-to $4,000 in August, 1916-to
sO3,OOO in the following November. to
600 in May, 1917. which level it
maintained and even exceeded to the
end OF the war. This increase of pro-
duction-3.7S3 per cent-was obtained
under almost hopeless conditions
Drought by INVASION. 1t is to the ever
lasting honor of our government, of our
parliament and of our industry that
they were able to achieve it. in spite of
rything.
But to the first weapon, the 75-
the use of which was developed so tre.
mendously-it was necessary to add the
war weapons Of modern warfare. the
l05 short. 155 long. go. go. $50, $40.
40. Here everything had to be built
up from the bottom. Up to the yery
eve OF war. experts had discussed the
lery in scientific papers to NO result.
When war broke out. we had 1O4 pieces
of quick firing 155's-and that was all.
Cost OF Battles.
But follow the expenditures from
tois in 1915 1.-TWO months) cost u.
$4,000 rounds of 155, or $500 q day.
and 5.4OO rounds Of 22O, or 900 1 day.
Verdun and the Somme in 1916 (ten
lnonthsl cost us 5,2SOOOO rounds Of
100. or 1900 a day, and Ala. 600 rounds
Of 20, OF 1,343 q day. The Aisne in
1917 two months) cost us 200. 900
rounds of 155. or 45,OOO q day. and
2S7 600 rounds of 20, or 1890 a day.
For the offensive OF 1918 the ex-
penditure reached 6,53O,0O rounds of
155 or 54,416 a day.
shells, as in the case Of the 75's was
completely covered by production. The
daily output of 155ss. which did mot
even exist in September. 1914. had
grown to 5000 in September, 1915. to
10000 in October, 1916. to 10000 in
July. 1918. The output Of 22Os rose
from AGO in September. 1915. to 2.lOO
IN September, 1916. and to 3,4OO in
April. 1911. The total increase was
s.7So per cent for the 75's. was 9S3 per
cent for the lass. and $40 per cent
for the 2o0's. And all this. repeat
and insist. was after invasion had
robbed us of about IS per cent of our
per-war iron and steel metallurgic re.
sources.
500 Million ProjsctIies.
II we take into acceaint other sizes
han the rs. the 1856 and the ooO. we
rave during the last part Of the war.
total daily production of 600 shells
ind for the entire war total pro-
luction of 400 million projectilcs.
/ do not want to prolonG this
Let me merely add that,
n September, 1914, our armies had
40 airplanes in action and that II
lctober, 1918, they had 5000; that at
he beginning Of the war. We were pro-
ucing g. q month. and at the end
,O8S. ] note that in December, 1915,
u had eight tanks and on the day u {,
be armistiee 84O0. Finally, let me
Ythe toint thst this produe.