Military Lessons from Port Arthur
By L. A. S.
The story of the siege and capture of Port Arthur is an interesting one from a military standpoint, affording, as it does, a good idea of the progress made in military science through the use of some of the most recent scientific discoveries. It appears, for example, that the use of the telephone was largely instrumental in accomplishing the reduction of the Russian fortress, and that the capture of “203 meter hill,” which overlooked the city and harbor, was of importance to the Japanese more as a point of observation than as a position for mounting guns. The chief damage from the bombardment came from a number of eleven-inch mortars which were entirely out of sight of the city and the fleet, beyond an intervening range of hills, over which they fired, the firing being guided by telephone from the top of 203 meter hill. Four men were required to lift one of the shells fired from these guns, and a lifting crane was used to place the shell in the gun. It was the shells from these mortars that sank the Russian fleet. It was further demonstrated that no fortifications can be built strong enough to withstand the modern method of attack by boring tunnels under them, and blowing them up with dynamite.
L. A. S.