1918-09-18 — Page 7

GERMAN LIQUID FIRE INTERESTING BUT INEFFECTIVE FRIGHTFULNESS.

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[NY MAJOR ACLD, BRITISH MILITARY MISSION TO .s.) When the German army entered on it policy of frightfulness there was notice of its new and unprincipled methods which had more immediate and striking success than the use of liquid åre. And there is now none of all its methods of frightful ness which has fallen more into disrepute. and which has had less success when once the frat surprise was over,

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THE HONGKONG DAILY PRESS, WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 18TH. 1918.

lever handle and to which could be attached a long length of flexible hose ending in a peculiar shaped nozzle.

On examination it was found that the

HOW FLAME ATTACKS ARE MADE. Lody of the projector was divided inter- nally into two compartments which could ba connected by opening another tap. The apper compartment was the compressor and the lower the all reservoir. The compressor chamber was filled to a pres. sure of twenty-three atmospheres with deoxygenated air or nitrogen. Air itself esanot be used because of its oxygen content forming an explosive mixture with the vapours from the cil, and any heating on compression, or back-fash from the damp or fuse, might make things very A great deal of attention has been unpleasant for the operator. The nit drawn in the newspapers to the use, ofrogenerequited for the flame projectors is Liquid fire, but the average, man, even carried into the field in large cylinders in the fighting forers, knows very little about four feet six inches in length and six inches in diameter. Several of these about the German methods and the ap

Yet Germany still cylinders have been captured from the pliances for its uses has special troops trained in the use of onemy since. These cylinders are actually liquid fire, and seeks continually to hiter taken into the trenches and the fame

projectors charged from them there. and develop the fire weapons and their tactical employment in order to take advantage of the undoubtedly terrible appearance and destructive power of the high temperature flames which can be emitted. This article is intended to show the stage to which the development has attained and the reasons for the re- latively innocuous character of what is probably the most terror-inspiring method

of modern warfare

THE FIRST EXPERIMENT Throughout 1915 England wis pouring new divisions of its national any into France. As with all new troops the pro cedure adopted at the time was to bring these divisions by easy stages to within short distance of the front lipe, and then send them in by companies for a four in the trenches day instructional tour to pick up all the wrinkles and habits from the seasoned troops holding the line. After the what formation had been put through it in this way the division would be allotted a desnite part of the line, taking it over possibly from the troops with whom it had been in for instruc tion and allowing the latter to get out for a much needed rest, ar to get atten. ed up for some impending or progress. ing show elsewhere.

One auch new division, absolutely fresh from England and with no war experience whatever, was the target selected by the Boche for his new deviltry. The portion of line allotted to this division was on the outermost part of the Ypres salient and included the ruins of the little village of Hooge right at the point of the salient: This position had always been a hot

ia the corner" unhealthy

British army parlance and had changed bands several times. The trenches there were poor, as it was almost impossible to get effective work dete on them owing to their exposed position. Indeed there were many parts of the line where no movement was possible by day and the men on the posts, had to lie.

doggo ont night. The two lines were very close together in many places less than twenty yards and it was quite possible to hurl 'hand grenades from ane set of trenches to the other. It was on this position of the line. ever a front held by two battalions, that the attack was made.

TERRIBLE BURPRISE

After a bombardment of several days, a' mide was exploded under the front of the line and then immediately afterwards, at 3.20 on the morning of the 29th of July and without the slightest warning, the front line troops were enveloped in. flames. Where the fames came from could not be seen. All that the men knew was, that they seemed surrounded by fierce, eurling fares which were accom- panied by a loud roaring noise and dense clouds of black smoke. Here and there a big blob of buraing oil would fall into french or a saphead.. Shouts and yells rent the air as individual men, rising up in the trenches or attempting to move in the open, felt the force of the fames. The only way to safety appeared to be the road. This direction the men that were left took. For a short space the Hames pursued them, and the local re- tirement became a local rout. Then the flames stopped and machine-guns began to take toll of the fugitives. Only one man from the front trenches is known to have returned. Germana infantry following up, poured into the breach in the line, widened it, took our positions as far back as Sanctuary Wood, and then consolidated.,

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The combustible liquid used in the flame-throwers bas varied in source and composition from time to time, but it invariably has one characteristic which appears to be essential for good results it must have light or easily velutile and heavy and less volatile fractiona mixed in carefully graded proportions. The heavy oil has sometimes been a petroleum pro duct and sometimes a tarry residual oil from the distillation of wood.

The lighting device, fixed at the end of the flexible hose, is the most ingenious part of the whole contrivance and is so made that the oil ignites spontaneously the minute the jet is turned on, and is Sept alight by a fiercely burning mixture which lasts throughout the discharge..

The nozzle is about nine inches long and detachable so that replacement is easy. It clips into the end of the tube and is held in position by an annular ring. When the oil with its twenty-three atmospheres pressure behind it is rushed out of the jet, it forces up the plunger of a friction lighter and ignites a core of a fierce burning fuss mixture which Ells the whole of the space between the central tube and an outer casing. The latter consists of a thick wick soaked in paraffin wax and fitting loosely into a

thin brass case.

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When the nozzle is in position all that is necessary is to turn on the tap, and the stream of fame issues from the tube and can be directed at will.

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THE FLAYMENWERFER COMPANIES.

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.never

carried on the back. For a man who may suddenly have to get down on his stomach and crawl, the "apparatus is much more compact and better Etting to the body than the original type, but it has no ad-f vantage over the older varieties as regards range or duration.

The flexible hose which carries the lighting nozzle is made of canvas and rubber, and enemy documents which have been captured show, that only one tube is provided for each three, reservoirs. After the discharge of one apparatus the long tube is supposed to be fitted with a new nozzle and banded on to the others in succession.

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The Hammenwerfer companies divided into squads, Graftuppe, or "Kiciftruppe, according as they are armed with a large or small projectors. The former is a contraction for Growser. flammenwerfertruppe (large fame pro jector squad), and the latter for Kleiner- fammenwerfertruppe (small fame pro jertor squad).

In the case of attacks with the large projectors, or a combined attack with both sizes, the chief thing is secrecy of installation in the trenches. If it was ascertained or suspected that fammen- werer were being put in, our gunners would open on the position in no time and and blow the apparatus sky-high. As it is necessary to sap out to within 27 yards of our lines in order to get in a "shot, it can readily be seen that the possibilities of using the large projectors are very limited, and as a matter of fact little use- has been made of them...

Attacks with the portable projectors are more possible owing to their greater mobility.

But bere again the essential part of the tactics and the most difficult thing to do is to get near enough the target to make the shot effective.

The first 600 purchasers of the Encyclopædia Britannica (11th edition) in China

Some representative names from among the first 600 purchasers of the Encyclopædia Britannica (11th edition) in' China.

R. S. Adams, Andersen, Meyer & Co., S'hai 436 E. L. Agassiz, Solicitor, Hongkong git G. H. Alabaster, Dunlop Rubber Co., Tientsin 385 A. Belichenko, Russian Consul-General, H'kow 507 G. D. Bidwell William, Forbes & Co., Tientsin 192 T. G. J. Brown, Chf. Accountant, Canton-

Hankow Ry.

586 E. T. Byrne, F. C. Hefer & Co., Shanghai 477 Canton Bureau of Technology 578 Canton Electric Supply Co.

291 Captain Commander of the Artillery, Macao 296 Central Observatory, Peking

353

104

188

Chang Bing-foo, Veous Life Assurance Co.,

Shanghai Chang Cha-sung, Secretary to the President,

Peking

Chang Pah-yeo, Chief Judge, District Court,

Tsipan

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472 Chekiang Provincial Library, Hangchow 457 Rev. Father Chevalier, Zast Observatory 174 Chinese Post Office, Peking 161 Dr. Chow Pang-tsing, Shanghai 531 S. T. Chow, Traffic Manager, Tientsin-Pukow

Railway 158 A. Clement, Compagnia Française de Tramways,

Shanghai

The The

422

Arthur Dallas, Engineer, Shanghai

435

93

R. W. Davis, North-China Daily News, S'hai, " R. V. Dent, Shanghai

81

range is only fifty to sixty feet. German idea is to cover the advance of the Kleif men by machine-gun fre. The attacking force, the "Kleiftruppe is in front, then a party of bombers, and finally the raiding or attacking party takes up its position in no man's land and crawls as far forward as possible in the "protected area."

BOXE DIEADVANTAGES.

ALA

In an attack this kind, or a less well supported attack such as that at Arras, mentioned above, the attackers suffer from two such severe disadvantages that against well disciplined troops they stand little chance. "These disadvantages are (1) the flammenwerfer carriere have to get so near their objective that they are almost certain to be shot and they The official name. for this instrument then become a source of danger to their we discovered was the "Flammen verfer own side; (2) men in trenches know they (dame thrower) and it is now

are perfectly safe from frontal ame known in the British army by anything attack if they keep weli down and hug the else than its German name. Indeed this parapet side of the trench. The reasCHE is one of the very few German words we for this is that the flame will not sink have adopted as an outcome of the war, dowa into a trench, but having little the only others I can remember being force behind it at, the end of its journey

"strafe" and "Kamerad."!

is curled upward by the rising currents Flammenwerfer 'attacks are made by of hot air. The result is that any sort the 3rd and 4th Guard Pioneer Battalions of head cover (unless made of wood) and by the Guard Reserve Pioneer Begi- makes perfect protection, and a ment all of which troops are specially crouching in a trench or aven lying prone trained in fame tactics. Each battalion is

in a shell hole, is very unlikely to be more composed of six companies, and each com

than slightly scorched at the very worst. pany is equipped with 18 small or port- I can vouch for this, for I have lain at able projectors similar to that described the bottom of a trench with the fames above, and with 20-29 large projectors playing over my head and have not been of greater range. The latter large flag injured in the slightest, though I confess menwerfer are built on the same printo being very much relieved when the ciple as the former, but are too heavy to fame stopped. The only danger in tren. be used as mobile weapons. They are ches to men who keep their heads is that. consequently built in to the trenches at of blobs" of burning oil falling from about 27 yards from the opposing lines, the end of the fiery stream, but this is and, if the trenches are not close enough not a very serious chance. together for the purpose, special saps Another serious disability in tho are pushed cut and the fammerwerfer in German liquid fite is its very short. stalled at the end. The range of these daration. The stream of fame from the large projectors is 33-14 yards and they portable flammenwerfer lasts rather less can cover a front of 35 yards with flames.

than one minute. It is impossible to It is probable that in the attack at charge up again on the spot, and the Hooge both large and small flammerwer-result is that once the flame stops the fer were employed..

It is possible with the above equipment for a flame company to cover a total front of 1,100-1,600 yards.

Service in the Guard Reserve Pioneers

is apparently a form of punishment. Men convicted of offences in other regiments are transferred either for a time or permanently, and are forced under threat of death to engage in the most hazardous enterprises, and carry out the most dan gerous work. The following incident will serve to show how the German soldiers are Founded to their death in these engagementa,

whole game is finished and the operators are at our mercy. Without making the apparatus of a prohibitive weight the duration of the flame cannot be increased. Even the heavy projectors give only a fame lasting at the best one minute and a quarter.

DISCIPLINE DOES IT.

It must be realised that it is discipline and coolness (if one may use the word) which count, and that the moral effect on unsteady troops, anaware of the fact that the appalling dages have little destruc- tive value, may be very great indeed. When men have bolted from the trenches. À"NEW TYPE OF FLAMMINWERTER. into the open they are, ap easy pray.

A certain amount of value was obtained In the summer of last year a small flammenwerfer attack was made against from their use in the attack on Verdun for reducing isolated strong-points, not- our line at a point near Monchy, south of Arras. Two Boches armed with flame ably fortified farmhouses and broken projectors of a modified pattern were in. down cottages in the ruined villages. In structed to attack one of our advanced certain cases the flame projector carriers were enabled to approach under cover or Ten days afterwards

wo counter posts which was at the head of a sap ruu attacked and won back the whole of the ning out toward the German trenches. In by crawling among the ruins and heaps Fine concerned, but at very considerable broad daylight and with no covering fire of debris, to within striking distance of cost. Incidentally, we, captured two of worth talking about these two poor devils the otherwise well protected machine gun the German flame-projectors, one of them were forced over the top with revolvers emplacements and positions. By sudden. One was shotly playing the fire jet into the loopholes, complete, and they proved to be of the pressed into their backs. greatest possible use to us subsequently down immediately. The other managed enough flame pentrated into the interior of the emplacement to put the machine." for educating the army in the new war- to get clear of his own barbed wire and fare and for inspection by our own ex-then discarded his apparatas, with the gun and its crew out of action either perts with a view to their duplication intention of crawling over to us and de- temporarily or permanently. This was serting By this time, however, he had the opportunity awaited by the covering for retaliation.

Any one attempting to blame the troops been badly shot up--whether by his own party of bombers who would rush the port attacked for their retirement can hardly people as well as by us. I cannot say. His the minute the fame ceased, having made appreciate the circumstances, and, I am left arm and his right thigh were both their approach while the projectors were convinced, overestimates his own capacity mashed, and he had two bullets in his in action.

But even for special cases, like these abdomen. Nevertheless, this map managed for resistance.

to crawl into our lines and was taken the circumstances must be so favourable care of. He was sent down to a Cas- and the inherent disadvantages are so ualty Clearing Station in a perilous con- great that the fammenwerfer cannot be dition, but despite his terrible injuries I counted on to attain the required result understand the doctors managed to patch The low value placed by the Allies on bim up, and that he recovered completely. the German flame attack can be realized from the fact that no special form of fre prool clothing or other protection is issued to the troops, and the instructions for meeting the attack may be summarized as Shoot the man carrying the apparatus before he gets in his shot if possible. If this cannot be done take cover from the flames and shoot him afterwards."

THE APPARATUS.

The flame projectors taken by the 14th Division in the counter-attack were simple but very interesting in construc tion. The main part was & cylindrical vessel of steel about two feet in height and fifteen inches in diameter provided with straps so that it could be carried on a man's back. At one side about two thirds of the way up was a filling hole for oil, closed by a screw cap. Near the top was & pressure gauge attachment and toward the base was a look closed by a

THE LATEST SLAMMENWERFER

In the pattern he used compressed nitrogen contained in a spherical vessel which is contained inside a ring-shaped oil container. The whole thing looks like life preserver and is mounted on a light frame so that it can be comfortably

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D. C. Dick, Engineer, C.-M. Customs, S'hai 381 A.F.Evans, Doloner Salt Collectorate, Kalgan

382 Provincial Bureau of Education, Yunnan

51 Bureau of Education, Peking

#39

Edward I. Ezra, Shanghai..

276 Fang Jo-chow, Ministry of Interior, Peking 438 D. de H. Farrant, Eastern Ext. Telegraph

Co., Shanghai

165 Colonel J. D. F. Garcia, Macao 334 Rt. Rev. F. R. Graves, Shanghai 472 Captain C. Gundry, Shanghai Pilots' Assocn. 492 Hankow Ice Works

*75 L. D. Henry, Dep. Postal Commissioner, Peking 71 Rev. W. H. Hewitt, St. Stephen's College,

Hongkong

240 Mrs. Hilton-Johnson, Shanghai 524 Hwa Chang Antimony Co., Changsha 391 Ju Fang-mei, Director, Bureau of Administra-

tion, Kirin

195 E. S. Kadoorie, Shanghai

523 Kailan Mining Administration, Tientsin - 31 Kiangsu Provincial Museum, Nanking 520 Kuo Kan-cheng, Mil. Governor's Yamen, Sizn 456 Lever Brothers, Shanghai

108 Foochow Polytechnic College

37 Liang Tse-mei, See, Ministry of War, Feking 60 Liang Ting-ban, The Sun Co., Hongkong. 46 Liu Ting-chuen, Ministry of Navy, Peking Sza Lo Kai-hsien, Director of Customs, Canton 120 Lo Shun-wao, Manager, China Merchants,

Hongkong

139 N. G. Maitland, Exchange Broker, Shanghai 156 Dr. E. T. Marsh, Shanghai:

584 E Mayor, Shewan, Tomes & Co., Canton 344 Mei Kuang-shee, Attorney General, Shantung

C. C. Miao, Salt Revenue, Peking 489 Mitsu Bishi Co., Hankow

242

316 R. B. Moorhead, Messrs. Moorhead & Halse,

Shanghai.

182 Cher. G. D. Musso, Shanghai

547 Nanyang Railway & Mining College, Shanghai 563 J. M. Noronha, Secretary, Credit Foncier,

Hongkong

451 Naval College, Chefoo 462 Ministry of Nary, Peking 491 Olivier & Co., Hankow 327 Peking University

498 T. Piscione, Engineer,. Hai Ho. Conservancy,

Tientsin

331 Polytechnic Laboratory, Peking 453 The Raven Trust Co., Shanghai ».

95. R. Barrett, China Land and Finance Co., S'hai Ga L. S. Regine, Peking

1ia Staff Q-M-Sergt. W. T. Rose, Shanghai Vol.

unteer Corps

134 A. B. Rosenfeld, Cotton Merchant, Shanghai 500K. Rothe, Superintendent, Chinese Govern-

Iment Telegraph Administration, Tisin 200 A Pereira, Manager, Banco Nacional, Macao, 140 David Sassoon & Co Shanghai.

21 Shah Ting-hön, Director of Police, Chekiang 144 T. W. Shearstone, Eagle & Globe Steel Co.,

Shanghai

370 Shen Hsin Cotton Mills, Shanghai

548 C D. Smith, H. B. M. Consul, Exican 351 St. Stephen's Girls' College, Hongkong 567 Admiral Tang Hsiang-ming, Peking 126 Tan Koh-fu, Kiangnan Arsenal, Shanghai 340 Telegraph Office, Hongkong.

18: Rev. M H.hroop, St John's University,

Shanghai

146 T. Toledano, Exchange Broker, Shanghai 388 W. Stark Toller, Act. British Consul, Chung-

king,

165 Treng Wei, Gunboat Arm Wei, Wuhu 517 Tsu Shao-yuin, Adviser to President, Peking 163 Jonkheer Quarles Von Uford, Netherlands

Legation

I

C. Y. Wang, Mining Engineer, Hankow

304 Wang Pab-han, Director, Chinese Goverment Tobacco and Liquor Monopoly, Chengtu Water Folice Library, Kowloon Chas, E. Watson, Chief Mechanical Engineer, Canton-Kowloon Railway, Canton

364

285

50 Waung Lun-pah, Manager, Bank of China,

Tsinan

416 Ch. Weber, Messrs. Nabholz, Shanghai ; 185 B. G. J. Wijnberg, Netherlands Bank, S'bai 495 Yangtze Engineering Works, Hankow $60 Yokohama Specie Bank, Shanghai- 509 Yung Fating: Tsoff Hux Sin Pan, Canton

98 Ziar Lun-hwey, Commercial Bank of China,

Shanghai

The sale to date of more than 195,000

copies is testimony to the popularity of the Encyclopædia Britannica, 11th edition, Evidently the value of the book is widely. recognized. The mere number of copies sold, however, is perhaps less striking than the evidence afforded by an examin- ation of the list of buyers, which shows that the book appeals to every type of mind.

Who buys the Encyclopædia Britannica?

As the result of such an examination, the publishers found that one who would make a survey of the quarters in which the Encyclopædia Britannica is used must travel all the way from the palace of the Dalai Lama in Tibet to the mess-room of H. M.S. Collingwood, and from the office of Judge: Gary Chairman of the greatest combination of capital in the world (U. S. Steel Corporation), to the study of George Bernard Shaw, socialist The list of buyers in and play-wright. China shows a like diversity of minds and interests. The selection here given is representative save in one important re- spect. It fails to acknowledge the many students, and the many junior men in business, who have been quick to re- cognize in the Encyclopædia Britannica a valuable equipment for young people with the world before them.

The demand for the present edition

of the Encyclopædia Britannica probably' constitutes a record in the annals of book- selling. The evidence of its popularity is striking. But that such á book should be in universal demand in these days is only to be expected. A compact and, authoritative library to which the inquirer may confidently turn for information on any subject is a resource strongly indicated by the complexity of contemporary life.

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The greater portion already

sold,

An important point remains to be noted. Those who have already pur- chased the Encyclopædia Britannica in China have taken advantage of a'favour- able offer, limited to a special consignment of which the greater portion is already sold. The new Encyclopædia Britannica" is "evidently a possession that "one ought to have," and readers of this paper who wish to acquire the book at a minimum price (with the option of paying for it in dis- bursements so small as to be scarcely fest) should not long delay giving their order,

195,000 copies

Fold

Every type of mind

Buyers la Colai

Á need of

the day.

A limited offer

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