Louis VI used bombards of great length and power against the Flemish in 1477, while as early as 1401 bronze cannon had been cast in several cities of West Prussia. Iron cannon were not cast until near the end of that century. Coming down to the seventeenth century, we are told of the great Bijapur cast-iron gun, the “Lord of the Plain,” cast by the Mogul emperor Auremgzebe or by his foes the Mahrattas. This huge gun was 14 feet long, 28 inches bore, and fired a ball of 1,600 pounds weight. Smooth-bore cannon and mortars of cast-iron and bronze are still retained in some fortresses, though rifled cannon are the only type now made. As late as 1864 smooth-bore 100- and 150-pounder wrought-iron guns were made for the British navy and a few bronze rifled guns were made in 1870 for service in India, but all such guns are now obsolete. [Illustration: TWENTY-EIGHT TON AUSTRIAN SIEGE HOWITZER WHICH FIRES A THOUSAND-POUND PROJECTILE The Germans borrowed a large number of these great siege pieces from the Austrians and used them in the reduction of the Belgian defenses. Huge shells filled with high explosives from these mammoth guns rapidly destroyed the most modern and powerful fortifications known at the beginning of the great war. It is known that against such weapons of offense no fortifications can last and that the employment of such weapons has forced both armies to depend on their trenches as their main defense.] [Illustration: CONQUERING THE ALPS. Immense labor and great ingenuity were required to haul the monster Italian guns up the steep mountain sides to their positions.] [Illustration: THE MOST FORMIDABLE OF THE FRENCH ARMY’S TRENCH ARTILLERY 80-m.m. mountain gun loaded with air-mine weighing 130 pounds. These mines can be thrown for a considerable distance and create havoc in the enemy’s trenches if the aim is true.] [Illustration: THE BENNETT-MERCIER MACHINE GUN This new automatic machine gun has been adopted by the United States Army, Navy and Marine Corps. It is handled by two men, one to aim and fire it, the other to feed the cartridges which are held in brass clips of 30 each. The complete gun weighs only about 35 pounds, fires 400 shots per minute, using regular 30-caliber Springfield rifle cartridges, with a maximum range of 3 miles and an effective range of about 2,000 yards. The weapon is air cooled and can be fired steadily for about 10 minutes without undue heating.] [Illustration: THREE-INCH FIELD GUN, LONG RECOIL CARRIAGE AND LIMBER Weight of gun, carriage and limber complete, including 36 rounds of ammunition, 4,200 pounds; ground clearance, 22.5 inches. Seats are provided on axle of carriage for two gunners in transportation, one of whom operates the road brake. _Courtesy of the Bethlehem Steel Co._]