New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1915-04-10


maintained ever since until the last ten
days.
While no longer a source Of immediate
danger, the German position at St Mihiel
constituted a continuing menace TO the
French. Fort Camp des Romans, sit
uated upon hill high above the Meuse,
commanded the crossing of the river and
the Toul- Verdun railroad. The Germans
furnished it with heavy artillery and made
it a spearhead thrust through the eastern
barrier forts. They thus held narrow
corridor, hardly ten miles wide at It's broad
est point, straight through the French
bulwark-an avenue for attack, If they
we're ever again able TO take the offensive
After some more or less desultory ef-
forts TO break this German wedge the
French turned their attention TO Flanders
and then to Champagne. North and west
Of Verdun in the Argonne and to the west
they steadily pushed the Germans back
until they occupied solidly the whole circle
about Verdun and had made a German
investment and bombardment OF this
fortress impossible. But before they could
venture TO take the offensive in other
fields it was almost imperative that they
close the gap in their line of barrier
fortresses.
This they have now undertaken to do,
and are at present engaged in attacks upon
two sides of the Verdun-St. Mihiel-Pont-a-
Mousson triangle On twentymile front
from Pont-a-Mousson to Apremont, just
south Of St. Mihiel, they are pushing
north. On "A narrower front from the
Meuse to Fresnes, parallel TO the first and
hardly ten miles distant, they are pushing
south through Les Eparges and Combres.
4 third movement east from Verdun is
making progress toward and about Etain,
which is a third Of the distance between
Verdun and Metz. 1t is interesting to
note that half a dozen miles of advance
along this line would bring the French
lie the battlefelds about Mars-la-Tour,
where the defeat of Bazane decided the
Franco-Prussian War.
The Germans, actually EMBODIED between
the two lines moving north and south, are
desperately endeavoring with success, &C
cording TO their own reports; vainlY &C
cording TO the French) to hold their mar
row corridor from Metz TO st. Mihiel. st.
Nihiel itself, dominated by Fort Camp
des Romans, has been made by German
Notifications practically unassailable. But
if the French thrusts north and south are
successful the Germans at st. Mihiel will
be cut off from Metz and must ultimately
surrender
It would be easy to exaggerate the con-
sequences of the present French effort,
even should it succeed. 1t will not open
the way to an invasion of German terri
tory. 1t will not deprive the Germans of
control Of any important line Of railroad.
The forts of Metz and Thionville will bring
the French to a prompt halt, once they
have crossed the Orne and reached the
Alsace-Lorraine frontier. On the other
hand, as defensive move, as an attempt
TO close a dangerous breach in their own
lines, the French attack is of greatest inn
portance. Once the st. Mihiel position is
taken and the trenches are carried south
from Etain to t-a-Mousson, French
troops can be sent to other points, where
the real offensive may be expected
The weakness Of the German position
lies in the fact that it is a salient open
to attack from two sides and so narrow
that it must be subject to crossfre. It's
strength lies in the roughness Of the coun-
try, which has made it possible to fortify
strongly; the nearness of Metz, which en-
ables the Germans to bring up heavy artil-
lery and reinforcements without delay,
and the proximity to the permanent forts
which protect the base.
The capture of st. Mihiel with Fort
Camp de Romans, will close to the
Germans one more road to Paris. 1t will
mean that between Switzerland and the
cid Luxembourg frontier the French de-
fence has proven itself indestructble. 1t
will corroborate all that German states
men said Of the military necessity to in
wade France through Belgium, since it will
prove that the eastern barrier fortresses
could not be broken. But it will not lead to
any more serious consequences than the
Commandment Of the outlying defences of
Metz. PROFESSIONALLY the Germans have
prepared to defend this great fortress in