DEFENCE NOTES.

Dominion, Volume 1, Issue 301, 14 September 1908, Page 11

DEFENCE NOTES.

• ' (By Echeion.) "The Russo-Japanese War." Reports from British Officers on the Field. • Published by the General Staff. Threo vols, and maps. I have studied, with very great interest, two. articles which recently appeared in tho London" Standard" with reference to tho above . book. In. tho first article this book was roviewed as'a chronicle of military history; arid, generally speaking, offers nothing that is now about this oft-discussed struggle. The, second, article,'however,, contains somo interesting .excerpts from the book.) Hero is something for the artilleryman, for example... By way.of preface, the Standard " observes: — A somewhafj, acrimonious discussion has been>in progress on the subject of artillery and;its training, one sido in which has been taken' by. most of our leading soldiers and artillery;'experts, while the opposition : can boast of tho support of:-.the Secretary of State for. War; one'or two of tho leading military writers, numerous amateur strategists, and sblne youthful politicians. ' The reports, from Manchuria afford some remarkable reading on this subject. For example:— " 'The Japanese aft Wa-Fang-Kon (Telissu) owed their victory .really to -their artillery, which' shows.how "essential It is -to have that arm .vei-y. highly*itpniiefl. Instead..,of considering tha...moril'feffect of artillery as being its prime factor, and its iphysical .effect as a ' second factor,- -.' ."J in : 1 .am convinced ■, that 'artillery can, in great battles, be made to play,.the decisive role sometimes, and a very important lono.ialways, a belief which applies to as.welj' as to heavier types of field ; gunfe. J ; • ' /.v.'';'"' '-. '•! *' '.Formerly it-~*vas' the -I, custom to regard the role of.':;artillery. ■in a ,':bat'tle being chiefly preparatory',"or; subsidiary, to infantry. . I oonfess that,' although • I 'was .by training an artillery, officer,tfl used'to : think that tho physical 'effect, of'field artillery would not bo i very great •: througlwut A: campaign; -But I had not then had ithe numerous opportune, ties which have since been vouchsafed to me of being' with troops subjected to ,a violent and'. well-directed artillery fire. ' By the light of my. "'new ,1' can see no Season : why'"artillery -shohlfl not be often the decisive factor, and it f certainly ' was at Telissu on /June 15.. .VjAlthough throughout tho campaign a large proportion of Japanese shrapnel burst toothigh, too. short,-or too far, it was.iihpossibW ; t,p'avoid noticing thoir general accuracy, .and;l ii.magine that such excellent have been attained by constant'practice in-time of peace. Theoretically, the.'Russian " quick-firing artillery 'at Telissu ought to have crushed the Japanese batterieg; which were not so armed, and were inferior'to'tbe Russian guns. But, instead of this,-the Japanese artillery practically won the battle, and gained a decisive .victory. ■ " '. v; , "'1 have come.to,the conclusion that there - is a'great.fifture for powerful,;' mobile .artij-. lery employing 1 - long-range, indirect shrapnel fire. The enqmjfnjay -not'be. able for,a long time to locate the.-positions whence it comes. . To: ; mako really good use 6f siich artillery,' muoh shooting will bo necessary in time of peaco! .This, however, would be truo economy in . the''end, because thero would be then much ;less , useless, of costly-ammunitiph-in battles." ''Here,", continues .-.'tho , " Standard," "we have a.direct analogy to.what would be the- position of our own Territorial artillery in war. The -Russian artillery was scarcely trained in peace time. ' They possessed a superior .the Japanese, but v were unskilled in its use. The. Japanese, armed with . an inferior." weapon, superbly handled, and manoeuvred with marked excellence, continu-. ally asserted, their superiority in this decisive arm; and. in many .instances, .notably at the battle": of; the Yalu, annihilated great numbers ofi'tbe enemy's : more.powerful artillery. .' Not-only. in - the artillery preparation' was the immense value of the highly-trained • artillery continually made apparent, but; as., affording protection .for attacking infantry' it may- be .said "that ,tl\e : .JapanesejVaitillery,-, ilone made..- their. victorious frontal < attacks i, possible. The i reports from both-sides con-, cerning .tho of Nan-Shan: make strong referonce to'-thiY factj- corroborating the late ' Colonel Henderson's maxim that 4 cover by fire is preferable to cover from ground.' It is only. fair .to note that in the later battles of the war their constant practice had enabled the_ Rusian gunners to make better nse of their weapons, though they were never able to make 'good the disadvantage to which,' they had by their' iSerioirity in peace-time . training.-" Before July of next year there will be many ■changes iu shooting, and. among them, will probably bo' the permanent, adoption, of ,tho unrivalled aperture', sight as 'used ' .by the ' Americans,' and, let us hope, remarks the "Standard,!'', a better, ammunition, for, .as We stand, onr marksmen are handicapped by inferior equipment. The bull's-eye controversy will;also have settled down by then. It is generally agreed by Regulars and .Terri-" torials. that the; War Office condemnation of the bull's-eye is an.extremist measure which the conditions of this country cannot' support in practice.-; Field servico shooting is tho ideal '; that'should govern, all musketry training, but to extend this'order to private and spare-time ■ shooting would-be, and so far has been, very harmful ; Tho human! and material .points of. the subject have been overlooked in supporting- the ideal. The. Army has emphatically condemhed tho recent War- Office- circularvby declining adequate! support for its chief competitions, and- as: soon' as the authorities strike the proper medium: between bull's-eyo shooting and "war" targets—a judicious, blend of the-two ■ is- the ideal—the general support the Army rind the -Territorial Force will- return to them. ■ It i is. stated that " "the "Ross" rifle,' which,;:achieved such .rpmarkablo results at tho fecent,.'Bisley meeting, and,.which is .being adopted as service;fifle for the Canadian troops, Jii^the'first, instance, offered to tno British' .Government,, but was rejected:/. Sir Frederick -Borden, Canadian Minister for. Jiilitia-,--reporting upon' a recent visit to pmp lit Niagara; states that all the: musketry- practice this year-"is being carried'out jtvith the -"Ross." At Niagara, wheTe- 600Q- ; troops were' assembled, a better average in shooting had been reached : ..than' ; The; Minister announces that as. soon-as the new bayonets', have been delivered/, the Lee-Enfield rifles will be recalled], and' the "Ross" substituted throughout 'the whole of the Canadian' Militia. .' Colonel- Schjimapher, .who presented the enp for. tho Empire Day match, has under- '. taken, to,guarantee, in addition to thetrophy, tho -nlonpy prizes for the next two, yearis. '' i -- . - ; ■ - . UNDER : / The officers ofithe-Wellington Volnnteer Rifle . Association are now-under new managoment. 'The transfer'of authority was effected m'ost.'K'armtftiionsly. -When 1 the' 'men held their annual- meeting • some tinfo' ago there was a Mheral tlesiro expressed that the officers. should take over tho management. This desire was duly considered "at a meeting of tho 'Wellington Garrison, officers, , held on September 4,r when it was-unanimously:; rosolved:—'■'That as the Wellington District Volunteer Rifle Association is now defunct the ofiicors,;bf, the .Wellington Garrison tako . over tlie ass'etir and liabilities of that as30<ji litioil.. anil undertake to conduct rifle competition;; in the district proviously governed the lute nssoeiAiion." A 'strong r.'unUhittee was elected to carry out tjhc work of the now organisation. Tho committee liiet.nn Thursday evening last at the Garrison llall.' Lieutenant J. G..Roacho was clectcd secretury, and Lieutenant Bolton treasurer.'; Lieutenant Simeon was added to the committee."' The first competition of tho series : for the Garrison Shield was fixed for October 31 next; . Competitors may shoot in mufti. An ofiicers' match, was arranged for the opening day of tho shooting season. It was also decided, that the annual meeting bo open to all members of tho Defcnco Forces as defined in the rules of tho : New Zealand Defence Forces Rifle Association. The members of tho now organisation aro keen and enthusiastic, and hope' to arouso tho practical interest of leading 1 citizens in promoting rifle shooting. ,