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Show Engine to END TRENCH WAT lijV WE can in-Xvent in-Xvent a practical prac-tical machine which will make trenches u n i n-habitable n-habitable wars will not last as long as the present pres-ent one and consequently con-sequently much bloodshed will be saved," writes H. Gernsback in the Electrical Experimenter. Experi-menter. "No war will ever be won or lost with the opposing armies dug in in trenches. Both are deadlocked, dead-locked, as witness the contending armies in northern north-ern France today, now intrenched for over two years." The trench destroyer de-stroyer described by Mr. Gernsback and pictured here is intended to make intrenching impossible. There are two broad steel - rimmed Rf-l . Shaft efrve t( km I Armored sht'ekf tj-jH fJa .. Loose color ie3 tktm 4- Mam shaft f; im S tect.corJrol board ii -6 Motors fe.l Mm 7- Oynomo MM r A Speed controllers Fill a Cngin ' jjMl tip 7 9 7 fJ . The "trench destroyer." The machine is steered by running one motor faster than the other. Its speed varies from ten to twenty miles per hour and its armament comprises, ten rapid-fire guns. The wheels stand about 40 feet hi5; tractor wheels, about 30 to 40 feet high and some 2 to 3 feet wide. The outside distance from wheel to wheel is not more than thirty feet. A shaft connects the two tractor wheels, which are operated individually by chain drive from two independent electric motors. A heavily armored car, housing ten to twelve men and the necessary artillery artil-lery and propelling machinery, hangs from the connecting shaft The armored car measures about 16 feet long by 11 feet high, uud hangs some 6 feet ubove the ground. "Speeding along at ten to twenty miles an hour, it would be difficult for heavy artillery ar-tillery to place shells In it accurately," says the writer. "If the pilot of the treuch destroyer de-stroyer knows his business and runs the machine constantly at varying speeds, it will be almost impossible for the enemy to damage it by shell fire. "The battle action of the trench destroyer de-stroyer would be as follows: First let it be Understood thoroughly that a single machine ma-chine is of but small value; from six to twelve and more are needed if success is desired. "The first destroyer approaches the trench at right angles. At the edge of the trench (or parapet) It slows down to almost al-most nothing, only one wheel being run slowly. This has the effect of turning the machine around and parallel to the trench. One wheel remember it measures thirty- feet high now rides easily over the trencJi and In a few seconds the destroyer is astride over the trench. Power Is then applied ap-plied to both wheels and the machinery, gathering speed, rides over the trenchone wheel on each side of it Parapets, wire entanglements, en-tanglements, lateral connecting trenches, etc., will not imiiede the progress of the destroyer. "In the meantime the ten machine guns five in front and five in back of the car-have car-have not been idle. They fire away Into the trench below,, raising terrible havoc as the machine rolls on. If there is much fight left the next machine continues the work, and by the time the Inst machine has rolled over it the best defended trench will be pretty well demoralized. By this time our infantry has rushed up from behind and in a few minutes the. trench has been captured. cap-tured. The first trench destroyer now turns around and runs up to the second parallel trench of the enemy and here the same maneuver Is repeated. In less than half an hour all the parallel enemy trenches have been captured over a broad distance. "The destroyer is a simple matter of military engineering and construction, and it should not cost, more than .S25.000 to build one. There are two sixty-live horse ixnvor motors, driven by 100 horse power gasoline engine. The total weight cijlie machine is some sixty tons, which la ISl than a small freight locomotive." 7 |