war and the future-第17章

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from　the　factory　to　the　gun　constitute　the　second　Arm。　　Thirdly
comes　the　artillery；　the　guns　and　the　photographic　aeroplanes
working　with　the　guns。　　Next　I　suppose　we　must　count　sappers　and
miners　as　a　fourth　Arm　of　greatly　increased　importance。　　The
fifth　and　last　combatant　Arm　is　the　modern　substitute　for
cavalry；　and　that　also　is　essentially　a　force　of　aeroplanes
supported　by　automobiles。　　Several　of　the　French　leaders　with
whom　I　talked　seemed　to　be　convinced　that　the　horse　is　absolutely
done　with　in　modern　warfare。　　There　is　nothing；　they　declared；
that　cavalry　ever　did　that　cannot　now　be　done　better　by
aeroplane。

This　is　something　to　break　the　hearts　of　the　Prussian　junkers　and
of　old…fashioned　British　army　people。　　The　hunt　across　the
English　countryside；　the　preservation　of　the　fox　as　a　sacred
animal；　the　race　meeting；　the　stimulation　of　betting　in　all
classes　of　the　public；　all　these　things　depend　ultimately　upon
the　proposition　that　the　〃breed　of　horses〃　is　of　vital　importance
to　the　military　strength　of　Great　Britain。　　But　if　the　arguments
of　these　able　French　soldiers　are　sound；　the　cult　of　the　horse
ceases　to　be　of　any　more　value　to　England　than　the　elegant
activities　of　the　Toxophilite　Society。　　Moreover；　there　has　been
a　colossal　buying　of　horses　for　the　British　army；　a　tremendous
organisation　for　the　purchase　and　supply　of　fodder；　then
employment　of　tens　of　thousands　of　men　as　grooms；　minders　and　the
like；　who　would　otherwise　have　been　in　the　munition　factories　or
the　trenches。

To　what　possible　use　can　cavalry　be　put？　　Can　it　be　used　in
attack？　　Not　against　trenches；　that　is　better　done　by　infantrymen
following　up　gunfire。　　Can　it　be　used　against　broken　infantry　in
the　open？　　Not　if　the　enemy　has　one　or　two　machine　guns　covering
their　retreat。　　Against　expose　infantry　the　swooping　aeroplane
with　a　machine　gun　is　far　more　deadly　and　more　difficult　to　hit。
Behind　it　your　infantry　can　follow　to　receive　surrenders；　in　most
circumstances　they　can　come　up　on　cycles　if　it　is　a　case　of
getting　up　quickly　across　a　wide　space。　　Similarly　for　pursuit
the　use　of　wire　and　use　of　the　machine　gun　have　abolished　the
possibility　of　a　pouring　cavalry　charge。　　The　swooping　aeroplane
does　everything　that　cavalry　can　do　in　the　way　of　disorganising
the　enemy；　and　far　more　than　it　can　do　in　the　way　of　silencing
machine　guns。　　It　can　capture　guns　in　retreat　much　more　easily　by
bombing　traction　engines　and　coming　down　low　and　shooting　horses
and　men。　　An　ideal　modern　pursuit　would　be　an　advance　of　guns；
automobiles　full　of　infantry；　motor　cyclists　and　cyclists；　behind
a　high　screen　of　observation　aeroplanes　and　a　low　screen　of
bombing　and　fighting　aeroplanes。　　Cavalry　/might/　advance
across　fields　and　so　forth；　but　only　as　a　very　accessory　part　of
the　general　advance。。。。

And　what　else　is　there　for　the　cavalry　to　do？

It　may　be　argued　that　horses　can　go　over　country　that　is
impossible　for　automobiles。　　That　is　to　ignore　altogether　what
has　been　done　in　this　war　by　such　devices　as　caterpillar　wheels。
So　far　from　cavalry　being　able　to　negotiate　country　where
machines　would　stick　and　fail；　mechanism　can　now　ride　over　places
where　any　horse　would　flounder。

I　submit　these　considerations　to　the　horse…lover。　　They　are　not
my　original　observations；　they　have　been　put　to　me　and　they　have
convinced　me。　　Except　perhaps　as　a　parent　of　transport　mules　I
see　no　further　part　henceforth　for　the　horse　to　play　in　war。


6

The　form　and　texture　of　the　coming　warfareif　there　is　still
warfare　to　comeare　not　yet　to　be　seen　in　their　completeness
upon　the　modern　battlefield。　　One　swallow　does　not　make　a　summer；
nor　a　handful　of　aeroplanes；　a　〃Tank〃　or　so；　a　few　acres　of　shell
craters；　and　a　village　here　and　there；　pounded　out　of
recognition；　do　more　than　foreshadow　the　spectacle　of　modernised
war　on　land。　　War　by　these　developments　has　become　the　monopoly
of　the　five　great　industrial　powers；　it　is　their　alternative　to
end　or　evolve　it；　and　if　they　continue　to　disagree；　then　it　must
needs　become　a　spectacle　of　majestic　horror　such　as　no　man　can
yet　conceive。　　It　has　been　wise　of　Mr。　Pennell　therefore；　who　has
recently　been　drawing　his　impressions　of　the　war　upon　stone；　to
make　his　pictures　not　upon　the　battlefield；　but　among　the　huge
industrial　apparatus　that　is　thrusting　behind　and　thrusting　up
through　the　war　of　the　gentlemen　in　spurs。　　He　gives　us　the
splendours　and　immensities　of　forge　and　gun　pit；　furnace　and　mine
shaft。　　He　shows　you　how　great　they　are　and　how　terrible。　　Among
them　go　the　little　figures　of　men；　robbed　of　all　dominance；
robbed　of　all　individual　quality。　　He　leaves　it　for　you　to　draw
the　obvious　conclusion　that　presently；　if　we　cannot　contrive　to
put　an　end　to　war；　blacknessess　like　these；　enormities　and　flares
and　towering　threats；　will　follow　in　the　track　of　the　Tanks　and
come　trampling　over　the　bickering　confusion　of　mankind。

There　is　something　very　striking　in　these　insignificant　and
incidental　men　that　Mr。　Pennell　shows　us。　　Nowhere　does　a　man
dominate　in　all　these　wonderful　pictures。　　You　may　argue　perhaps
that　that　is　untrue　to　the　essential　realities；　all　this　array　of
machine　and　workshop；　all　this　marshalled　power　and　purpose；　has
been　the　creation　of　inventor　and　business　organiser。　　But　are　we
not　a　little　too　free　with　that　word　〃/creation/〃？　　Falstaff
was　a　〃creation〃　perhaps；　or　the　Sistine　sibyls；　there　we　have
indubitably　an　end　conceived　and　sought　and　achieved；　but　did
these　inventors　and　business　organisers　do　more　than　heed　certain
unavoidable　imperatives？　　Seeking　coal　they　were　obliged　to　mine
in　a　certain　way；　seeking　steel　they　had　to　do　this　and　this　and
not　that　and　that；　seeking　profit　they　had　to　obey　the　imperative
of　the　economy。　　So　little　did　they　plan　their　ends　that　most　of
these　manufacturers　speak　with　a　kind　of　astonishment　of　the
deadly　use　to　which　their　works　are　put。　　They　find　themselves
making　the　new　war　as　a　man　might　wake　out　of　some　drugged
condition　to　find　himself　strangling　his　mother。

So　that　Mr。　Pennell's　sketchy　and　transient　human　figures　seem
altogether　right　to　me。　　He　sees　these　forges；　workshops；　cranes
and　the　like；　as　inhuman　and　as　wonderful　as　cliffs　or　great
caves　or　icebergs　or　the　stars。　　They　are　a　new　aspect　of　the
logic　of　physical　necessity　that　made　all　these　older　things；　and
he　seizes　upon　the　majesty　and　beauty　of　their　dimensions　with　an
entire　impartiality。　　And　they　are　as　impartial。　　Through　all
these　lithographs　runs　one　present　motif；　the　motif　of　the
supreme　effort　of　western　civilisation　to　save　itself　and　the
world　from　the　dominance　of　the　reactionary　German　Imperialism　of
modern　science。　　The　pictures　are　arranged　to　shape　out　the　life
of　a　shell；　from　the　mine　to　the　great　gun；　nothing　remains　of
their　history　to　show　except　the　ammunition　dump；　the　gun　in
action　and　the　shell…burst。　　Upon　this　theme　all　these　great
appearances　are　strung　to…day。　　But　to…morrow　they　may　be　strung
upon　some　other　and　nobler　purpose。　　These　gigantic　beings　of
which　the　engineer　is　the　master　and　slave；　are　neither
benevolent　nor　malignant。　　To…day　they　produce　destruction；　they
are　the　slaves　of　the　spur；　to…morrow　we　hope　they　will　bridge
and　carry　and　house　and　help　again。

For　that　peace　we　struggle　against　the　dull　inflexibility　of　the
German　Will…to…Power。


V。　TANKS


1

It　is　the　British　who　have　produced　the　〃land　ironclad〃　since　I
returned　from　France；　and　used　it　apparently　with　very　good
effect。　　I　felt　no　little　chagrin　at　not　seeing　them　there；
because　I　have　a　peculiar　interest　in　these　contrivances。　　It
would　be　more　than　human　not　to　claim　a　little　in　this　matter。　　I
described　one　in　a　story　in　/The　Strand　Magazine/　in　1903；
and　my　story　could　stand　in　parallel　columns　beside　the　first
account　of　these　monsters　in　action　given　by　Mr。　Beach　Thomas　or
Mr。　Philip　Gibbs。　　My　friend　M。　Joseph　Reinach　has　successfully
passed　off　long　extracts　from　my　story　as　descriptions　of　the
Tanks　upon　British　officers　who　had　just　seen　them。　　The
filiation　was　indeed　quite　traceable。　　They　were　my　grandchildren
I　felt　a　little　like　King　Lear　when　first　I　read　about　them。　　Yet
let　me　state　at　once　that　I　was　certainly　not　their　prime
originator。　　I　took　up　an　idea；　manipulated　it　slightly；　and
handed　it　on。　　The　idea　was　suggested　to　me　by　the　contrivances
of　a　certain　Mr。　Diplock；　whose　〃ped…rail〃　notion；　the　notion　of
a　wheel　that　was　something　more　than　a　wheel；　a　wheel　that　would
take　locomotives　up　hill…sides　and　over　ploughed　fields；　was
public　property　nearly　twenty　years　ago。　　Possibly　there　were
others　before　Diplock。　　To　the　Ped…rail　also　Commander　Murray
Sueter；　one　of　the　many　experimentalists　upon　the　early　tanks；
admits　his　indebtedness；　and　it　would　seem　that　Mr。　Diplock　was
actually　concerned　in　the　earlier　stage　of　the　tanks。

Since　my　return　I　have　been　able　to　see　the　Tank　at　home；　through
the　courtesy　of　the　Ministry　of　Munitions。　　They　have　progressed
far　beyond　any　recognisable　resemblance　to　the　initiatives　of　Mr。
Diplock；　they　have　approximated　rather　to　the　American
caterpillar。　　As　I　suspected　when　first　I　heard　of　these　devices；
the　War　Office　and　the　old　army　people　had　practically　nothing　to
do　with　their　development。　　They　took　to　it　very　reluctantlyas
they　have　taken　to　every　novelty　in　this　war。　　One　brilliant
general　scrawled　over　an　early　proposal　the　entirely
characteristic　comment　that　it　was　a　pity　the　inventor　could　not
use　his　imagination　to　better　purpose。　　（That　foolish　British
trick　of　sneering　at　〃imagination〃　has　cost　us　hundreds　of
thousands　of　useless　casualties　and　may　yet　lose　us　the　war。）
Tanks　were　first　mooted　at　the　front　about　a　year　and　a　half　ago；
Mr。　Winston　Churchill　was　then　asking　questions　about　their
practicability；　he　filled　many　simple　souls　with　terror；　they
thought　him　a　most　dangerous　lunatic。　　The　actual　making　of　the
Tanks　arose　as　an　irregular　side　development　of　the　armoured…car
branch　of　the　Royal　Naval　Air　Service　work。　　The　names　most
closely　associated　with　the　work　are　（I　quote　a　reply　of　Dr。
Macnamara's　in　the　House　of　Commons）　Mr。　d'Eyncourt；　the　Director
of　Naval　Construction；　Mr。　W。　O。　Tritton；　Lieut。　Wilson；
R。N。A。S。；　Mr。　Bussell；　Lieut。　Stern；　R。N。A。S。；　who　is　now　Colonel
Stern；　Captain　Symes；　and　Mr。　F。　Skeens。　　There　are　many　other
claims　too　numerous　to　mention　in　detail。

But　however　much　the　Tanks　may　disconcert　the　gallant　Colonel
Newcomes　who　throw　an　air　of　restraint　over　our　victorious　front；
there　can　be　no　doubt　that　they　are　an　important　as　well　as　a
novel　development　of　the　modern　offensive。　　Of　course　neither　the
Tanks　nor　their　very　obvious　next　developments　going　to　wrest　the
decisive　pre…eminence　from　the　aeroplane。　　The　aeroplane　remains
now　more　than　ever　the　instrument　of　victory　upon　the　western
front。　　Aerial　ascendancy；　properly　utilised；　is　victory。　　But
the　mobile　armoured　big　gun　and　the　Tank　as　a　machine…gun
silencer　must　enormously　facilitate　an　advance　against　the
blinded　enemy。　　Neither　of　them　can　advance　against　properly
aimed　big　gun　fire。　　That　has　to　be　disposed　of　before　they　m