Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1930-04-27

ME zenith OF the Pals guns ealeC-
tiveness can well be said to have been
reached on that Good Friday after
noon when the third shot from posi-
ton struck the Church of st.
Gervais That gun had worn out few days
later, and while new one was spasmodlcally
peuOering Paris with fewer daily bursts than
any preceding guns, the great German offensive
was in fun and successful swing
In spite of enormous but strategic infantry
reyerseS the French artillery all during the
month of April made matters almost intolerabe
around the firing gun position. No one doubted
that they had the range, and to avoid the IN
evitable direct hit the Germans coincident with
the wearing out of the second gun at position
2, decided to evacuate the whole position-and
avail themselves of a shorter range by fr1ng
from the newly won territory further south
The morale breaking campaign was progress
ing beautifully. Eight air raids on Paris since
january, in which 31S bombs had been dropped
ON the city And 1873 shells had been fired into
the city since March 49, Well authenticated
reports said that more than a half million peo-
pie had left Paris since January; the city re-
sembled besieged fortress, and the belief
that the morale breaking campaign should be
concentrated on Paris had been amply justified.
There was no longer any doubt in the German
mind but that they would win the war be-
fore Winter.
The German artilleristS and engineers, while
the Creepy guns were still firing in March, had
which was 6S.6 miles from Paris; the shorter
range meant that less powder would be used
and the gun would have correSponding1y
longer life BY the end of April work was
under way and when the last shot had been
fred from Creepy on May / and most of the
personnel there released, things progressed
rapidly IN the Corbie Wood east of the little
village Of Beaumont. Intricate camouflage ar
rangements were made, including a fake rail-
way branch leading to an imitation eznplace-
ment and gun to delude enemy aerial observers.
The real railway branch and gun were as
siGuOusly hidden from view.
THE battery commander had been informed
that the next offensive for which the gun
would have to be ready would be late in May.
No date had yet been set. That offensive
would be waged by the army group Of the
Crown Prince ON the Chemin-des-Dames and
the objective was the Vesle from Scissors 20
Rheims, including these cities If possible.
At 727 on the morning of May ~, hours
and ~ minutes after the famous Rheims Vesle-
Scissors offensive had been ushered IN by the
crushing effectiveness Of the German artl-
@ry, the new gun doomed its first shot toward
Paris. Fifteen shells were sent forth on their
mission by noon, without a single hitch The
gun behaved beautifully. Measurements Of the
progress of erosion showed that the rate was
far less than that with the other guns; On
March % the FIRST gun had shown serious
signs of wear, was one-third worn oat and
was beginning to perform erratically by the
fifteenth shell. On this morning the gauges
for every shot showed normal over pres
sure. The order to cease firing was given with
the fifteenth shot at 11:25
Let picture what was happening IN the
objective, Paris.
The first shot of the morning struck on
the Rue Cabanis, at the Asylum of st. Anne,
near the southern wall of the city All within
earShot recognized 1t as a projectle from the
long-range gun-the first in 81 days and with
out doubt a part Of the program of the often
Sfve starting in the East; hurt.
The next one struck over the city, in Mont
rouge. third burst far over the city I'm
FOntenay- aux-Roses. That killed one. Five
more followed in rapid succession. The eighth,
which struck on the Rue Lime killed two
and wounded IL pedestrians.
The confusion, amounting almost to a rout,
on the right OF the French Sixth Army, within
whose area the Vailly guns and many Of the
SOund-ranging units had been located, made
It impossible even to attempt concentrating on
anything so minor at the time the long
range gun Their front, as that of the Third
Army with its worn British divisions full of
raw recruits, had crumpled as a house Of cards
IN q gale. The few shots spotted by the Tenth
Army rangers who were able to devote some
attention TO the matter, came from the Bots
to COrbie near the village Of Beaumont. This
information came into the artillery Once In
Paris late in the afternoon Reference TO the
map showed this position TO be about 0075
miles from the target. Some 340s were
promptly ordered up 10 RibecOurt On the Conn