A
Very good barrages have been put up and gun pits and shelters are often very skilfully constructed.
4.
Communication614
with forward observing officers are maintained by field telephones, and the spotting is on the whole very good.
The small arms equipment of both forces is very inferior, nearly all the rifles are very old and almost useless above 500 yards. Most of the wounds inflicted by rifle fire are from spent bullets which hardly penetrate and which the wounded bite out with their teeth.
5.
The Chekiang forces are exceedingly well supplied with machine-guns and ajor Hunter states that one of the points which has struck him most forcibly is the number of and execution done by these weapons,
The machine
guns used by the Chekiang forces are mostly imitations, made at Kiangnan, of the Vickers.
They are in Kajor Hunter's
opinion, excellent weapons and the troops seem to know how
to handle them. The amount of jamming is small and nearly all
The Kiangsu the casualties are from machine-gun fire.
troops have also some Fiat machine-guns firing clips of
50, but there do not seem to be many of these machines.
Small arms ammunition is produced at Lunghua, This small quantity
6.
to the quantity of 60,000 rounds a day.
is augmented by supplies from Chang Too-lin, end by the
A big ship- old stocks which are by now almost exhausted. ment of ammunition was received a few days ago from Chang
To
Too-lin. Major Hunter cannot give the quantity, which is stated by other sources to be 20 million rounde. ammunition is turned out by the Kiangnan Arsenal, which is chiefly employed on making and repairing field guna.
7.
As to aviation, Lu Yung Hsiang has 8 requcts (of which 2 are 5 seaters) and 2 Morane fighting planes,
all in brand new fighting condition.
The Breguets all have
borib/