Show Rumania's Fate Is Shown JE w. w JE JE Points Lesson to the U. U US U.S. S. S By Ellis Ashmead Bartlett Famous W War r Correspondent HOSE who knew the great continental continental conti conti- THOSE T armies of the war pre lays days would hardly recognize them now non no Everything has changed uniforms changed uniforms weapons capons methode methods methods meth meth- ode tactics Experience has lias shown n that almost all our preconceived ideas were wrong All armies have hate worked incessantly to perfect the giant revolution that has bas taken place Woe betide the self satisfied people who ho enter on on a campaign against a modern army with old fashioned obsolete obsolete ob ob- solete arms anus and with the same ideas in their heads as Europe possessed three years ago The fate fato of or Rumania should be a warning to all untried armies and inexperienced InexperIenced Inexperienced In In- experienced chiefs Rumania should have played a decisive role in the near East The Tho entire course of the war might have been bean dramatically changed chan ed had her intervention been directed into sound strategic channels and had her chiefs studied carefully the lessons of the last three years Instead a a. headstrong people brave I and determined hut who like the Bourbons in the words of or Napoleon on bad had learned nothing and forgotten nothing were allowed to go eo their Choir own way to disaster and ruin This crowning lesson was needed to shake hake shake off the and laissez faire of ot the allied war council Mere numbers numbers num num- bers hers count but little against skill and andiron iron The Rumanian army anny met the fate that always awaits those who I will not learn or profit from the experience ex cx- of the past How tar far has the United States Slates army kept pace with the changes in weapons and tactics It would be in to know Trench Warfare Blow to Cavalry Cavalry has leas played no role rolo on the western front for nearly two t years Yet it would he be ab absurd urd to say that I Ithe the days of oC cavalry are numbered Trench warfare has it out of or the 1 limelight for fol a II long Jong period Bud and the I best of or tho the cavalry ca generals have havo re resigned resigned re- re rc 1 signed their commands in despair and andare andare I are now commanding infantry divisions divis divis- tons ions and corps Field artillery that artillery that is to say the tho famous French 7 s 's Uio ho German and the British 18 have have bad had to be reinforced by now new giant artillery artillery artil arUl lery Jery which alone alono can smash the fortified for titled positions Nevertheless tho the lighter pieces make the tho most Continued on page 9 I i LESSON TAUGHT Us U. S. S BY PANAMA Continued from from rom page 3 ble rapid barrage ban fire during an attack attack at at- tack and If It the armies leave their trenches the light guns are essential essential essen essen- Ual In great numbers to accompany the rapid moving infantry It l IB Is In the infantry Itself that you see the greatest changes The average aver cr age persons person's Idea of an Infantry battalion bAttalion bat bAt- is that of ot a thousand men armed with rifles and bayonets who have little to do on their own responsibility responsibility except to obey orders of their officers and carry a ghastly weight long Iong distances on their backs to be i prepared to face every form torm of unpleasantness un I pleasantness and to lose the their lives cheerfully in charging trenches and barbed wire whenever their genera general I considers the moment has arrived to capture and hold an enemy's tion This Is what an Infantry battalion bat bat- tallon was before the war but it bearno bears bear no resemblance to a true truo picture these days Every infantryman is now a highly trained specialist who has a particular lar Job to perform In attack and defense de do- and who requires at least a ayears ayears years year's hard training to perfect him himIn himIn in In the use of the particular arm for which ho be has shown an especial adapt adapt- ability And the Irony of ot modern modem war IB is this Alter After you have selected your man and spent a years year's energy In perfecting perfecting per per- his physical moral and technical technical tech tech- education a v very ry high percentage percent percent- age are killed or wounded before they are able to turn their skill and science to account i German Methods Adopted by Allies At tho end of 1915 1916 all the tho great eat continental continental con con- armies began to feel tho the shortage of men mon except the British who had hardly yet to hea their reserves reserves re re- re- re serves sen-es of or man power It became obvious obvious ob ob- ob that the tactics which Involved throwing masses masIcs of men in close formation against fortified positions must be bo abandoned Otherwise It would soon be impossible to extended fronts Therefore from the end of ot 1915 1916 the new now Infantry tactics tactic may be said to have been introduced into all aU the continental armies Tho The allies have hare gained enormously enormous enormous- ly Jy by the employment of ot new weapons and methods most of which were introduced Into modern modem warfare by the Germans These new tactics and now new weapons Ons allow the employment employ employ- ment meat of a a. minimum bf of men with a maximum display of oC individual initiative initiative initia initia- tive and Intelligence which the average average aver aver- aver I age English and French soldier possesses pos poe in higher degree than the German Ger POS POS-I man common soldier This Is the secret ot of the success of ot all aU the recent allied attacks on the Somme Somma and the failure of at the Germana Germane Germans Germans' Ger Ger- mans mane counter attacks to rc regain Ln the lost ground We have laid down certain tain Lain rules for tor attack and defense which our men are capable of ot carryIng carry carry- carryIng Ing lug through h to the smallest detail whereas whereas' the Germans with rules that are doubtless as carefully framed find their men lacking in that special ape ape- special cial initiative and Individuality which are necessary It is the individual fighter tighter who counts on the western front rant today not the serried ranks advancing ad en masse masae To the German the system is everything He Is 19 therefore handicapped In facin facing a a. foe roc that now has system plus individual ity and Initiative The l- l French lench ench Infantry today have reached d the highest point of ot tactical efficiency of any troops en engaged in the war That Is to say nay they nave have brought the science clence of ot employing each Individual ual to the greatest possible advantage with a a. minimum of ot loss Their losses lessee on the Somme and In the later attacks on Verdun have been extremely small Strength of Kaisers Kaiser's Battalions Reduced As with the Germans the gradual reduction after atter two years ears of war In he the available reserves has hat I led d to the tho increased substitution of or material for tor formen former mer men mel melan an and l has allowed of or a n. a. a reduction in tho the strength of or battalions which In Instead Instead Instead In- In stead of we weakening their fighting power has materially Increased it Eve Every y French army has now a special special ape ape- cial school established behind the lines In which Instruction Is hl given In the th new tactics and In the tho employment of ot new weapons Officers and men arc aro sent from battalions at the front f for r a three e months' months course at one of at these schools schoola The calm methodical manner I in their education is completed In the midst of or war Is a n. remarkable example of ot the thoroughness and ef et- et of ot the f French nation The Tho result re- re 5 suit sult has been a revolution rc In tn tho the ui fighting efficiency of ot tho the French In Infantry In- In fantry At fIrst every French battalion con- con isted l ted of roughly a a. thousand men all armed v with rifles and bayonets bayonet di divided dl- dl vided d Into four tour companies with a ml- ml section of ot two gun guns Now less Infantry than Jf 50 per battalion cent ot of f the men In a French Drench von evon carry rifles rines The remainder are trained to use ape ape- I cial I weapons more effective ette than rifles New Organization of French Each Kach battalion now consists of ot three companies of or Infantry and ono machine gun company with eight Each E company is divided d Into four tour platoons which aro are In turn divided Into four sections Some of ot tho the men carry I automatic rifles rines others hand gr grenades nade others machine grenades and the beat best rifles rineR B But t all the men who still sun carry rifles ar are al also o specialists In the till use of ot one of or the other weapons and they drop their rifles and tako take the place of or the men who fall tall during an az attack Each section Is JR under a n. specially trained noncommissioned officer Each Ench battalion also carries carrier a a. small Inch 12 gun which can J Jie e mounted by four tour men or dragged on a a. light c ju- ju tr- tr This weapon one one half halt the the- size Ilzo of ot th the American field artillery gun has been found extremely mely effective efte In dealing with tho the German machine guns during durIn an attack when the In Infantry ran try r V have approached BO so close to the tho enemy that thai the heavier artillery behind the Infantry cannot safely be used The lighter lIchter gun then knocks out hidden nests of ot enemy machine guns It Is extremely accurate up to yards and can twenty nty shots a minute A French battalion advances to the attack in extremely open formation in successive waves The formation naturally naturally nat nat- depends on th the ground but usually the bomb throwers and nd the m men n carrying tho the automatic rifles rUles march Inthe in tho the first wave Behind them come more bomb throwers and tho the men armed with tho the machine grenades or rifle firing bombs This Thill Ingenious weapon consists of ot a a. kind of at Iron cup fitted on to the end of ot an ordinary rifle Tho The grenade Is placed in this and the rifle fired tired in the ordinary man man- ncr her The Tho gases of or the discharge hurl the bomb yards while tho the bullet passIng passIng passing pass- pass Ing through the tho center of ot tho the grenade releases the tho spring which causes S It to explode The Tho men who ho are armed with rifles s march behind and are sent forward as ns gal gaps occur In the first waves Thu Thus If it a n. bomb thrower falls an nn expert In Inthis Inthis this line Uric Is sent forward to take lake his place If Ifa a man carrying au nn automatic rifle falls talis another trained In the use of ot this weapon Is 18 always at ot hand and so the machinery of or war is always manned t p Special l Grenades to Clear Dugouts There are arc special men who carr carry what is 18 known as incendiary grenades This Is a kind of ot a patent cleaner cleoner of or enemy dugouts and subterranean pas pas- sages On exploding exploding- it burns fiercely letting out vast quantities of or sulphurous sulphur sulphur- ous Otis smoke suffocating In Its effects but wise otherwise harmless No one can endure It Tho The enemy is Ie thus forced Into the open where ho he must tI fights ht surrender or die dlo The tactics of ot a lL battalion In defense kayo havo changed chang as drastically as In in at- at tack If It the enemy now assaults a a. French position this Is 18 what he must pass through The curtain of or fire tire of ot artillery to start with th If It the tho range becomes shorter he mee meets rifle fire tire and the machine gune guns each firing shots a minute Then at yards from the trench he ho 1 Is 1 met b by a second barrage barrage barrage bar bar- rage fire of or bombs from the rifle gren ad ades ea If It there be any survivors they are arc met at forty yards by bombs bomb thrown by hand by close rifle rine fire and machine guns that spray T bullets as a a. hose hoso sprays water If It any reach their objective they face tac bayonets The 1 whole attack is I. a under a. a dense denso white smoke of ot hundreds of ot exploding bombs bomba I It will be bo seen how carefully trained and organized an Infantry must be Each Ench man has hu his specified Job and his particular weapon In the use uee of ot which he ho has hns been found to display a a. special aptitude Each man has a re responsibility responsibility re re- sp which nev never r fell feU to the share of ot the Individual Infantryman Inthe inthe In Inthe the old fashioned d attack This gives the men an interest in their work and arid allows them that Initiative o and Intelligence intelligence Intelli intelli- I gence for tor which the tho individual French soldier is so 0 Justly renowned |