MOBILIZED SCIENCE IN FRANCE

Dominion, Volume 11, Issue 79, 27 December 1917, Page 6

MOBILIZED SCIENCE IN FRANCE

REMARKABLE WAR INVENTIONS

We all know, in a general way, that the military applications of scienco in the present world struggle were Humorous beyond precedent. Details, however, were lacking until recently. The scientific achievements of the warring forces were apparently regardedasmilitary secrets, and wo had quite reconcjled ourselves .to waiting until hostilities were over for most of tho interesting information on this subject. Hence it is with grateful surprise, remarks the American "Keview of Reviews," that'we read a brief article in the "Scientific Monthly" by Dr. G. K. Burgess, of the United States Bureau of Standards, in which the author, justfback from an official journey abroad, presents some of the most impressive facts that he, gleaned in his very intimate inspection of French science applied to warfare. He says: "Our mission had extraordinary if not unique opportunities for close observation of all the aspects of science in warfare, not only from many interviews, visits to laboratories, manufacturing plants, and technical ministerial bureaux, but also from inspection at the fronts of the French and British armies of the organisation, application, and actual operation of the scientific and technical services, all of which were shown and explained to the most i minute detail.

"The most striking impression brought home is one of unity of purpose, perfect idaptation and co-ordin-ation of the several branches, a harmonious whole, in fact, made up of separate and often highly _ intricate parts constituting an organisation in which all the sciences and their applications blend into one, which is focused by the admirably trained technical and staff officers on the sole object of destroying the enemy. The French traits of individuality, initiative, and self-reliance aro, however, in no senso lessened or dulled by this co-opera-tion." '

Every branch of science is pressed into service, often in ways that even military exports would hardly have thought of hefor" the present war.

"The meteorologist is listened to w.t'i attention bv *ho Great Headquarters, as was the astrologer of yore, before an extensive offensive is undertaken; and the geologist is consulted for information as to where to halt and dig in, where shelters may be safely built and as to the probability of underground waters. Even the astronomer's services are considered of great importance, for example, in the preparation or_ new artillery tables and maps, the improvement and invention of instruments, which differ but slightly in principle, however much they may differ in the nature of their use, from those with which he is familiar. Again, the statistician is a most valuable person when an offensive is being planned. Also the mathematician France, at least, has found indispensable, for in the person of M. Painleve he Bits at the head of them all as Minister of War, whose civil, technical staff is largely made vp of eminent members of the same profession." Nearly all branches of physics are applied to military problems, • and of those applications some of the most remarkable pertain to acoustics; a department of knowledge that, only yesterday, was hardly thought of at all by military men.

"One of the most highly developed is the location of enemy guns, concerning : the details of which a volume could be written; suffice it to say that in the French armies there are several systems in use, all of which will locate to within a few yards an enemy battery at ten or twenty kilometers, indii cate the calibre of the guns, difforenti- ' ate between the sounds of discharge, flight through the air and bursting, and record each and every separate shot, and the snot from which the shot was fired may under certain condition", be located. "There hare been developed several fnceninns listening" devices built on entirely different acoustical principle for use in mine. warfare, bv means of which enemy mining operations may be exactly located. Again for the location of sounds in the air, especiallv useful, for example, in locating airplanes at night, several new types of sound apparatus of extreme sensitiveness are in use. For submarine detention, some of the most promising methods for further improvement arc based on the use of still other sound detecting devices. Wdnderfullv powerful megaphones for use in battle have also been developed. "In the photography and the technique of photographic map making there have been great improvements, brought, about directly by military necessity, especially in aerial photography apparatus and interpretation. There are at. th» front schools for training balloon observers, who have to reconstruct maps from their perspective photographs : certain of the aviators are similarly trained, although the making of maps from.the photos thev take is mainly the work of a special branch of the service. The art of _ map making from photographs, as carried out at the front, is practically a new branch requiring exeat skill, and is evidently of the first importance, as oftentimes the success of an offensive is largely dependent upon the quality of this work. 'These special services, for which there are schools, are recruited fiom the aTpiy byi competitive-examinations, thus nntomatically obtaining the personnel best adapted. "As would be expected there bare tfeen not a few advances made in Ppnlications of electricity, especially wireless apparatus and methods, signalling and listening devices. There may be, for example, during a battle more than 1500 separate wireless stations sending messages simultaneously; provision is successfully made for preventing interference and sorting ont this great mass of signals so as to' avoid confusion. Portable wireless outfits are supplied bv the tens of thousands—requiring for tbe construction. of these instruments alone a veritable army of skilled mechanics."

I The military applications of ohoTnistry are already somewhat familiar to tlir> public. Their macnitude may bo judged by the fact, among others. tb.it there are in Franco some twenty-.nve distinct laboratories engaged in nitrogen fixation alone. "Turning now to meteorology, what has tho weather man to do with vnrP He, too. nl-ivs a ennitnl rol" With his sounding balloons he keens Hie trnnns informed as to when n gas attack mar be "xpeeted and when it would be profitable to start one: the artillery depend on him for data to calculate important corrections, as for wind, humidity, pressure, and temperature and nnner air conditions in sightrn" +'>"ir gnns: the aviators as to prevailing winds, especially htth up, and for <rcn.eral weather conditions: the balloon men keep in close touch with him. and even the transport service dej)ends upon him for advance information as to muddy roads; headquarters relies upon him for knowledge of impending foa or rain/ and other chancres—the rnvthsr man has a vprv h"avv rp.snvusibility in helping to decide the most propitious moment for an attack on a grand scale, and if his forcenst is erroneous, disaster may result. There in a special meteorological service—in fact there are two in addition to the regular sarvice of pence times—attached to; the French armies and linked to the British." Dr. Burgess gives abundant details,.

which we have not space to quote, regarding the almost incredible precision of artillery lire an now conducted, with the efficient aid- of numerous branches of tfiqnce. hi aviation, improvements are being made almost daily. All branches of military engineering aro developing at a wonderful rate. Military medicine, surgery and sanitation are outsido the writer's province and are barely mentioned. Trench warfare "has evolved a host of new industries and appliances.

"Gas warfare alone is based on what is literally a stupendous industry requiring tho employment of chemists and other scientifically trained men on a great scale. Again there are laigo and very active laboratories maintained for the examination of enemy munitions and appliances of all kinds, and for the development of new and improved types. "A matter of vital importance is maintaining the quality and standards of the munitions supply, and this is done only by constant vigilance of the inspection and designing forces among which are many specialists of the highest grade, and the total number engaged in this work amounts to many thousands. There is nothing so disastrous to the morale of the troops in battle as premature shell explosions. The quality of the sCeel musE be beyond reproach. Here, as elsewhere, the United States will do well to profit from the European experience. The methods of steel casting as ordinarily practised in America are not considered abroad as entirely satisfactory for the production of "sound steel" from which shells', and especially high explosive shells, should be made.

''For utilising to best advantage the many suggestions and inventions that are proposed there have been established in Great Britain and France inventions bureaux, to which are attached men of eminence in science and engineering. The most/promising ideas are tried out under competent direction, and in some cases the board itself initiates and executes investigations of great military interest. Application* for patents may be held in abeyance and kept secret on the advice of this board.

"The wonderful French organisation was not all built up in a day, neither were mistakes avoided nor could all the developments that have taken plnce have been foreseen. In the early days of the war men were Bent to the front, whose brains to-day would be an invaluable asset; national laboratories were almost depopulated; the .military authorities were indifferent to advice from civilian specialists. To-day one would be embarrassed to decide whether an officer in one of the specialised services was an officer before the war, or, let tis say, a professor of chemistry. The national laboratories have beer, multiolied tenfold; and such care is now token to protect productive brains that it may happen' that the inventor of a new device is not allowed to go to the front to try it ont."