The Sentinel=record. (Hot Springs, Ark.) 1900-current, 1914-08-29
siege OF PARIS
EXPECTED NEXT
POSSIBLE ATTACK ON FRENCH
CAPITAL is RECEIVING MILL
TARY ATTENTION..
Notifications of Paris Arc Expected
TO Afford Long Time Resistance to
German Army.

tons of Paris aud their ability to re-
sist a siege is receiving close atten-
ton of military Observers now that
Paris is the announced objective CT
the German forces and the French
ministry of war is strengthening the
city's defenses.
The general character of the city's
detailed defenses are well known to
military experts, who recognize them
rs among the strongest Notifications
Ia the world.
The notifications consist of three
circies sweeping around she city
first the solid wall of masonry rs
feet high extending for % miles
around the old sections of Paris: see
ond, the system of II detached forts
arranged at intervals two miles b..
You'd the wall and making a circuit of
the city 81 miles long and, third, an
cutter girdle of forts s. mics long.
Each of these circles of masonry
and steel is a complete defense in
itself. 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 since have
been greatly strengthened. The third
line Of forts are OF modern construc-
ton 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. Outside
OF the wall a circle OF suburbs extend
for many miles. among which are
dotted the forts of the second and
third line of defenses. protecting them
and the approaches to the capital
The wall contains SO bastions and g.
gates.
The second line of forts includes
the famous fortress of Mont Valerian,
which was the center of attack in the
German siege of 1870. South of the
city is the row of forts at Ivry, Bictre
Mont Rouge, Vanves and Issy. North
and east of the city are three great
forts around ST Denis and two others
at Fort Aubervillers and Fort Char
erton commanding the approaches of
The great Wood of Bondy.
The outer circle of forts of the
most modern type have from "a to so
heavy guns and 600 to 200 men each.
In all the three lines of defenses re-
Quire 10000 men to operate them,
not counting troops assembled within
the city. According to military eX-
perts. it would require force of 500,-
coo men to invest these doien3es,
General Won Moltko, fled mahshal
of the German forces at the time of
the siege of Paris of lS70Tl, states in
a report on that siege that the French
artillery armament consisted Of more
than 2.G21 pieces. .aalud'gs 200 Of tic
largest calibre of naval ordnance.
There were 500 rounds for each gun
and reserve of 100000 Kilograms
of powder. Won Motke points out
that the bombardment of a fortified
place in the heart of an enemy's
country is difficult, If not Impossible,
Unless the invader is master of the
railways or waterways by which
heavy siege artillery can be brought
up. lie explains the failure to bon-
bard at the outset of the former siege
by saying it would have required 800
heavy guns with 500 rounds for each
gun. The movement forward OF these
heavy guns would have required 4,500
four-wheeled wagons and 10000
horses, which were not available.
At "a later stage the Germans
brought mp their big siege guns, at
tackiue the encienne and forts and
dropping 300 to 400 fifteen centmeter
shells daily into the heart of the city.
the fury OF the Ger
man attack Paris withstood the siege
for 132 days. Since then the entirely
new and outer third line of defense
has been erected and military experts
say the Qualifications as a whole are
far more formidable than those which
resisted the former siege.