New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1914-12-13
leaders in Force Must
'p r,sser Dig In" for
Winter or Retreat.
yor so EASY TO
Nv GET HOME, EITHER
r.,,r,e Correspondent Tells OF
observations on Trip
TO Nancy.
pv c IMAM BARNARD.


.,,,Vouess Q, The New Ysrf 7r1bun''l
s.,,r, Dec. 12.--"Its long way TO
rs q long way 70 60" left
N'a' :. two minutes past midnight
~. lived at the ancient capital OF
-. twsnty-nine hours later. The
go IN tins Of peace occupies six
The train left sharp on Time
.,v uunctual thing it did on It's
md apparently difficult career.
a. taking fifteen hours to reach
.,.sur-Meuse, it missed connec-
~ ,n.ailing a trifing wait of five
~ :, on..hslf hours. As we are in q
=. Al siege, sill tho station buffets
I...d At s o'clock The passengers
.,, # them refugees, from villages
..,n,rly held by tho Germans return
"a their homes. were practically
ing One reason for the length
s 49, tourney is that the route Is
..,SN.bed according TO military ne,
,,.sitiss for more than huhureu
lis from Dormsns to Nancy
IA train is never more than twenty
.d.s and generally less, from the
e.,.n lines. This entails all kinds
y 1.,ours. and the passengers are
p Allowed 70 forget the fact, ss
~. ~, dine a train stops at q station
"l - o,ins can be heard. Dur
:. tSs Ave hours I stopped at Pagny-
Vsuss the thunder Of heavy bat
-. hardly seven miles away never
...s,d for five minutes 81 time. All
.io,r the line the French positions
S..s daily increased in strength.
Germans Can't Advance.
n. trenches are strongly manned
ii he thousands Of troops kept IN re-
s,rvs Will paralyze the forward move
80. AZ t6e Germans. Rheims, Eper-
80 chslons-sur-Marne, Saint Meme
i.yId and Verdun will dispose OF any
s,,s, and render any attempt by the
csrnsns 10 break through completely
Sopslsss. OF this they must be well
Evsre. -,
Scores Of German seroplanes which
d,ily sweep over the French lines can
ale back only the most discouraglng
reports. but the French are leaving
nothing to chance. Fresh lines OF
trenches are being constructed daily.
lnf,nori.y in heavy artillery, which
ehsrscterized the French army in the
BEGINNING Of the war, no longer exists,
and new French guns are rapidly put
ting the much Wanted German bat
tsriss ont Of action. The French staff
Is Of the opinion that when the Ger
mans are convinced that an attack in
TIE north has completely failed a
movement TO retreat will begin. The
only point In doubt is the direction In
which Il viii take place.
The Germans have in France at least
two million men, with probably the
mes. formidable war material the
world has ever seen. Transport OF this
BY rail would require at least 1000
trains. With a train every half hour
the retreat would take more than two
months. II Is out of the question that
the main body should retraverse Bel
giun That country is wilderness in
which the troops could find neither
food sor shelter. The French military
authorities are convinced that the main
line Of retreat will be via Champagne,
and that a formidable effort will once
more be made in that region Nothing
therefore, has been neglected TO pre-
pare 10 meet IL.
Fighting Line Impregnable.
The fighting line from Rheims to
stlfort via Chalons-sur- Marine, Saint
fenehould and Verdun is practically
II looks as if an effort
Iould be made between Scissors and
helms, but the very fact that circum-
.ances force the Germans TO such an
oTlous course will probably condemn
TO failure in advance. The only
ther solution is that the Germans
hould decide 10 give up all idea Of
70 offensive, even as a preliminary TO
'trest, snd should dig themselves
T in the north as they have in the
's and pass the winter on French
'rrtory in the hope that long
AVN out war may wear out French
silence and lead 20 encouragement.
they entertain this theory they are
uch mistaken as to the resolution of
e French here in Nancy. That reso-
ton Is TO "see the thing through" at
y cost.
Nancy is the extreme outpost town
French territory, q few miles from
e German frontier. IL Is an open
WI without Notifications of any
Id All that lies between II and the
'rmans are the bayonets Of the
ench soldiers. The Division de Fer,
ron Division" probably Is composed
the most severely trained troops in
e world. The occupation Of Nancy
the Germans on the outbreak Of the
n was always discounted by the
rench General staff, and being an
zen town, II would have had no STRAIT
peal or tactical influence on the re-
w Of the campaign.
The fact that attack was actually
sgun under the personal direction Of
ie Kaiser and almost immediately
oandoned Is regarded as additional
,ooi that the German plan has failed
IA along the line.