STARTLING DISCOVERY.

Marlborough Express, Volume XLII, Issue 216, 11 September 1908, Page 6

STARTLING DISCOVERY.

(By W. T. Stead)

A very sensational discovery is reported from France. In a recent number of "La France Militarie, under the heading of New Cavalry Cuirasses, it is announced that the movement in favour of abolishing the lingering remnant of armour still in use in modern armies, has received a sudden cheek by the discovery of an unnamed inventor, whose ingenuity promises to restore armdur to the place which it formerly occupied in warfare. Every schoolboy knows, to borrow Maceaulay's familiar jest, that the practice of arraying fighting men in coats, of armour, which had culminated in the fifteenth century by covering both horse and rider with armour, received what was believed to be its deathblow by the general introduction of gunpowder. Coats of mail Avhich turned arrows were easily pierced by musKet balls, and although the practice of covering the breast with iron plates lingered through the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, it was recognised as an anarchronism by all military authorities.

THE CUIRASS, OLD AND NEW

At present the showy cuirass which lingers in the British Army is purely spectacular, a showy ingredient of the circus side of warfare. Soldiers confidently assert that cuirasses, will never be used again in actual fighting. They weigh seven or eight pounds, they cost £2 to £3, and they are not even proof against a revolver bullet, while as against modern rifles, they might as well be made of brown paper. Hence, as ha, France Militarie tells us, there was a strong movement in the French army in favour of abolishing cuirasses both for cuirassiers and dragoons. But General de Galliferet offered strong resistance to this revolutionary Reform, and the cuirass was saved. It is doubtful whether even General de Galliferet would have been able to haw . arrested the abolition of the cuirass had it not been for the discovery to which I have already referred.

This was a discovery rather than an invention.. Although its precise nature is still buried in mystery, enough is known, to give rise as to whether, instead of getting rid of armour altogether, we are not destined in the) next few years to see the reappearance of mailclad men in the ranks of war. The French Government has for some months been making ah" exhaustive series of experiments as to the value of the new composition, and it is interesting to hear they have practically decided that the inventor had made good his claims and that in the warfare of the future this new kind of armour is destined to play a very important part. ; , This is not surprising if the claims of the inventor are really substantiated. ,It is asserted that the new material possesses four .or five times as much resistance as chilled steel; that it is practically invulnerable to rifle bullets; that it does not weigh any more than the existing cuirass; that it can be manufactured 'at half the price, and even\if it should be pierced it can be made as good as new almost without any expenditure of time or material. Such assertions, incredible though they may appear, I have reason to believe, are well within: the facts. , , DEVOLUTION IN WARFARE, I have myself witnessed experiments which go to prove that the soldier provided with-this new armour can expose himself to the fire of modern rifles, at a distance of 100 yards, and suffer as little from their fire as if he was being assailed by pea-shooters. This is true, not merely of the bullets which are at present used: by the armies of the world, but even of the new bullet with which all. Governments are furnishing themselves in hot haste. The new bullet that has not yet been issued for use in actual warfare is largely composed of steel, and its sharp point tears its way through iron and steel, against which the ordinary bullet beats in vain. The regiment arrayed in this armour of

proof, and marching up to within 100 yards of the enemy, suffers no more damage from a mitraille of steel bullets than if it were marching through an ordinary hailstorm. Of course, everything that adds to the weight of a soldier decreases the mobility of the army, and it will be argued that the gain in invulnerability will be purchased at too dear a price if it were to retard the movements of the troops. But, on the other hand, the experience of mankind in ages when war was the ordinary occupation of able-bodied men, shows that the temptation to cover the body with armour of proof is irresistible. Soldiers are always disposed to purchase invulnerability at the expense of mobility. It is obvious that a thousand men whom no bullets could hurt, who could only march two miles an hour, could give points to vulnerable antagonist^ even if they could march at twice their speed.. Of course, such an immense revolution as would be involved by a reversion to armour will not be brought about at once.The first to feel the influence of the new discovery will be the cavalry and the' artillery. The practice or wearing the cuirass has lingered to this day in most armies, even when the cuirass was utterly useless against rifle bullets. The fact that a cuirass has now been. invented that would enable the cavalry to charge right up almost to the muzzles of their enemy's guns without .any danger of being wounded or killed "by the most murderous fire, will not only check the movements in favour of discontinuing the cuirass, but will lead to its introduction as an indispensable part of the armour of both horse and rider. Even if the armour of the future is confined to the breast-plate, it will enormously reduce the area exposed to the enemy's fire. The old practice of wearing greaves on the tegs would be revived, and t the war charger would also be provided with a modern substitute for the old coverture of chain mail fitting tightly to the head and neck, and falling loosely over the body. It would not be necessary to make the new armour-plate so thick or heavy to turn a bullet at 100 yards. A very much lighter arm-our-plate would- be quite sufficient to stop a bullet at what is now regarded as the deadly range of 300 to 500 yards. The introduction of armour would tend to give increased importance to cavalry, which some authorities at one time believed would never again be employed in face of the rapid fire of breech-loading rifles. SOME OTHER USES.

Even if the new material is not utilised for the protection of infantry, it would be immediately • employed for artillery shields for the protection of ammunition waggons, ambulances, and as a substitute for the more or less cumbrous methods of protection now employed to cover the advance of the Samper and miner. Some kind of an addition may. be made to the knapsack or the.helmet so as to protect the infantry who are now exposed to a dropping fire when lying -flat on the ground. It is even • possible that a light portable shield of the new material might be added to the equipment of the modern soldier, for there is nothing new under the sun, and' history perpetually repeats itself. Apart from use in actual warfare, there are many other uses to which, the new material can be put. A light cuirass covering the body back and front that would not weigh more than 41b can be made which would render the wearer absolutely invulnerable to revolver bullets, or to the stab of a dagger, or even to the thrust of a bayonet. In 'this country, we have fortunately b'itt little need for equipping our police with coats of mail against the knife or bullet of the assassin. 'But in other countries not so fortunate as our own, such a light and impenetrable body garment would be a treasure beyond price. Sir Edward Grey maintained the other night in the House of Commons that in one district in Bussia^ probably Warsaw, no fewer than 300 policemen out of 1000 had been assassinated on their beats. The Russian Govern-; ment lately was considering the advisability of furnishing their more exposed railway officials with-cuirasses, but the practice has hitherto not been general owing to the impossibility of procuring armour that would be at once light enough and strong enough to serve its purpose. Of the ability of the new light cuirass to stop a revolver at point-blank range1; and also of its ability to blunt, or bent or break a bayonet thrust with the whole force of a strong man, I can bear testimony. Seeing is believing, and having seen it with my own eyes I feel justified in certifying that the thing is so.

As to the consequences that will follow in the shape of increased expendir ture for the new armour plating of the combatants of the world I prefer not to speak. But anything which renders it more difficult to kill fellow human beings naturally appeals to the pacifist, even although it may give qualms to the economist.