WITH THE MOUNTAIN ARTILLERIES 
OF FRANCE AND ITALY =e: 
BY 
MAJOR H. C. C. D. SIMPSON, R. 
Ta1s paper is an account of a visit I paid this last summer to the 
French and Italian Alps, with a view if possible, of comparing the 
merits of some Huropean Mountain Artilleries with our own. 
By substituting Russia for France, and Great Britain for Italy, the 
military problem in the N.W. of the Italian Peninsula is not altogether 
unlike that in the N.W. of the Hindostan Peninsula. 
The principal routes through the Alps on both French and Italian 
frontiers are commanded by well armed hill forts. The French posi- 
tions are artificially and naturally the stronger of the two Passes; and 
whereas the passes from France all converge on one objective—Turin— 
the routes from Italy to France lead to numerous and in many cases 
unimportant points. 
The slopes of the Alps are steeper and more abrupt on the Italian, 
than on the French side. I proceeded first to Modane, and afterwards 
to Oulx, Cesana and Bousson.! I received the greatest kindness and 
civility from all the French and Italian Officers with whom I came in 
contact, who assisted me in every way in the object of my trips. 
My thanks are especially due to the Officer Commanding the 138th 
(bis) French Alpine Group, and to the General Officer Commanding 
the Ist Italian Army Corps, but for whom I should have seen nothing 
in each case. 
I wish some of my brother officers would also avail themselves of 
any opportunity of seeing the Mountain Artilleries of other European 
Powers. ‘Their fixed ideas like mine on these matters, would be rudely 
shaken. I never saw a greater number of what to us, are golden rules 
more violated, and yet withal such satisfactory results accrued from 
the sacrilege. 
FRENCH MOUNTAIN ARTILLERY. 
On the Sth August at Modane, I obtained permission from the Officer 
Commanding the III. (bis) Alpine Group there to attach myself for 
two days to the Mountain Battery (the 16th Battery of 2nd Regiment 
Artillery, Head-quarters Grenoble) of his Group. 
1 All places in the neighbourhood of Mt, Cenis, 
6. VoL. XX. 86 
