Page:The New International Encyclopædia 1st ed. v. 07.djvu/646

* FIELD ARTILLERY. 588 FIELD ARTILLERY. shots per minute against the four of which the guns were formerly capable. The Hotchkisa machine gun, having proved satisfactory in recent lias been adopted, and eight of these weapons were purchased and issued to the troops in 1900. The new field gun (calibre 75 mm. — 3 inches), whose details may be seen in the table which follows, is on the Cockerill-Nordenfeldt system, and is considered a very powerful weapon. The Vickers-Maxim 15-pounders have also been adopted. For curved fire, mortars of 15 cm. (about 6 inches) and 9 cm (3.5 inches) are used. ENGLAND. The field-artillery gun is the 15- pounder breech-loader, calibre 3 inches. The five-inch howitzers fire shrapnel and shell with lyddite bursting charges. The English quick- firing guns are the 4.7-inch, 12-pounder, im- pounder, 3-pounder (Hotchkiss-Nordenfeldt). All batteries of field and horse artillery are being converted as quickly as possible to a quick-firing Bystem. The new guns adopted are the Vickers- Maxim. England had in 1900 in the home estab- lishment 18 batteries of horse artillery, 14 batter- ies of field artillery, 4 batteries of mountain artillery, and 83 companies of garrison artil- lery, the entire force consisting of 1473 officers and 37,512 men. total 38,935. In the Indian establishment she had 11 batteries of horse artil- lery, 42 batteries of field artillery, 8 batteries of mountain artillery, and 27 companies of gar- rison artillery, consisting of 487 officers and 12,- 912 men; total, 13,399; aggregate, 52,384. France has been making great financial sacri- fices to perfect her field artillery. The 75-mm. (3-inch) rapid-fire gun (Puteaux gun) has been issued to all the field batteries. This weapon is said to have tremendous ballistic power, and to stand at the head of all field guns. More than 300,000,000 francs were expended in replacing the 80-mm. (3-inch) and 90-mm. (3.5- inch) De Bange guns by the new material. In this gm France is said to have a field gun of greater rapidity of fire than that of any other nation. This rapidity of fire is secured by the automatic return of the gun to firing position by a compressed-air or a spring cylinder, which ob- viates the necessity of repointing. Fifteen shots per minute may be delivered by the two men required to work the gun. The man on the left loada or serves the piece, the one on the right aims and fires il. both being protected by a shield from small-arm fire. A melinite shell is used for inanimate targets and a shrapnel, containing 300 balls, against troops, each piece carrying 92 shell and 64 Bhrapnel. Two other new guns have also been recently adopted, the short 120-mm. (4.7-inch) and the short 155-mm. (6-inch) light pieces, both for use against intrenched positions. There are in the French artillery 3048 Held guns, or 5.17 guns per 1000 men ill the army. The war trength of the French "field battery is I offi eers anil ISO enlisted men. Hi:! horses, 6 guns. '.) ammunition wagons, and 12 other vehicles. In 1900 there were lo regiments of Held artillery, with 3220 officers and 53,932 men. and African batteries with til officers and 3121 men. Germany. It is only a few year- since the Held artillery of the German Empire u:is reorganized, and yet in 1903 still another reor- ganization was in progress, .-is new held guns. calibre 77 nun. i :i inches), and some new pieces lire had been adopted shortlj bel When (his reorganization is completed one eighth of the field artillery of Germany will he armed with a field howitzer, each army corps bav- in- a group of three such batteries formed into a regiment with the field artillery of the corps. This howitzer has a calibre of 10.5 cm. (4.1 inches), and weighs slightly more than the regu- lar field gun. A high explosive torpedo shell with thick walls made of steel, weighing 16% pounds, has been adopted for use against troops under cover. This shell has a bursting charge of six ounces of 'Granatfiilling,' and gives about 500 fragments. Each battery carries 885 rounds, of which 17 per cent. (150) are torpedo shell. Germany had, in 1900, 105 regiments of artillery, consisting of 3852 officers and 88,619 men. They hail at tile same time 3444 guns, which is 6.13 guns per 1000 men in the army. In 1901 they elded 19 field batteries and provided 10 Jiiger or rille battalions and two infantry regiments with automatic machine guns. Italy. The field artillery comprises 872 guns, or 3.93 guns per 1000 men in the army. The former 7-cm. (2.7-inch) and 9-cm. (3.5-inch) guns are being replaced by the new rapid-fire gun. In 1900 there was appropriated 15,500,000 francs for replacing the 7-cm. gun only, the 9-cm. being temporarily continued in the service. In 1901 there was further appropriated the sum of 60,- 000,000 francs for field and mountain artillery. The 90 light batteries were ordered to be armed with the new 77-mm. steel gun before the end of 1902, bronze having finally been abandoned for steel. The new gun is of the usual modern pat- tern with a rigid carriage, elastic trail spade and wheel-brake, used both for firing and on the road. For curved fire the Italians use a mortar, calibre 8.7 cm. (3.4 inches), made of compressed bronze, weighing 242 V» pounds, and carried on mule-back. They also employ for the same pur- pose a torpedo shell weighing 19 pounds and containing four pounds of 'eversite' (a picric acid explosive). The carriage for this gun weighs 275 pounds. The 9-cm. field gun is also provided with varying charges and used for curved fire. In 1900 there were 24 regiments of field artillery. Japan has 13 regiments (117 batteries) of field artillery, each composed of 1223 men and 1495 horses. Guns of the latest Italian pattern with shields of the last model are used. There is also a new quick-firing gun. designed by Colonel Krisah of the Japanese army, and manufactured for Japan by Krupp. For curved fire a Krupp howitzer with a projectile weighing about 79 pounds is used. There are als.i six regiments of siege and garrison artillery in the Japanese establishment. Japan could send into the field, with her 140,000 men. 37(1 guns, leaving behind enough for the defense of the mother country. Russia. The field artillery in 190H consisted of llil Held batteries, 15 mountain batteries, 30 horse batteries, 21 Cossack horse batteries, 27 howitzer batteries ( (i guns each), and 5 sortie batteries. The garrison artillery consisted ■ if 56 fortress battalions, 75 firing parks, and Ifi companies; aggregate personnel, 5430 officers and 1 19,600 men. The Held artillery has 3191 uniis. being 3.51 guns per looo men in the army. the field artillery was reorganized in 1895, both as to personnel and material. The prime mover in this transformation was Lieutenant-General En gelhardt, and the reorganization of the material was confined to modifications of the old systems. Russia was said to have ordered in 1900, moo