Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922, 1914-08-30
PARIS DEFENSES
ARE VERY STRONG
Half Million Men Required to In
vest French Capital, So Formid-
able Its Fortifications.
THREE HUGE CIRCLES SURROUND
Military Experts say a. Would he
Vastly More Difficult 20 Cap
ture Place Now Than
in 1870.

WASHINGTON, Aug. 29,-The fortified
tons Of Paris and their ability 70 resist a
Siege Is receiving the close attention OF
military observers. now that Paris IL the
announced objective point of the Ger
man forces, and the French ministry OF
war has adopted urgent means Of
strengthening the city's defenses to the
utmost
While the citys detailed defenses, are
surrounded with secrecy by French mill
tary authorities, yet their general char
acter and formidable strength are known
TO military experts. who recognize them
as among the strongest Notifications of
the world.
These Notifications consist Of three dis
tinct circles sweeping around the city
first. the solid wall OF masonry, eighteen
feet high, extending for twenty-five miles
around the old sections Of Paris: second.
the system OF seventeen detached forts
arranged at intervals. two miles beyond
the wall, and making a circuit of the city
thirty-four miles long; and third, an outer
girdle of forts seventy-five miles long on
the heights commanding the valley of the
Seine.
Each Circle Complete.
Each Of these circles of masonry and
steel is a complete defense in itself. the
forts being linked together with redoubts,
bastion and glacis, which permit cross
fire against approach from any direction.
The magnitude OF the system is shown
by its area which exceeds 400 square
miles.
The wall around Paris snd the seven
teen detached forts two miles beyond the
wall were built by Louis Philippe. They
sustained the German siege of 1S7O-I1,
and the outer forts have since been
greatly strengthened. The third line of
forts on the hills of the st. Gerniaine,
Comedies and Villiers, are Of modern
construction with the latest types Of
batteries and heavy guns.
The inner wall about Paris surrounds
the best known and most important sec
lions of the city including the business
sections along the Grand boulevard, the
residence sections Of the north and west
OF the city and the Latin quarter and
other sections on the left bank Of the
Seine.
Circle of Suburbs.
On the outside of the wall is a circle
OF suburbs extending for many miles, in
Guiding Neuilly Argenteuil, Versailles,
Vincennes and many others. The forts
OF the second and third lines of defenses
are dotted among these suburbs protect
ing them and the approaches TO the capt.
tai The wall contains ninety-three bas-
tions and sixty-seven gates. Some OF
these have been abandoned owing to the
pressure of modern construction and
trade. But recent advices received here
from Paris state that all the gates still
a 81 g NJ with
rigid regulations against movements from
within or without.
The second line of forts includes th'
famous fortress of Mont Valerian, 'whicf
was the center of attack in the German
siege of 1870. 1t is strengthened by TIVE
groups OF works-Hautes Bruyeres and
the Chatillon fort and batteries. Soutf
of the city Is the row of forts at Ivry
Bictre, Mont Rogue, Vanves and Issy
North and east Of the city are three grea
forts around st. Denis and two others a
Fort AuberviIlers and Fort Clarendon
great wood of Bondy.
Would Take Half Million.
The outer circle of forts, which are o
the most modern type. have from twenty
four to sixty heavy guns and 600 to 10
lenses it requires 10000 men to operat
them, not counting troops assembled
within the city According to militar!
experts, 1t would require force OF 10000
men to invest these defenses.
General Won Moltke, field marshal Of
the German forces at the time of th'
siege of Paris in 1870 states in repor
on that siege that the French artillery
- . 81
pieces, including 200 OF the largest calibe
OF naval ordinances. There were so
rounds for each gun and a reserve o.
100000 Kilograms Of powder. Won Moitk
points out that the bombardment of
fortified place in the heart OF any enemy
country is difficult IL not impossible un
ell he invader is master Of the railway
or Waterways by which siege artlller!
can be brought up in full quantity.
He explains the failure to bombar'
Paris at the outset of the former sieg
by saying it would have required 80
heavy guns with 500 rounds for each gun
The movement forward OF these heav!
guns would have required $500 four
wheeled wagons and 10000 horses. whicl
were not available.
At later stage the Germans brough
up their DIG SIEGE guns otNdShihs tue On
ciente and ports and dropping 800 to 70
fifteen centimetre shells daily into tn
heart OF the city. Notwithstanding tn
fury Of the German attacks Paris with
stood the siege for 1872 days. Since the
the entirely new and outer third line o
defense has been erected and militar
experts say the Qualifications as q Who'll
are Tar more formidable than those whic
resisted the former SIEGE