Evening Republican, Volume 21, Number 248, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 22 October 1918 — TEUTON SHELLS ARE BAD [ARTICLE]

TEUTON SHELLS ARE BAD

From 50 to 70 Per Cent Fail to Explode. During Marne Retreat the Germans Used Old Btuff to Keep Up Morale. With the American Army in France. —American artillery officers estimated recently that at certain stages of the German retreat north of the Marne from 50 to 70 per cent of the shells fired by the enemy failed to explode. One night, after the Germans crossed Pie Vesle the enemy fired 72 shells of large caliber Into a wooded tract where American troops were supposed to be quartered and artillery experts of one of the divisions engaged reported that only four of these shells bad exploded. None of the American officers suggested that the German shells were de- • ■- ‘ N : v .

teriorating. There had been day after day of rain during the retreat, and It was believed possible that In the withdrawal the Germans had not been able to take the usual precautions against dampness, the result being that many projectiles from some of the big guns failed to do anything more than strike the earth with a thud. Oae officer suggested that possibly the Germans had been firing old shells rather than no shells at all, the officers realizing that only a few of them were exploding, but preferring to keep the big guns pounding away merely- in an effort to keep np the morale of the, men putting dp the rfiar-guard fight. The average number of faulty shells Is generally from 2 to 6 per cent.