OCR Text |
Show I New Ordnance Marvels Attest Uncle Sam's Awakening II 9 1 1 &B9 Christie anl; shown at second annual meeting t ' ' s i , Reconnaissance car, run on a rubber belt. -one of the novelties recently ex- the Army Ordnance Assoc. ation . -.. hibiled at Aberdeen, Md rar Department, vf of Great Mobility 6Ji2fti r I ' ! 1 p ' was 0,1 "r,:i' lesson which the H I United States learned from the M A war Tiiai sson was that armies B may be Improvised and irodned quickly, hut H i hp creation bf materiel requires i!me tf.ot H only tvss It learned (hit time Is reunit e I H lo perfect materiel, hi.r preliminary training B, is the necessary accompaniment of the pro- H Auction of the machinery of war. in the great war America raised Immense1 HB armies' and transported them with remark - H able celerity Army cantonments were built B rapidly and successful!) nm it was in the H perfection nf ordnance (hat the forces of Ba th- Republl i ! I --1 V i the close of the war this country was B Just getting into its ntrlde, Much ilmV hid H been lost, much money had been wasted and BUB nn Immense depol ,ol supplies a bulldlns raOa up behind the armies, out it did not rem H the oiher side. American airplanes H lacking, heavj ordnance was lacltlni: even H 'he necessary equipment of rifles was ab- BBBBBBB .1 WHS po-i' to In'innnrl t-nnp"iieain.c 1 I he nation hid he I rained to transport H 'hony.inds ol nasaencers it wa possible HH huiiii cantonments because m rlea he'd I'ulldirtg houses, and was familiar with ihe job But the treat enginery "f warfare; th IH necessary eq lipmenl or modem amnio failed B to put in i's appearanee on the tloer side HHJ Tb lesson hn been t.--.kn to hesl and l ' ever.' effort of 'lie War Department 1 now H being expended t( h did i,- materiel and it Bh l being assisted by some of the leadlna in- BBj dual rial aplrits of thp counlr) who o-o keep- itic up th sam enihusid-tlr oritlon to 1 service of th-:r couhtry thoy displayed In BJH tho A littlr tfrmv o' dollar a vrar ni"!!. headed by Benedict Crowell, former Assistant Sec-I Sec-I retary ol War. has mobilised Itself Under h- ;'if ):amr- or Vrmy i i Inanci Vssoctti EBHP ior I's iilnalilo tinv- lo I ho count I out r-os'in? tlip Oovemment a .sin'p cent. BBJ Results are already beajlhnlna m show IBfl from t'l combined civilian and army effort. BBffl New and effect I v 'pieces nf ordnance are BBB hems: produced, many of which would have BBi been tremendously effective on the firing EH line In Kurop. They were tried oul al the HH Aberdeen (Md.) provlra croundj last wr-eic BBa upHt dramatic ir.'1 imstaics BBJ There is tactical straleajy In the pro- BBB arammc or bulldjns Iheaie dcatb dealing HH rnsinps The object In view i to obtain B create r mobility in manouvrinK ami In the Wm ordnance ahown al Aberdeen it waa proved conc'.nsh elv that to-day America leads the nHI world in this rospect. BBJ The ncrompllshments so far altiinvl are HBJ romparativaly few in number the- Govern- BHi ment not haine raached the point where It fefjfl feel" iustifled In ulldlnc ip a larjre supply .r ..rdnance material What Is now be1n done Is to perfect types which" will furnish models and Inspiration for future develop-ment develop-ment Maximum of Mobility. HB08 The object of greater mobility in manu- Hwfia vrlnp Is bein? attained to a highly gratify- In? decree. Guns are bclns perfected upon BB j movable currUses In a manner that will r' c i jtionlze artillery practice of the future Bj "s 1" aplte of the fact that in supplying ord- HBJ name to the armies on the French front the TVer American War Department fell down, and JH notwithstanding the slowing up of interest and the necessity for ec-or.omy jrhlch fol-B fol-B lower! the armistice the Aberdeen c.prl- ments ptove that the United States In mak- lur virile contribution to the world's artil-!j artil-!j lerv u'llpnient. Bj I it I- tbis desire to keep abreast of tlie B I ' r'liv performances In ordnance that bos B l i nptOd the War Department to nslt for W , , increoied appropriation next year. The k Department's appropriation last year waa f, 1 The estimates for thla year call it for an appropilatlon of apprbxlmatelj JN J I 00P.OO0 -more than twice as much I 1 After the rmlstlot wan algnod the army P: took stock ot the reasons Whj It was not I :ihlc to prepare and transport ordnance to Bl t lie fiont. The conclusion reached was that B a American Industry was not trained (or the l iillulnc or ordnance, with the result that BAJ1 army officers indulged In the one scntlmen". (hat the country must never be caught in HB the ome predlcamenf. Bj It wad Bl this point that the civilian group organized the Artn Ordnance Association n The ilii fii-ealdeni is BeiicdJct Crw Hi Th c.-thcr mcmixis art Wlllhun Wheeler 1 'oilman, 'oil-man, president at the B.ueyrus Oorpprinj "t South MihvnuUi-e. Wl9.: Charles Klllot Wur-ren. Wur-ren. past president of the American Bankers Bank-ers Amso hit 'nr. Rnlph Crews, uf the law firm of Blfrrmsn S Sterling, New Vork city tiu tCaatman Tripp, chairman ot the boar1 of dlrertors or the Westlngbouse Company: S3nnae MdKoberts of the National City Jauk or cw Vbrk: Kaldo rjajrln Hryant. presldenl of the Hvant I-Jlectrfc '"ompany: 'rnnk Auuustus Scon rormei cbaltman of l h War Industries Hoard; Robert P. i-i-mont. jresiii it u the American Steel Foundries Foun-dries n Chicago, arfd c L Horrlson of the Klrsi National Hank ol Cinelnnali. The HfW Idea of this Civilian group, whose Pictures taken at Aberdeen. Md.. Proving Ground during the recent Ordnance Association conven I uon. The boy is loolcng through a 14 inch armor plate after a 14 inch shell hit it. The mount of the I highly elevated machine gun is the special novelty shown in the other picture J proffer of assistance wis accepted by t-Ui- Y;m Department. w:,s '" build up a cl-vilfnn re.-etv. It was proposed m Interest ri'o schools and caflegea or the country, nhl wlic-tcver pusshtle courses In ordnance and in the science of ballistics have been ln Stalled, The plan provides that .students in colleges and unlversiilea may Rnd propei mental training nml a proper application of their mathematical knowledge lii studying ballistics. These students are listed so 'hat In the . vent ol war the Qovornment will know where to reach oui for them and appl the training: they has,- received. In i:.- attempt to build up ordnance during the wu. great effort was spent In building the proper mavhi: ery. "itch of Ihis ma-chlner. ma-chlner. Including Special Utiles for the ptir-pose ptir-pose or turning OUl Shells and cannon, has beet dlslrlh'ited anions the scientific si bonis n, th, nation like the Boston School of Technology, where the students are trained how to use it. Vhe various manufacturers ol tha country have also been enlisted In this Civilian Experts Gie ! Their Services and f Technical Schools I Cooperate V i t h Government Ehgi- 1 neers to Build Up Ijj Vital Branch of De- 1 fensn e Forces I programme or preparedness which Is with- H out arallel In the history of this coitn(r- H The interest and nlfntion which is heln paid to ihe development of ordnanc? Is the H or knowledge gained from the world war. All forms of artillery tm-n the Die RerthS to venty-flve mm gun pruv H lhs effe ilveness of this arm of the ervce. H As an example of the extent to which the Of 'artillery developed during the Kuro- J l ean war ii is railed lhat at the battle of flettysbura; the Union army expended onlv J 7S1 rounds of artillery ammunition. yt H Battle of hi Somme the British ftred 4 OOO.OOQ rounds of ar'lllery ammunition. The Union army in '.he , Ivll war during th vear ISG-I exoended 1 050 00. ' rounds of artll- SaLH lery ammunition, while In the year 1 91 R of the world war the French Brad 1 070 000 In tlie experiments at the Aberdeen prnv- H ir: t round fhe object of Increased mobilltv or heavy ordnance sras hlghh eempllfle1 In on - case ihe Ordnance Depai lirnt has developed a sixteen !nch pun mounted on n railway carriage in such manner that the Klin can be elevated ilmost nerpendicularl v. This gives he weapon the advantage of 'he howitzer During In- war it was nos)hl to -llrect thes puns only In one direction. The American am Is mounter, on two rare with a bridge- between circular tumUhle track Is built beneath the 1 ridge so that the gun carriage can b- turned ar.d the gun pointed in every possible direction. ThA Ordnan c Department bas also devel- oped a combined wheel and caterpillar mount for heavy and light artlllerv Tanks ar equipped in the amc manner. This liiven- lion makes It possible when running on smooth roads m fold back the caterpillar traction so that the lank can run on wheels. giving it the speed of .in ordinary automo- bile When npprnachlnx rough ground (he J eater pi bar traction is quick l readjusted so the machine - an negotiate any kind of rough Conceals the Location. The mounting of heavy gun in this man-ner man-ner on their own self-propehed mounts is J of the blgheat mllltare importance. Military - Inn-e ins so far developed that the l"i i-tloii i-tloii of a gun can be determined by instru mc-nlS prepared to catch the sound waves. The result was that during the war heavy guns soon after taking up their positions would be located by the enemy and destroyed by counter artillery fire. With the new movable carriages propel! " by gasolme povtcr these guns can be move. about after firing a few shot. The result Is that shells dropped on the position located by sound waves will have nothing but empty to deal with The tanks com Prd with a combined wheel and caterpillar traction have solved th question of mobility so far as that weapon Is concerned and have increased the effec-tivones effec-tivones of the lank a hundredfold The artillery periscop? is another war de-vies de-vies whose high development was shown at the Aberdeen experiments, This mechanism makes It possible for tie- observer to remain in his dugout underneath the ground and Inspect terrain with all the advantages of high elevation. Secret Devices Perfected. Other arms of the ordnance service havs been developed concern! which cons'der-a cons'der-a I le secrecy It, hclng observed. The Ordnance Department Is now conduct-ins conduct-ins intensely . i teres ting cxpe''msnts In the development .r liigher grades of powder than were ever u,i Smokeleis powder now make- it Impoasll o. to observe the dlscliarge nihil. -i-v i ile dav!i.-iu Government nnii private chemists are no.r working In an eff.nt lo develop ;i f1ashles powder which will make the discharge of artillery non- nt The whole scheme and purpose of the experiments that ic being conducted is :o build up the highest possible form of weapons of w Book .if that Is t!ie monlll-Ration monlll-Ration of blghlj trained persons In the technique of artillery practice and the plan to mobilise the Industrial interests of the country from manager down (o the hum' 'est workman so thai at a moment's notice And i ii given woid llie-wlrle countr can be turned into a plant for t a manufacture of all forms 'f armv ordnance, it ,s th purpoit of (heaa pstribtJc in- dlvldunls in the army and out of it to tcf it that I hi country wl!l never ,01111 caught in tin- helpless position in which It found itself at tl Itbreak of the world war because of lb. lack or preparedness foi Jimi a I I |