The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1921-07-27
TOPEKA STATE JOURNAL
Information Bureau
FREDERIC J. HAsKIN, Director.
Washington, D. G.
IF WAR SHOULD COME AGAIN.

and armies. development OF weapons
/ of war to an appallingly destructive
point is certain in the next war waged
| between powerful countries.
If we disregard the question of dis
| armament now agitating the leaolng
nations, it may be taken as maxim
| of warfare, adequately proved time
and time again, that weapons of Of
| Tense, in wartime as well as in eras
| of peace, are developed at a faster
F. pace than the defensive weapons to
| combat them can be devised. In time
] of war the nation developing new
| offensive weapon will guard its Sc
! crets with the greatest zeal so that its
use will prove a disastrous surprise to
an enemy. Naturally it requires time
to work out proper defensive meas
ures.
The World war demonstrated this
| axiom OF warfare many times. The
| first Canadian troops against whom
| the Germans used gas were slain by
| thousands because the means of COM
batting gas had not been perfected.
| The gas mask reduced the effective
ness of the gas weapon, but its perfec-
ton Jagged behind the development OF
the offensive gas weapon.
The bow and arrow in ancient times
| was a powerful weapon of war until
| shields and helmets of a sort were
| made. The sword and lance forced
| the development of metal armor and
shields as protective measures. AS big
guns were developed, stouter forts and
heavier armor plating for battleships
followed.
The submarine used by the Ger
mans in the late war wreaked greater
havoc in the beginning than after de-
,fensive measures were developed to
combat it These measures were OF
various sorts. Camouflage of mer-
chant ships, arming them with rifles,
,, f1Ny n ad
losses to submarines. One of the most
effective schemes in reducing these
losses was credited to Thomas A Edi-
SON. 1t is reported that he made a
map, noting on it the exact position
and time where all ships were sunk
by submarines and by merely chang
ling sailing times so that ships passed
thru the thckly infested spots under
cover of darkness, merchant ship
losses were still further reduced
Another curious but presumably eff
fective weapon was the policy adopted
by the allies of not letting it be known
whenever a German submarine was
destroyed or captured. This was done
with the intention of working on the
nerves of the officers and crews OF
other submarines and destroying their
confidence in their underwater craft
! Importance of Aircraft.
Aircraft was the greatest develop
modern offensive weapon of warfare,
according to the belief of many army
and navy experts. This weapon has an
advantage in mobility greater than any
ever devised, and defensive measures
Jagged behind, as usual The anti
aircraft gun was perfected but the de-
velopment of the offensive aircraft to
the point of greatest efficiency is
going forward now, in times of peace,
more rapidly, perhaps, than during the
war.
The main defense worked out thus
far against aircraft is other aircraft.
Anti aircraft guns, particularly on
shore, are looked upon as secondary
because they cannot keep pace with
1.-THE flying attack, and must be con-
sfdered as stationary. The element of
surprise in airplane attack renders it
impossible to be prepared to meet air.
craft with anti-aircraft guns at any
particular point. The gun is more i'm
portant as a defensive veal IN for YES
sells than ashore, as the gun is carried
with the object of attack all the time.
The air space which an attacking plane
must occupy to bomb ship can be
completely covered by an aerial bar
rage of high-exploSive shells, experts
of the navy say, and this may render
battleships practically immune from
air attacks, particularly if pursuit
planes are used also to chase and
bring down the enemy bombers.
|
perts and students of the question that
the capital fighting ship-the super
dreadnaught and the battle cruiser
will continue as the main unit OF sea
warfare. AS destroyers are utilized as
! q screen against submarine attack,
and as heavy armor is carried as pro-
lection against gunfire, so anti-air-
craft guns and airplanes will protect
this fighting unit of the sea- This
will continue, it is believed, as long as
of the world is borne upon the surface
of the sea.
. While fighting ships can be protect
ed against aerial attack by proper de-
velopment of a nations own air forces,
, it is conceivable that in another great
war, should one occur. aircraft would
wreak terrible havoc in the CONNER
cial fleets of the nations unless before
J that war occurs the nations evolve
some adequate defense from air at
tacks for these commerce bearers.
The New Big Gun.
Z Recently newspapers published re-
, ports of the development of gun
which would hurl a projectile weigh
; ing many tons a distance of from 200
to 500 miles. Naturally, such weap-
| on would be practically useless against
ships at sea, as they are far and away
beyond the horizon and beyond the
reach of spoilers in observing planes
AuQ TO THIS the laCL lLdl q 1lSOiIlB
get would be always on the move, and
the uselessness of the big guns against
navies becomes more apparent.
If the gun proves practicable, II
, would be a terrible weapon in land
warfare however. The present day
big land guns are so powerful that the
: strongest Qualifications 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
, we're reduced one by one by the big
guns
The seventy mile gun" with
which Paris was bombarded, did not