The Chickasha daily express. (Chickasha, Indian Territory [Okla.]) 1899-current, 1915-11-27
SMALL ADVANCE In
CHAMPAGNE DRIVE
French Gain Strip IS Miles Long
and Three Miles Wide, Firing
Million Shells; German
Losses FrightfuI
BY WILLIAM PHILIP SIMMS.
.. P. staff correspondent

WITH THE FRENCH ARMY IN
CHAMPAGNE, Oct. 23.-(By mail. -
Can either the French or German
armies now face to face along the west
ern front, produce knockout punch?
Doubtless the punch is possible. but
the more one sees of the present fight
ing line the more he is impressed with
the extreme difficulties of the thing.
Not an officer or man here but is
firmly convinced that sooner or later
the allies will smash through the Ger
man lines to open country beyond.
The Champagne drive proves that the
blow must be one Of the mightiest wal
lops that ever set the globe a-tremble
some months ago general remarked:
I'VE can break through any time,
but the effort would be costly and we
must make sure it will be worth the
price" The French have just broken
the enemy's front and reached German
reserve lines. The advance was q
prodigy of valor after miracle of
preparation; and the gain, Is miles
long and miles deep was worth the
price because it proved that the allies
task is not hopeless.
The battle of Champagne was the
first fought with perfected trencheE-
a condition peculiar to this war Until
last November fighting was in the
open, but when the armies dug them
selves in it was grenade throwing,
trench-mortar bombfiring, and an occa-
sional bayonet charge.
The Champagne battle was the first
great general battle after both sides
had turned their positions into yerit-
able forts. It will go down in history
as one of the worlds most important
fights. 1t is estimated that more than
a million men we're engaged and that
the Germans lost more than three
lines what Napoleon lost at Waterloo.
Such a herculean effort being neces-
sary for either sides considerable ad-
vance, and Germany's task of defend
ing a Russian front, a Balkan front,
and a western front, makes 1t impos-
sible for Germany to produce the
punch necessary for victory, the
French say.
The way from Paris to the fighting
front is a series of perfected trenches.
To advance, the Germans must storm
these trenches one by one. Their cap
ture would be possible only after cy-
clonic downpour of explosives. 1t is
said so many shells would be neces-
sary that Germany's output would be
taxed to supply this one front.
For three days | have walked the
Champagne battlefield, inspecting
what were the German positions. Ger
inanys preparations were marvellous.
Trenches. criss-crossed the plains, ma
chine guns were everywhere. steel
turrets with rapidfire cannon rein
forced already strong positions. Barbed
wire underbrushed the forests and be-
yond every hill crest were entangle-
ments to catch the advancing French
unaware. All sorts of man-killing
traps were set, one being a trick
trench from first to second line. Hav-
ing lured the French into this the Ger
mans disappear down an unsupported
offshoot and hidden machine gun
mows down the French
The one antidote for this is ter
rifle cannonade which literally turns
the whole fighting front. for miles in
both directions and miles bach of the
first lines. into shambles. from which
nothing can escape. The guns must
NOV down forests, level trenches.
blow up turrets and smash entangle-
ments.
The French in Champagne did a
good job Of it, For three days they
rained million shells day into this
area. Effective fire OF French field
pieces is about four and half miles;