r 
PRECIS 
AND 
TRANSLATIONS. 
“ REYUE D’ARTILLEJRIE.” 
THE FIELD GUN OF THE FUTURE. 
A CRITICAL EXAMINATION OF GENERAL WILLE’S 
RECENT WORK. 
BY 
GUSTAVE MOCH, Capitaine d’artillerie . 
✓ 
PRECIS BY 
Lieut.-Colonel F. E. B. Loraine, late B.A. 
General Wille’s proposal for a complete reconstruction of the German field 
artillery lias been prompted, perhaps half unconsciously, by a conviction that 
the existing German field guns are decidedly inferior to those of the French. 
Captain Modi is however of opinion that the field gun of the future predicted 
by the General has but little chance of being adopted. 
General Wille indeed deprecates all discussion; all through his work he preaches 
that practice is better than theory and adopts as his motto : “ Try everything, 
and retain only what is good ”—a rather expensive formula in such matters. 
The General, not having however made a gun according to his ideas nor any 
ammunition, it is difficult to conceive how the practice can be acquired. In 
point of fact his work is purely theoretical throughout, and his many critics in 
the German, Austrian and Italian military press dwell on the practical impos¬ 
sibility of carrying out his ideas. Here is how he states his programme : “ My 
proposals tend to establish a field gun as practically a magnified example of the 
modern infantry rifle, satisfying the following conditions : small calibre, high 
muzzle velocity, heavy projectile and of high transverse density, 1 great efficiency, 
lightness relatively considerable, and an altogether satisfactory mobility.” 
1 That is, high weight by reference to calibre, in other words, a long projectile. 
7. voi. xix. 
47a 
