BRITISH GUN POWER.

Marlborough Express, Volume LI, Issue 85, 12 April 1917, Page 6

BRITISH GUN POWER.

STRENGTH ON WEST FRONT.

WORLD'S GREATEST WEAPON.

Among the causes that forced the Germans to retreat from the established lines in France was the British gun power. Writing from British headquarters on January 30, a correspondent said that perhaps the most significant feature of this winter campaign is the increasing strength of the British artillery. The -gunners .have come into their own. Although, the infantry may be trench-bound by stress of weather the batteries behind them continue their1 work of destruction night and day, distributing care-fully-timed munitions with liberality and accuracy, wherever they are likely to vdo the greatest good. The German guns do~ndt attempt to compete with this steady outpouring of shell, and the contrast between their econ- ! omy and British generosity is not lost on the men who suffer from the latter. ..; They complain that their batteries "let them down." Recently there has been renewed activity- at certain points where fche ! British* "heavies" are particularly ag--grpssive, but few of these demonstra-tions.-cau: be compared to our efforts 'in strGnqrtb or accuracy. They are' -welcome, for they ( disturb the enemy s Belwjuit* of shell-hoarding and they force him''to overwork battery-groups that have been-weakened during fys' viiiter season. .Each counterblast Invite's a riore powerful reply, and the ■ result- ofovery duel is the same,; the I British gunners have the last word.

RESERVES MOUNTING UP

The general' policy of the German arfcille'ry experts seems to be to make the, most of. a limited allotment of munitions.. There was a time when British gunners were doled out shells in the same parsimonious manner—: scant daily rations for their hungry guns spread carefully over a fixed period like corn in a time of famine ■^-and'it is comforting to reflect that all the economy is now on other side. There is no.need for weighing the cost of every "shoot." If, you could see the vast, almost incredible, stores of shell safely housed behind every artillery sector, you would realise what the munition workers ol Britain are j doing to help to- win the war. Fresh supplies go eastward from the coast every day, with all the generous expenditure of ammunition required by the present scheme of incessantly pounding the_ invaders, the reserves multiply steadily, and thoro will never be a shortage again. The German desire for economy is not due to a, scarcity of ammunition. Their output, both in Germany and , Belgium, has been greatly increased, but the Somme offensive of the Allies taught them the vital importance of having great stocks in hand, and with characteristic foresight they are endeavoring to cut down the winter expenditure as much as possible.

This desire is shown in a greater discrimination in the selection of ' '.targets.'' Last winter the German batteries ate up shells with the prodigaliiy of a drunken sailor. ' They flung tons of explosives into empty fields, and sent their assorted •missiles wandering aimlessly in a way that could not possibly damage1 their enemies. It was an orgy of hate without 'a .purpose. '■ Now they calculate the possible effect of each day's shell'supply. ! The gunners are forced to us^ the'liron ration" carefully. It is an, encquraging, sign of the times. The permanent batteries are not; allowed to fire without a definite object, and some of them do not fire at all for days. Such tempting targets as Ypres and Arras confcimie to receive their expected portion of German shells, for your German gunner is *a slave to routine, arid the bombardment of a city—or the corpse of a city—is not a habit of which he can be easily broken. But .even these obvious areas of registration are not lashed ]with the old fury of a year ago; Y-pres gets more than Arras, but Ypres is past mending, and. the distinction is without significance.

ENEMY ARTILLERY STILL ■■ ■ " STRONG. ' \As long as their batteries can be searched with the same uncanny accuracy and five shells given for one, the Germans will continue to realise that the scales have turned against them. Yet the German gunners are excellent—make, no mistake about it. A British artillery officer told me the other day that mtin for man, he thought they were as "efficient as in the early days of the war; that, although the infantry shows signs of deterioration—which increase steadily( as the winter "draws to a close— the artillei'y remains capable and effective. Nevertheless, it is no. longer the dominant factor on the Western front.

Slowly and steadily the gun-power of Britain and her Ally; has been in-, creased, until to-day, with new" batteries and still more batteries ever crawling along the roads from the sea to the front, it is the most powerful weapon of its kind in the world. The other day a German battalion headquarters was chased from one set of dug-outs to another, and then to a third, mercilessly pursued by British shells. Our gunners -will tell you that they hope to chase the entire Gei-man army in the same way when at last they have their chance!