The Sentinel=record., 1915-01-06
new LESSONS ARE TAUGHT
Gen. VanHeeringen Explains to Asso.
ciated Press Correspondent Some OF
the New Wrinkles of Modernxed
Warfare.

Field Headquarters of the German
Army, a Place in France, Dec. 12-
Correspondence of the Associated
Press This important section OF the
long battle line is guarded at this
writing by the army of General Won.
Heerfngen, to which belongs the
credit of the first heavy fighting and
the first considerable victory of the
war-the defeat of the French at
Muelaausen, Alsace, on August 20.
Each day begins its artillery duel,
sometimes ferociious, sometimes al
most perfunctory. The infantry in
the advance trenches carry on con
staat tunneling and trenching, punct-
uated with minor but frequently sharp
contacts. This week, however, has
seen no heavy fighting and the lull in
operations of serious character has
enabled the correspondent of the AS.
sociated Press. who has heen 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 atterdinner talks on the new
lessons and methods of this war, the
noteworthy achievements of the war
and on the use of the automobile. the
aeroplane, the telephone and wireless
telegraphy in modern warfare.
This war with its armies of millions
and its battle fronts of hundreds OF
miles would have been impossible
without these modern adjuncts, Cen
eral VonHeeringen believes, and those
seeking to place the responsibility for
the colossal struggle may. he thinks.
If they wish place portion of tAe
blame on the shoulders of modern in
ventors.
AS general staff officer as Prus-
sian minister of war and as army in.
spector and prospective commander If
war should come General VonHeer.
ingen has been in close touch with
the modern theory of war, but he ad.
mits that all did not come out as the
experts had supposed.
Take the laying out of trenches.
for example,I he said. "thIe first pri-l-
ciple to be observed in laying out
trenches, accordin gto our ideas be-
lore the war, was TO secure as ex-
tended a field Of fire as possible. so
as to force an attacking enemy to adj
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 fireI even If the fizrv
of fire does not extend more thanf 5o
yards before the trenches. That is
enough, with modern weapons TO
stop any attack.
Hand greaades, we find. are the
best weapons for street and house to
house fighting A couple of hand
grenades thrown into house occu-
pied by the enemy will clear it more
quickly than anything else aid with
far less loss of life than by the use
of the bayonet. Our men all bear
them now. In trenches we are ~ x
with remarkable effect not only band
grenades, but also large mines con-
tanning great quantity OF explosives
and thrown by special type of gun.
These explode with tremendous eff.
feet, killing or utterly demoralizing
every one in the opposite trench"
The correspondent was shown a
number Of these har 1 grenades. They
are about the size of baseball and
are bound to short wooden paddles.
making them very handy to throw.
Usually they are provided with fuses
which the user lights from match or
cigar
General VonIieeringss was asked
whether the first months fighting
had settled in any way the question
of the superiority of dense or eX-
tended lines for attack, English and
French reports in the early days Of
the war having described the German
soldiers as charging in almost solid
formation. and incurri1g heavy loss.
The general intimated that there was
a great deal OF legend in the story
hat in order to get the men forward
under heavy fire, it was necessary TO
advance IL successive rushes rather
than in dense lines. owing 10 the e.
feet of Hhe modern infantry weapons.