Souvenir Album of the Great European War With Pictorial Maps of the Battlegrounds — Background and Themes

ons were originally trained to fight either on horseback or afoot. Many of them carry bamboo lances, said to be even stronger than steel. The term "dragoon" probably comes from the dragon worked on the muzzle of the old carbine they used to carry, as dragons were supposed to spout fire. The bivouac on piles of straw, with weapons stacked ready for instant service, suggests vividly the condition of soldiers in the intervals of hard fighting. This is an actual scene on the line of retreat toward Paris.

German Field Artillery

The splendid "fitness" of the German artilleryman is illustrated by these vigorous, intelligent fellows, smiling at the photographer as he snapped them. They might be riding to a picnic, instead of to awful war. Their helmets are tipped with a brass ball instead of a spike such as the infantry have, in order that the eyes may not be injured when the men bend over the guns to aim them. The box, or caisson, on which two men are sitting, contains projectiles and equipment for use in serving the gun.

The Famous 75 Millimeter French Guns at the Marne

The French guns, by many military experts, are said to be superior to any other field artillery. Their bore is only 2.95 inches, but the initial velocity and accuracy are greater than the German guns, and their lightness makes them more mobile in action. A battery has about the same effect on an advancing line as a mowing-machine on a harvest field.

French Hussars at Rouen

The Hussars are light cavalry intended for scouting, and use much smaller horses than the cuirassiers. Many French race-horses were seized by the government for the use of these troops, and a maximum price of $200 was paid, though some of the thoroughbreds were valued at $10,000 by their owners.

In the background are seen the towers of the cathedral at Rouen, which is a quaint, old Norman town, the capital of William the Conqueror, before he crossed the Channel.

French Line Infantry Passing Monument of Napoleon

The monument is near the village of Vauchamps, where the French defeated Blucher and the Prussians on February 14, 1814. It is in the Department of the Marne: scene of the first victory of the allies in the present war.

Red caps and trousers have been the uniform of French soldiers since Napoleon's day, but they provide the enemy with a good target, and are poorly suited to modern campaigning. The Germans, however, gave France no time to equip her army with khaki, and the French soldiers took the field in their historic garb.

This variety of light cavalry was introduced into central Europe by the Tartars of Asia in the middle ages. They were armed with sabre, pistol and lance, at first carried in the left hand. The pennon is intended to frighten the enemy's horses, and identifies the men as Prussians. The Poles, Austrians, and Russians also adopted uhlans. In the Franco-Prussian War of 1870 they led the invasion of northern France, and won great fame by their fearless activity.

Feeding the Men in the Trenches--A German Field Bakery

Napoleon said "An army travels on its stomach." This is part of the wonderful German organization for supplying the men in the field with daily bread. Each wagon supplies 1,600 men--there are twenty-five with each army corps of 40,000. The war ration includes bread, biscuit, eggs, meat, beans, rice, dried vegetables, salt and coffee.

The German Defense Against the Airship--Krupp Gun on Motor

This is one of the deadly Krupp aeroplane guns, mounted on a Mercedes auto truck. The rear wheels are braced to steady the gun from vibration under the heavy shock of firing.

An aeroplane is a very difficult target, not only on account of its rapid flight, but also because the only vital spots are the engine and the passengers.

Crack Austrian Regiment from Vienna

Austrian military traditions are equal to any in Europe. In the sixteenth century they turned back the tide of Turkish conquest and saved Europe. Military service is compulsory on all able-bodied males from 20 to 42, and totals twelve years--three in the line, seven in reserve, and two in the "Landwehr." The long trousers worn by these troops show that they are recruited from the Germanic part of the empire--for the Austrian army, like the empire itself, contains men speaking twenty-six different languages.

Cossacks--The Rough Riders of Russia

The Cossacks of the river Don pay no taxes, but are liable to military service from eighteen to fifty, and each must furnish his own horse. They are wonderful riders, and excellent scouts or skirmishers. Their hollow circle formation is a favorite one for defense.