27 August 1890:

Miscellany: The Disarmament of Europe

The interest in Wilhelm II's recent trip to Russia consists less in the interview between these two emperors than in that of their respective chancellors.

It seems that, among the questions approached in the conversation of General de Caprivi and Mr. de Giers, that of general disarmament was not able to bring about any agreement between the two diplomats.

"The question of disarmament is nothing but a chimera," said the Soleil. "To achieve this good dream, renewed by Abbé de Saint-Pierre, there would need to be resolution to the Bulgarian question, to the question of Alsace-Lorraine, the Romanian questions, that of Trieste and of Trentin, as well as twenty other questions of which any one could set fire to Europe."

And according to the same paper, Mr. de Giers should have replied: "Germany can disarm if it considers its position to be so strong. This would set a good example and be a curious humanitarian experiment. But Russia, if you please, would not follow suit."

Meandering:

Consider the way Europe is avoiding war: armed peace. The States are staring each other down. It is up to the one who portrays itself as the most fearsome, who has the most perfected engines of war. And as soon as one country has finished arming its troupes with a new model gun, another newer model suddenly appears. Thus, the Italian war committee has just been presented with an automatic weapon that has the speed of 51 shots per minute.

There is also Mr. Paul Giffard's gas pistol. It's a clever idea. The principle behind the invention is the expansion force of liquified gasses coming back to the gaseous state.

A heavy-duty case, containing liquid carbonic acid, is placed under the barrel. The movement of the trigger acts on a valve system to let a drop of liquid through, which turns to gas in the bore of the gun, and shoots the bullet forward.

Let's hope that the inventor hurries to make the necessary perfections for it to be adopted in use.

2 September 1890:

News & Rumours: The Political Situation in Europe 

According to the newspaper La France, the conclusion to draw from the interview between the tsar and the emperor of Germany is as follows:

"Russia and France, equally strong and powerful, form the best guarantee of peace, and it is very evident that as long as this alliance lasts, thanks to common interests, there will be no need to fear a change in the status quo in Europe.

" The triple alliance will not start a war of aggression, they will have too much to lose. For their part, France and Russia do not want to start a war whose consequences could be terrible for Europe as a whole."

Miscellany:  The Navy of the Future

The Gymnote, the submarine boat constructed by the care of Admiral Zédé, has just carried out the most conclusive experiment...

...torpedo boats are set to overturn, in the foreseeable future, the rules of naval tactics. This newspaper hopes that the French navy will be reformed in this way.

10 September 1898:

Bulletin of Europe and America

France  – ... The arming is continuing, in view of the next war; the French see this as the guarantee of the security and the tranquility of their country.

Italy – Mr. Crispi [Italian PM] still thrashing around in the gears of the Triple Alliance. He has derailed the attempts at a reconciliation between France and Italy, which many of his better intentioned and perspicacious compatriots are working for. Semi-official speeches have shown that Italy shares the sentiments of hostility of its minister, and that, commercially and militarily speaking, the best thing to do on both sides of the Alps is to keep arms at the ready and to stay alert...

Russia – Russia is still the counterweight of the Triple Alliance, the supreme dispenser of peace or war in Europe. From time to time nihilists, to affirm their existence, blow up something or someone. The links of friendship with France still reach out and strengthen themselves more and more...

Germany – Since Emperor Wilhelm's voyage to Russia, he has hardly produced news worth reporting. On this subject, in Berlin there is much talk about a sensational article in the newspaper Annales Prussiennes which said that the voyage was a deception, and that the Russian court entertained its imperial guest with a series of pointless theatrical parades, while the military administration had ordered very serious manoeuvres on the western borders, just as the parade was finishing. It even adds that the Prince of Bismarck is visibly the instigator of this failed voyage.

The great manoeuvres and the inspection of the fleet at Kiel are currently demanding attention, with festivities and imperial receptions, all the subjects to keep up on.

The principal interest of the manoeuvres that took place on 6 September was the infantries' shooting with smokeless powder. It seems that the results were excellent. We can only cry alas! thinking about the murderous goal of all these great discoveries.
 

The Next War: Sub-Marine Boats

The rapid progress of modern science prevents the powers from keeping their secrets or their monopolies on discoveries for a long time. As soon as one of them has found a new invention, the others strive to penetrate it and have soon appropriated it for themselves.

In 1886, Messrs. Zédé and Goubet only had the Swede Nordenfeld as competition in the realm of "submarine" boats; today France is far from alone.

One can imagine the profound revolution that must take place in the art of naval tactics from the appearance of this new engine of rapid destruction.

What will the next war be, which, according to the most optimistic predictions, is only adjourned?

The most fruitful imagination is powerless to conceive of the horror. It will be something horrendous, unbelievable.

But who knows? If all of the powers make use of smokeless powder on land, submarines at sea, perhaps we will be able to say, like the old refrain:

When everyone has weapons, it is as if no one does.

The master quality of the Goubet is a perfect stability. It is always balanced amid the element that makes up its environment; it descends and rises always vertically.

The vessel being balanced, the forced need it to set it moving is very small; this mass of six tonnes is very easy to manoeuvre with oars by a single man. The slightest manipulation of its ballast makes it descend and rise with great speed. It thus has in its power all of the necessities to make it disappear from the sight of an enemy as soon as it has been noticed.

It was demonstrated, by the latest experiments that took place at Cherbourg, that the Goubet can be manoeuvred with such great precision that it can come up beside a ship without being noticed.

The Goubet possesses, moreover, the means of immobilizing a ship without sinking it. It can engage the ship's propellor. 

The order to torpedo a ship having been given, here is what it does:

If it found itself at a great distance, it would navigate to get closer, and as soon as it arrived in proximity, it would descend so as to leave nothing but its optic tube in projection above the water. In this conditions it is invisible. Up to 100 metres from the battleship, the advance is by way of the engine, but from that point the Goubet advance by oar in order avoid producing eddies. Around 50 metres, the pilot identifies the exact position of the ship on a compass and, abruptly, retracts the optical tube in order to dive to 1 or 5 metres. It is at this depth that he advances, chooses his point of attack, triggers his torpedo and, still at the same depth, distances himself swiftly from the spot using the engine.

If he had been spotted, he would only have to change direction or descent a few metres lower to be sheltered from the most powerful pieces, and ultimately, it is the little submarine that wins the fight against the immense battleship.

One can imagine the profound revolution that must take place in the art of naval tactics from the appearance of this new engine of rapid destruction.

What will the next war be, which, according to the most optimistic predictions, is only adjourned?

The most fruitful imagination is powerless to conceive of the horror. It will be something horrendous, unbelievable.

But who knows? If all of the powers make use of smokeless powder on land, submarines at sea, perhaps we will be able to say, like the old refrain:

When everyone has weapons, it is as if no one does.

A commander on leave