A WAR DICTIONARY.

Auckland Star, Volume XLVII, Issue 7, 8 January 1916, Page 9

A WAR DICTIONARY.

SIMPLE EXPLANATIONS. CUT THIS OUT AND KEEP FOR REFERENCE. A "sI I " A , IRCRArr G UNS.-Guns on a special mounting permitting them to be fired at a sharp angle and with fh~ e t The Ge ™a.ns claim that they have guns of this .pattern which will throw a shell over 25.000 feet in the air ASPHYXIATING GAS.-CMorine, a Heavy yellow gas, intensely poisonous discharged from steel cylinders in ,™» >t has been compressed. AUTOMATIC RIFLE.-A rifle which reloads itself automatically by the force of the recoil or the gas produced ibv the discharge. It is fired from the shoulder, whereas the machine gun is used on a light carriage or tripod The enemy are said to be arming snipers •with automatic rifles. BATTALION.-A unit of infantry, usually 1000 strong, and divided into four companies each of 250 men. BATTERY.—Means-1. A number of guns placed in position to attack an enemy. 2. A unit of artillery generally consisting of 6 (or in the"French Army 4) guns. BATTLE-PLANE.-A large aeroplane carrying a gun armament (generally a machine gun, but occasionally a small piece of artillery). BOMB.—Generally used for a projectile thrown by hand, containing high explosives, also known as grenades. Bombs dropped from aircraft may be of large size even so much as 5001b in weight. BOMB-PROOF.—A shelter similar to or the same as a dug-out, in the earth below the surface; the roof may be strengthened with 6teel armour or concrete to resist heavy 6hells. BRIDGE-HEAD.—A fortified work protecting the end of a bridge. All the ■German bridges over the Rhine are defended by very strong -works of this character on the western bank. BRIGADE—In the British Army, for the infantry, has a strength of 4000; in the German and most Continental armies of 6000.

CADRE.—A nucleus of trained officers, sergeants, and corporals, which in war may be expanded into a regiment of infantry or a force of artillery. CALIBRE.—Bore or diameter of a gun or eheU. Thus a "75" is a gun of 75 millimetres bore (firing shells of that diameter), or about 3in. ,An ISm howitzer is a howitzer firing shells ISm in diameter. CHASSEUR.—A rifleman or light infantryman. CHEVAUX DE FRISE.—An obstruction in the shape of a beam which has spikes in it projecting towards the enemy; it is used to close breaches or passages in the trenches; the term is also applied to rows of iron spikes, sometimes so arranged as to revolve, on the tops of parapets or walla. COMMUNIQUE- -r- A . communication, foirab #ffieiat--i;^p6ft r or statement. COMPANY.—One-fourth of a battalion oi infantry, or 240 to 250 men. CONSOLIDATE A POSITION, TO.—To re-arrange the defences of a captured position, place fresh barbed-wire entanglements about it, and alter it co that it can be held against a counterattack. CORPS.—An army corps is a body of troops, Infantry, artillery, and cavalry, usually numbering from 35,000 to 50,000 men, with 110 to 150 guns. CUPOLA. —A turret with armour containing a gun or machine gun. CURTAIN OF FIRE.—Is when a large number of guns so direct their shells as to cut off the enemy's approach or retreat by a line of shells descending steadily in his front or rear. A curtain of shells is generally used in the attack on first-line trenches to prevent the arrival of supports. D DIVISION. —A smaller body of troops than an army corps, usually containing infantry and artillery, with a strength of about IS,OOO, men. DUG-OUT. —A shelter in the trenches, below the level of the earth, out of which it is dug. lien take refuge in it during a bombardment, and live in ! it when not required for the defence of the trenches. DUG-OUT is also used in the Army and Navy of retired officers who have been taken or "dug-out" of retirement and employed on active duty. ECHELON.—Bodies of troops are said to be en echelon when they occupy positions behind or in advance of the other flank, just as the black or white squares follow each other diagonally I across a chess-board. EMPLACEMENT—A position, usually in the trenches, or separately entrenched, for a gun or machine gun. ENFILADE. —Is to scour with fire the whole length of a work or line of men. To prevent trenches from being enfiladed by an enemy who has reached one or other end they are usually made of curved form, with obstacles to enfilading fire in the shape of Traverses. F FASCINES.— Faggots or bundles of sticks bound together and used for constructing earthworks, building saps, and filling ditches or obstacles. FLANK.-—The extremity of a line of troops or of positions. FL \RE —A form of rocket, usually fired from a patent type of pistol, which a yes a very bright light and enables men in the trenches to see at night what tlie enemy is doing. FUSE— The mechanism by which shells are'exploded. A Percussion Fuse detonates the shell when the noee stakes the ground, the shock firing the cap in the fuse, and the flame travelling ; to the charge in the shell. A Time Fuse detonates the shell a certain number of seconds or fractions 01 a second after the shell has left the gun. ; The shock of firing is made to ignite a slow-burning composition in the fuse; after a certain time, which can be varied according as a screw in the nose of the shell is set by the gunners, the J flame in the composition reaches the charge in the shell and explodes.it. Many shells and shrapnel have both a J time" and percussion cap.

GENERAL STAFF.—A body of officers carefully selected before war to study the problems of war and their best solution; employed during war in the management of Ore Army, the execution of the orders given by the com-mander-in-chief, and the systematisation of information concerning the enemy's strength, plans, and movementr ,

GLACIS.—The smooth slope outside .' line of trenches or fortifications, whicl is cleared, as far as possible, of al shelter for the enemy, sp as to give •■ good field of fire from the trenches o; fortifications. GRENADES.— Bombs or small projectile; thrown by hand, containing high ex plosive, which is fired cither by j time or percussion fuse. GKENADIER.-In each modern Britist battalion, as in Marlborough's day, ;. certain number of men are told off tc use bombs or grenades and specially in structed for that purpose. H. HEAVY ARTILLEBY.-Applied to thos< guns and howitzers which cannot eas ily accompany troops over country in the German Army 6in., Bin., llin and 17in. howitzers, and 6in. and heavier guns. HIGH EXPLOSIVES. - Explosives oi greater power than those used in guns ior propelling projectiles. The best Known are lyddite and melinite, both of which are made by treating carbolic acid with nitric acid, and trinitrotoluol, made by treating toluol, which is obtained from coal in the manufaem™£L cokti or S , "* witu acid. HIGH-EXPLOSIVE SHELL. - A shell with thick steel walls containing a charge of high explosive, such as lyddite, melinite, or trinitrotoluol. The P > ?," ' S veT * v i°lent, shattering the shell into many pieces and destroying everything near.. Of use against buildings and fortifications. HOLDING ATTACK.-An attack which is meant to hold the enemy on the front attacked and prevent him from Ing mtm to other Points. HOWITZER. A short, squat gun which tosses its sheik high in the air so that they fall or. the enemy at a steep - angt. The fire of such guns is most offensive against trenches and forts. Howitzers are of all 6izeS) from the 4Sm eM HoWitzer t0 «» !«»-. which throws a shell of over 2,0001b v I^w'h T \ YE - The ! <juam y in >«*«*» knowing the object of the general, goes boyond his verbal orders dLtS n that ° bJeCt ' ° r intel^tly J JAEGER.—A rifleman or light infantryLACHRYMATORY SHELLS.-A type of shell •which on bursting blinds those near it whom it does not kill LAZARET.—A hospital LEFT BANK OF A RIVER,_I 3 to the leit coming down stream from the source to the sea, LLFT-— A technical artillery term, meaning to raise the angle of the guns firing so as to throw the shells further a-way. Thus during an attack the guns shell the enemy's trenches; when the storming line reaches the trenchea the guns lift or throw their projectiles farther back, to avoid hitting their own men and prevent the approach of enemy reinforcements. LISTENIKG-POST.-A post, as near as possible to the enemy's lines, in advance of the trenches" where men are stationed at night to guard against surprise, and, if possible, hear what the enemy is doing. M -MACHINE GUN.—A,,gun irchwh. Xirce ; rifle ammunition, , automatically, < the recoil or gas produced by each discharge mechanically reloading the gun and discharging it if tho trigger is held back. A good machine gun can fire 000 rounds a minute. MILLIMETRE.—Ten millimetres or one centimetre equal two-fifths of an inch MINE-GALLERY.-!* a. tunnel under the ground leading to a mine or eerice of mines. Bach of these mines, when a serious attack is being mado on an enemy's position, may contain a ton or more of high explosive. MINENWERFER OR TRENCH MORTAR.—A small emooth-bore gun lor throwing a large shell a very dhort distance, used in trench fightin" MITRAILLEUSE. —An old-fashioned word for machine gun. MOBILISE.—To raise on army from the peace to the war footing. MORTAR—A very short gun for hizhangle fire, generally not rifled, and thus differing from a howitzer. O OUTFLANK.-To get round the extremity of a line of troops so as to attack them by enfilading, fire and threatening fcheir rear. P PARAPET.—A breastwork protecting troops. PAKK.—In technical military language means a collection of wheeled vehicles —gune, wagons, or motor-care. PLATOON—One-fourth of a company of infantry, or. 60 men. riOX\EEE—Troops who remove obstacles, clear roads, dig trenches, and construct camps or entanglements. In the British Army this work is usually carried out by engineers; though pioneer battalions have been raised in this war. POINT D'APPUI—A fortified position of special strength in a line of trenches or defences, such as a stout building loopholed and strengthened with concrete. Q QUICK-FIRER—An old-fashioned word for a modern gun, meaning a gun which firea rapidly 9 or 10 or even 20 rounds a minute. R RAMPART —The embankment of earth surrounding a fort or entrenched position. RKOOUBT—An earthwork, which is completely enclosed, such as the Hohenzollern Redoubt on Hill 70. This is almost square and can resist attack from the rear. Such earthworks are surrounded with elaborate entanglements of barbed wire and generally contain armoured shelters, mounting

machine-gune, and dug-outs or bombproofs to give shelter during a bombardment. RE-ENTRANT—Is an angle in a position the point or apex of which is directed inwards towards the interior of the position. REGIMENT—Of infantry usually consists of 3 or 4 battalions, or 3,000 or 4,000 men; of cavalry usually consists of 3 or 4 squadrons. RESERVE, IN—Troops in reserve are not actually engaged with the enemy, but are kept as far as possible under shelter to complete a victory or prevent disaster in case of a defeat. EICOCHET —When a shell or bullet glances or rebounds it is said to ricoBIGHT BANK OF RIVER—Is to the right coming down stream from the source of the river to the sea. S SAP —Is a trench running out towards the enemy's position. It usually shows on the map as a zig-zag, the object of this zigzagging being to prevent the enemy from sweeping or enfilading it with fire, as he certainly would if it were carried straight out towards him. The work of carrying out a sap is one of the most hazardous in which troops eat engage.

SAP-HEAD—The end or termination towards the enemy of such a sap. SALIENT—Is an angle in a position the point or apex of which jute out from the postion. A salient is difficult to hold because it will usually be swept by a cross-fire. SECTOR—A portion of a front; strictly speaking that part of a circle which is bounded by two radii and the part of the circumference between them. "SEVENTY-FIVE"—The French field gun of 75 millimetres calibre, or about 3m. SHRAPNEL—A kind of shell with a thin case containing a large number of bullets and a bursting charge. The charge is exploded in front of the enemy when the bullets scatter with the velocity with which the shrapnel was moving. Shrapnel are only used against infantry in the open or very slightly entrenched. SNIPER—A sharpshooter who lies in wait for any individual of the enemy that may venture to show himself and shoots at him—generally hits him. SQUADRON.—A force of from 100 to 180 cavalry. SUPPORTS.—A body of men who are held ready to remove to the aid of the men in the outer lines of trenches when the enemy attack, or to assist the advanced line in making an attack. T. TAMP.—To beat down earth upon a charge of explosive in a hole or tunnel. If the charge is not stamped much of its force is lost through passing out of the hole or tunnel. TRENCH—FIRST LINE.—Is the uppermoet line of trenches in the position defended. The trench may be a shallow excavation in the earth with the soil removed thrown in front, bo as to shelter men lying down against rifle fire, or an elaborate work, excavated deeply, with protection for the heads of the men firing, known as Headcover. In many of the German trenches concrete and steel armour are employed to give security against shells. TRENCH—SECONTD LINE.—Is an inner series of trenches where Supports are usually kept or bodies of men ready to go to the aid of the men in the first-line trenches when the enemy attacks. TRENCH—THIRD LINE.—Are tho inmost series of trenches, as usually there are not more than three distinct lines in the defences of any position or front. The German third-line trenches on the British and French front are reported to be of immense strength. TRENCH-COMMUNICATION. - A line of earthworks or a tunnel or passage in the earth by which the first, eccond or third-line trenches are reached and which gives men moving along it shelter against hostile fire. TRENCH MORTAR.—A small smoothbore gun for throwing a large ehell a very short distance used in trench fighting. U. JNIT.—An organised military force of a certain size, as a platoon (60), a company (240), a battalion (1,000) men, etc. W. WEIGHT OF SHELLS. — The following table is only approximate as the weight varies in different armies or with different patterns of guns: — 3in., 12 or 141b.; 4.5 in., 301b.; 4.7 in., 501b.; 6in., 1001b.; Bin., 2501b.; 10in., 5001b.; 11 in., 7501b.; 12in., 8001b.; 16in 1.5001b.-, 17in., 1,7001b.; 18in., 2,0001b.