Armament > Memorandum relating to the suggestions of the Danish delegation (Conf. D. 99, page 51)

-LrfsM V
Official No.: Conf. D. 112.
Geneva, April 13th, 1932.
LEAGUE OF NATIONS
Conference for the Reduction and Limitation
of Armaments
MEMORANDUM RELATING TO THE SUGGESTIONS
OF THE DANISH DELEGATION
(Conf. D.99, page 51)
Proposal I.
The arms referred to in suggestion I are, generally speaking, those whose use is already
prohibited in certain countries under the treaties of peace, namely :
“ Tanks, heavy artillery, large-calibre trench artillery, capital ships, battle cruisers,
aircraft-carriers, submarines, automatic contact mines laid in the open sea, military
aircraft, chemical and bacteriological means of warfare, and incendiary bombs.”
Although it is rather the use of the arms than their actual type that determines their
offensive or defensive character, there will still always be certain kinds of arms, vessels and
aircraft which possess specifically offensive qualities, as compared with arms of a more defensive
character ; the arms in question are certain groups of implements particularly suited for
attacking a foreign country at a great distance and at great speed, or for producing extensive
damage affecting the civilian population and material property.
The perfecting of offensive arms of this nature which has been brought about during the
last few decades has conferred on the offensive a much greater superiority than it possessed
during the preceding period, and has, in particular, increased the possibilities of rapid and
unexpected attack. This evolution is not only such as to confer on all wars a more destructive
character, but implies in itself a great increase in the danger of war and a continual menace
of a specially serious character for all peoples who neither desire nor are able to play the part
of aggressors. The suspension of this evolution of offensive arms would thus constitute a big
step towards the security of nations and the establishment of a lasting peace.
As regards land armed forces, the world war led to the creation of various groups of new
arms designed in the main to assist the attack in a foreign country.
Tanks. — Tanks appeared when the line of defence became too difficult to break, owing
more particularly to the increase in the number of machine-guns and the extended use of
barbed wire. The artillery of the attacking army experienced growing difficulty in discovering
and reaching the desired objectives (i.e., the machine-gun nests scattered along the enemy
front). At the same time, the efficacy of automatic arms had greatly increased. Such being
the case, it was felt that the best means of restoring the superiority of the attacker would be
to place the arms designed to destroy the defenders’ machine-guns in an armoured vehicle
which would carry these offensive arms actually into the enemy’s lines, at the same time
breaking down his barbed-wire entanglements. Tanks, then, it is clear, originally constituted
a definitely offensive weapon. A distinction should be made, however, between tanks and
the lighter armoured cars armed with rifles. The latter are employed, as was intended, for
reconnaissance, and are not characterised by such definitely offensive features as the heavy
tanks.
The evolution of artillery is dominated by an attempt to achieve the following two objects :
to increase the effect produced by the projectile, and to increase the weapon’s range. The need
Series of League of Nations Publications
IX. DISARMAMENT
1932. IX. 39.
S. d. N. 3.330 (F.) 2.475 (A.). 2/32. Imp. J. de G.