The Wheeling intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1903-1961, 1915-01-06
G r EAT GERM MAN GENERAL
GIVES INTERVIEW TO THE
ASSOCIATED PRESS.
Effect Of Autos. AeropIanes. Tele.
phones and Wireless Described
Praises Bravery Of Allies.

FF~ttct BRAVERY OF bliie1.
FIELD HEADQUARTERS OF THE
GERMAN ARMY. a place in France.
December IL. Correspondent Of the
Associated Press). by courier to Hol-
land
The important section Of the long
western battle line is guarded at this
writing by the army Of General Won
Heeringen. to which belongs the credit
OF the first heavy fighting and the
nrst considerable victory OF the war
the defeat of the French at Muelhaus-
en-. Alsace. on August 10.
Each day brings its artillery duel.
sometimes ferocious. sometimes al
most perfunctory. The infantry in the
advance trenches carry on a constant
operation of tunneling and trenching,
punctuated with minor but frequently
sharp contacts. This week. however.
has seen no heavy fighting and the lull
in operations OF a serious character
has enabled the correspondent OF The
Associated Press. who has been a
guest Of the headquarters mess for
the greater part of the week, TO have
many conversations with General Won
Heeringen and almost every evening
hear his after dinner talks on the new
lessons and methods OF this war, the
initial campaign in Alsace, the com
paratfve bravery of the various armies,
the noteworthy achievements and in
cidents of the war on the use OF the
automobile, the aeroplane. the tele-
phone and wireless telegraphy In mod
ern warfare.
This war with its armies OF millions
and its battle fronts OF hundreds OF
miles would have been impossible
without these modern adjuncts, Gen
eral Won Heeringen believes. and
those seeking 20 place the responsible
ity for the colossal struggle may. he
thinks, II they wish. place a portion
OF the blame upon the shoulders Of
modern inventors.
In Close Touch.
As general stan officer. as Prussian
minister OF war and as army inspect
or and prospective commander OF war
should come, General Won Heeringen
has been in close touch with the mod
ern theory of war, but he admits tina.
all did not come out as the experts
had supposed.
Take the laying out OF trenches for
example" he said. The first prin-
ciple to be observed in laying out
trenches, according TO our ideas be-
fore the war. was to secure as ex-
tended a field of FIRE as possible, so
as to force an attacking enemy TO ad-
vance long distance under the fire
of the defenders. Now we have
learned that the first essential is TO
have them concealed and protected
from artillery, even IL the field OF fire
does not extend more than fifty yards
hfafT ~ F~h.-
with modern weapons. TO stop any at
tack. In a number of places along the
front our men and the French occupy
opposite slopes of the same ridge,
with the crest OF the ridge between
them. so that neither side can see the
other. In the old deys II would have
been thought that the side seizing the
crest could drive out the others. but
now neither side dares show a head
above the crest.
Another lesson we have learned IL
in regard TO the occupation OF cities
In an advance. We now march our
columns around the city instead OF
through IL. sending only light, re-
connoitering parties into II until we
have established that il is clear OF the
enemy
Hand grenades. we find. are the
best weapons for street and house to
house fighting. A couple OF hand
grenades thrown into a house occu-
pied by the enemy will clear IL more
quickly than anything else and with
far less loss OF life than by the
use OF the bayonet. Our men all carry
them now. In the trenches we are
using with remarkable effect not only
hand grenades, but also large mines.
containing a great quantity of ex-
plosive and thrown by a special type
of gun. These explode with tremen-
dOus effect, killing or utterly demon
alizing every one in the opposite
trench"
Exploded Mine.
During the correspondents stay at
headquarters a report was brought TO
the general one evening that the
French had endeavored to push for
ward large mine from their
trenches into the trenches at this
point ony a few yards distant. The
Germans opened a bombardment upon
II with their hand grenades the mo-
ment it appeared above the breast
works and succeeded in exploding 81
before Il reached the danger zone
for them.
The correspondent was shown a
number of these hand greDades. They
are about the size OF baseball and
are bound 90 short wooden paddles.
making them very handy to throw.
Usually they are provided with fuses
which the user lights from a match
or a cigar
General Won Heeringen was asked
whether the nrst months lighting mad