Show improved Artillery May Make Tanks Obsolete By BILL BONI FORT BRAGG N N. C. C July 15 Wide World World World-U. U. U S. S army artillery artillery artillery ar ar- ar- ar tillery except for the gallant gunners of Bataan and Corregidor dor and the Texas battery which fought in Java as yet have had no chance to test their weapons and their mettle against the ene ene- my But their equipment al already already already al- al ready has scored a notable tri tri- After the nazi tanks had smashed through Poland the thelow thelow thelow low countries and France there were some of our boys who were a bit scared of them says the artillery commander of f a southern southern south south- ern em division Then they got to working with our guns Now they've switched to feeling impatient until they can get a crack at those babies Artillery properly handl handled d has played a e big part in the war warin warin warin in recent weeks weeks notably notably the 88 88 mm guns I which helped Nazi Field Marshal Rommel smash through the British tank lines in Libya Seen een as Factor Expert artillerymen tell you youit it is bound to continue as a major factor They concede the devastating power of the R A F's plane 1000 raids on Germany long range aerial artillery they call it and the need for forthe forthe forthe the dive bomber in land opera opera- But there are things the field artillery can do which the dive bomber Cant ant and while long range bombing can bring devas devas- tion to enemy production centers centers cen- cen cen centers it doesn't recover lost ground Some will go so far as to predict predict pret pre pre- dict diet that within a few years Improved improved improved im im- Im- Im proved artillery will have made the tank an obsolescent weapon basing that for one thing on the fact that the tank with its notoriously notoriously notoriously no no- poor facilities for observation observation ob ob- ob has numerous blind spots and can be hit hard by bywell bywell bywell well camouflaged big guns In addition our army is being being being be be- ing equipped with increasingly powerful self-propelled self antitank guns Tank destroyer battalions battalions battalions battal battal- ions at Bragg now are training with 75 15 guns mounted on tracks half-tracks with armor plate to protect the gun crew and nd enable enable enable en en- able them to drive right into the fight They are hitting hard-hitting weapons Our artillery has kept step with all the developments of modern warfare says the division division division divi divi- sion commander formerly head of the field artillery school at Fort Sill Okla Over and above that I be be- believe lieve we have havee the ingenuity the engineering skill and of co course the production facilities to outstrip outstrip outstrip out out- strip anything the axis nati nations ns can offer Mobility Gain Mobility is the chief gain of World war II artillery over that of World war I. I With that has come greater accuracy and longer range range now now perfected so that the mm howitzer can fire its pound shell shen with only a yard 25 margin of error The dive bomber bomber- can and undoubtedly undoubtedly un un- un will do a great deal when the united nations nations' open their counteroffensive But dive bombers can can attack only once then must go back to refuel and reload Artillery can keep up a constant pounding pressure on the enemy in itself a development development development develop develop- ment of the new warfare Present day tactics l' l says the artillery commander is to concentrate all your fire on one target for say five minutes which may not sound like much but is considerable when you youcan youcan youcan can have 36 guns each firing four tour rounds a minute of shells weighing several hundred pounds into a single area That sort of hell busting loose i is i. more than anybody can stand When youve you've given it to them for five minutes you switch your target and target and remember remember remember ber that most of our guns have havea a degree 45 traverse meaning that once set up they can hit anything within that angle to the limit of their range You pound the new target for five minutes and then just as the survivors of that first barrage are thinking Thank the Lord they're done with us youre you're back on them again I know I wouldn't like to be under it it You dont don't have to be at Bragg long to see that our boys are being trained to handle expertly everything the ordnance plants are turning out They work with everything from rifle and machine gun to protect their own positions through 75 guns with tubes barrels not much larger than your forearm and which break down into pack mule loads to the howitzers These babies are so huge and so heavy that when broken down they have to be hauled in sections by six ton 14 tractors Stationary guns with a very slight traverse that would be used chiefly as siege guns and to blast fortified field positions they have to be implanted in pits Yet for all their size and weight one wheel of one portion portion portion por por- tion of the gun weighs 1000 pounds their 28 man 28 man crews learn to handle them so efficiently efficiently efficiently effi effi- that they can set them up in the dark with the aid of only a flashlight N Nor or are the men being schooled just to sit at home and keep the guns polished The modern artilleryman gets in intensive intensive intensive in- in physical training goes goeson on long marches and is put through obstacle courses eH most assuredly is going places H Hed He'd d like to know when Never mind where |