Rare Footage of Naval Railway Guns in France, 1918

Neither of my grandfathers served in WWI. One was too young and the other tested positive for TB. My great-grandfather, already intimately familar with NYC's water supply, guarded it from saboteurs for the duration of the war. Only one of Grandmother's cousins went to war. Daniel Merrill Van Cott was a medic (medical orderly) in France. This film has absolutely nothing to do with him except that he was in this same area at the time this was filmed.

Artillery is nothing more than big guns. However, the logistics, mechanics and techniques used to manage big guns is fascinating. We've come a long way since 1918. However, it is clear that the basics have changed little since then. We have used technology to reduce manpower requirements, we have computers to calculate charges and the laying of guns but the basics are the same.