Evening Republican, Volume 19, Number 116, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 17 May 1915 — CAPTAIN’S MAIN DUTY NOT TO LEAD CHARGE [ARTICLE]

CAPTAIN’S MAIN DUTY NOT TO LEAD CHARGE

Keeping Men Cheered Up Is the Vital Point, as French Officer Tells It. SOME “SOCIAL EVENINGS” Artillery Lieutenant Ventures to Say the Famous “75” la “of Little Use” —Fire la Too Direct —Surprise Ahead for the Germans.

By GABRIEL DELAGARDE.

(Correspondent Chicago Daily News.) Amiens, France. —He is a captain who comes to Amiens from time to time for a few days of rest. Here he has comfortable quarters, where his wife Impatiently awaits him; in the small village near Albert all he has to go to is a subterranean cabin, the ceiling of which is of earth. This, his permanent residence, is on a crest 500 yards from the enemy. The narrow space, with its wall of clay, measures perhaps four _ yards in length by one in width. Entering and seeing the owner of the place, his back to the wall, a shapeless bundle of animals’ skins, one might imagine, were it not for a telephone in the corner, that one had been carried back to prehistoric times. Sleeps, Eats, Works in Cave. It is here the captain sleeps, eats, writes and gives and receives his orders. It is here that, through the embrasure which overlooks the plain, he constantly surveys the little wood to the left, and, in the distance, those narrow lines of yellow earth, the enemy’s trenches. It is from this cave that he the firing of the French batteries so that their shells will hit the real trenches filled with men, not the counterfeit ones which are masses of earth. A narrow, zigzag passage connects the small hut with the first line trenches. Three or four times a day the captain splashes through It In spite of the trunks of trees, with which the bottom is covered, the wet clay is slippery. “This is why my coat is so threadbare," he says. “Constant brushing of the mud wears away the cloth. And what is more annoying even than falling flat in the elay is being splashed on- the head by wet earth hurled by a shell.” Thus slowly and cautiously one arrives at the advanced trenches. Real Duty of a Leader. “Do you know the most difficult part of a chief’s duty?” the captain asked me. “It is not so much directing a combat At times attacks are rare; we have not had a single one for two months. The real duty of the chief is to sustain the morale of his men; watch over them; talk to them familiarly of their families, their affairs, as it Is that which interests i them most. It is to improve the quality of their food, prepare what I hardly dare call a social evening, when they can drink a cup of tea and eat a few cakes ordered from Amiens. In short, one must be constantly watching them, talking to them, encouraging them. “For instance, recently, one of our sentinels at the entrance to a small wood was killed one night Our patrol found him at the foot of a tree with his throat cut A second sentinel met the same fate. A third likewise. Captain Called to Calm Men. “At once my men became uneasy. What was to be done? No one had heard anything. Sentinels are stationed there at night only, to prevent a surprise In the trenches. They are stationed near an isolated oak. whence they survey the path which is the only outlet practicable through the

growth of shrubs in which the shells have hollowed out unapproachable quagmires and so entangled the branches that even in a high' wind it would be impossible to pass through without making a noise loud enough to attract attention. “I was sent for. To place several sentinels there would be all right but, on the other hand, for these three deaths we were determined to exact payment from the slayer, who probably would not dare attack two or three men at a time.

Refuse to Let Captain Go. "I listened, then said I would go as sentinel. Not one of the men volunteered. They looked at one another searchingly. It was evident they did not wish me to risk my life. Finally they must have cast lots. “Chance selected a sergeant He departed at night I had a searchlight set up, ready to operate, so that he should have light and assistance at the slightest attack. He surrounded himself with a wire netting, mounted on small stakes to which bells were attached. Our lines were a little way back of it. This was how he discovered the ‘boche,’ who had probably arrived by q» fox track, preparing his way during the day, and, when all was ready, cutting the throats of our sentinels. “Next day his cap was raffled off, which is never permissible, but there are times when a rule may be infringed. I had the sergeant proposed for the rank of adjutant.” The captain was thus conversing with me in a case when his orderly entered and asked to speak to him. “Excuse me,” the captain said, after getting the message, “I have to go.” As he departed, his subordinate, a robust, blue-eyed Breton, whose childish figure contrasted with his strong, almost fierce appearance, exclaimed: “For him we would willingly die. Ah, monsieur, the ‘boches’ may do their best; they have no chiefs like ours.” As a matter of fact, I think one could not have gained a better idea of the best type of French officers than from this captain, so full of energy and courage, intolerant of any serious breach of discipline; unforgiving toward cowards certainly, but at the same time thoroughly understanding and ready to excuse certain weaknesses, and constantly endeavoring to lessen them by being thefriend of his men as v*ell as their leader. And is it not a slight but sure proof of his influence that he Is dressed as they are, neglecting the prestige of his uniform, just as he eats, sleeps and dirties himself as they do? 202 Days Without Undressing. An artillery lieutenant, with whom I talked, mingled most Interesting speculative reflections with amusing recollections of his life at front. After having explained to me the difference between percussion shells, which explode on striking an obstacle, and fuse shells, which burst in the all., at regulated distances, he confessed to me while consulting a small calendar that he was much pleased when shower baths were finally installed his trench. They were wonderful*’ subterranean. establishments, he said. “And I assure you," he added, "they seemed very comfortable, as I had been exactly 202 days without undressing once, sleeping always in the same barn, in my same hole* in the hay.” ‘ Dares to Criticize the Famous 75. Suddenly he changed, the subject. And as a variation from the usual French attitude, he actually criticized the famous 75-millimeter guns. “Much trouble has been taken for nothing," he said. “The 75 is a good cannon, but it was created too exclusively for direct firing. In fact, in this war, where one has to hit men hidden behind obstacles, it is of little use. What is needed is a means of throwing projectiles which, after describing a widely curved trajectory, will fall on the heads of the occupants of the trenches, without first striking the trench walls. “That is why we have bomb slingers, which do not carry farther than 200 or 300 yards at most and the howitzers and mortar pieces, which must not be confused with the cannon. The

cannon are long and narrow and ak moat horizontal when firing. The howitzers. which fire at angles of more than 30 degrees, and the mortar pieces, which at even greater angles fire heavy projectiles loaded with enormous explosives intended to crush such things as cupolas of forts, are short and massive and stand almost vertically. Why Gome Guns Are Short. "By the way, do you know the reason for tlje difference in the lengths of artillery pieces? For instance, the 305-millimeter Austrian howitzer, a very short gun, fires a greater charge of powder than the French marine gun of equal caliber, which is 12 yards long?” I had never tried to find the reason of this difference. "And yet ft is very simple,” the lieutenant said. "The marine gun Is designed to £re the shell at its maxi* mum speed, so the combustion of the powder must be complete before the nrojectlle leaves the barrel. This requires a fraction of a* second, during wnlch the shell covers exactly 12 yards—the length of the piece.- This will give you an idea of how difficult it is to make the exact calculations necessary in the operating of these destructive machines. Thus, when the combustion is complete, the pressure developed by the gases is also maximum. As a long trajectory is not required of the howitzer and mortar piece, It Is not necessary to have a barrel of this length, which Is inconvenient. Surprise Ahead for Germans. “The largest mortar, as you know, is the famous 42-centimeter. The huge guns of this caliber have all the same drawback; they are difficult to handle. It is almost useless to think of transporting them by anything but rail. "And I may tell you, we have no longer any reason to envy the Germans. Right now, in France, we have achieved the construction of mortar pieces still more powerful, which, for our adversaries, will be a cruel revelation the day they are brought out ready to fire.” As the officer did not wish to tell me more on this subject, I spoke to him again of his life in the trenches, and he humorously related how, on the parapet facing the enemy, his soldiers had planted radishes, which grew very well. "Come and pay us a visit,” he said, “and you can gather them under the noses of the ‘boches.’ And you will see that the presence of the Germans gives them a very special flavor.”