Arizona republican., 1914-08-29
The Defenses of Capital of
France, Objective Point
of German Forces, to Be
Strengthened to the Ut
telmOSt
ARE STRONGEST
IN THE WORLD
These Consist Of Three Dis
tinct Circles Sweeping
Around the City Begin
ming With Solid Masonry
Eighteen Feet High
ASSOCIATED PRESS DIsPATcH1

WASHINGTON, August 28.-The
Notifications of Paris and their abil-
ity to resist a siege are receiving the
close attention of military observers
row that Paris is announced as the
objective point of the German forces,
and the French ministry of war has
adopted urgent means of strengthen
ing the city's defense to the utter
most. While the city's detailed de-
fenses surrounding the city are sur
rounded with secrecy by the French
military authorities, yet their general
character and formidable military
strength is known to the military ex-
perts who describe them as among
the strongest Notifications in the
world.
The fortifications consist of three
distinct circles sweeping around the
city: first a solid wall of masonry,
is feet high, extending for % miles
around the old sections of Paris;
second. system of II detached forts
arranged at intervals two miles be-
yond the WALL making circuit of
the city "a miles long, and third, an
outer girdle of forts rs miles long on
the heights commanding the valley of
the Seine.
The wall around Paris and the II
detached forts two miles beyond the
wall were built by Louis Philippe.
They sustained the German siege of
1901. and the outer forts have
since been greatly strengthened. The
90 ha r.; of
st. Germain, Cormeilles and Villers,
is of modern construction with the
latest types of batteries and heavy
guns.
The inner wall about Paris sur
rounds the best known and most i'm
portant sections of the city includ-
ing the business. sections along the
grand boulevards, the residence sec
tions on the north and west of the
er sections on the left bank of the
Seine. On the outside wall a circle
of suburbs extends for many miles,
including Neuilly, Argenteuil, Yer
sailles, Vincennes and many others.
The forts of the second and third
line of defense are dotted among
these suburbs protecting them and
approaches to the capital The wall
contains SO bastions and 81 gates.
Some of these have been abandoned
owing to the pressure of modern
construction and trade. But recen.
advices received here from Paris
state that all gates still existing a~n
now closed at 8 p. m. with rigid
regulations of movements from with
in or without.
The second line of forts includes
the famous fortress of Mount Va
lerian. which was the center of at
tack in the German siege of 1870. II
is strengthened by two groups OF
works-Hautes Bruyeres and Chat
illon fo-t and batteries. South ol
the city Is the row of forts at Ivry
B.ctre. Mont Rogue, Vanves, Issy
North and east of the city are three
great forts around St. Denis and two
others at Fort Aubervillers and Fort
Charenton. commanding the ap-
approaches from the great wood OF
BondY.
The QUITE. circle of forts, which are
to 26 heavy guns and 800 to 120(
men each. In all the three lines o.
defense require 10000 men to oper.
ate them.
General Won Moltke, field marsha
of the German forces at the time O.
the siege of Paris in 1870, states il
a report on that siege that tn
French artillery armament consisted
of more than 1927 pieces. includin,
200 of the largest calibTe of nava
ordnance. There were 500 round
for each gun. Won Moltke point
out that the bombardment of for
titled place in the heart of an enc
my's country is difficult if not i'm
possible until the invader is maste
of the railroads or waterways b,
which heavy siege artillery can b
brought up in full quantity. He ex
plains the failure to lombard Pari
at the outset of the former siege b.