Evening star., 1915-09-16
T|T-FOR-TAT POLICY
ALONE SAVESC|T|ES
French Threaten to Destroy
Metz if Foe Bombards
Nancy.
ACCOMPLISHMENT EASY
FOR EITHER BELLIGERENT
Hidden Fortresses in Woodland
Prove More Effective Than
Modern-Built Structures.
BY HERBERT COREY.
Copyright, 1851

NANCY, France, August 22-"The
Germans will never lombard Nancy
Because if they do we shall knock Metz
to bits
That statement was made by French
officer during my visit here. At first /
we'll 1 doubted. 1 had seen some
thing of the work of the Germans 42s.
1t seemed that it would be quite easy
to stand pair of those guns off at a
decent, respectable distance and de-
molish Nancy in that leisurely fashion
in which they are smashing Dunkirk.
No gun has yet been made that can
compare with the AZ in range and
power of demolition. The German lines
are admittedly within 42'S reach of
this old town.
Now I am convinced that the French
officer was right. l have stood IN the
French lines and found Metz's towers
in clear view in my glasses In those
cede that they have not the power OF
the German AZ, and it is still true that
they will not have so far to throw
their shells Metz is under their hands.
SO to speak. If the one city suffers the
other must. Except that the Germans
must begin it, The French will not
shell Metz except in justified retalia-
tion.
1t has been an intensely interesting
trip, this one around the defenses
of Nancy. Ten years ago-one year ago
the visitors to the defenses of well
fortified city would have been shown
concrete easements and steel turrets.
That theory of defense went to pieces
with the Antwerp forts. Nowadays
forest, a hill. offers the best possible
opportunity for defense. A hill may be
thoroughly shelled, but if the guns it
carries are not dismounted the hill is
practically as good as new. 1t must
seem rather a futile thing to fire heavy
a a pnnd
throwing stones into pond
IF Nancy had been defended by forts
the Germans might be in possession
today said staff officer.
Defenses of Nancy.
So that my visit to the defenses Of
Nancy has been a progress from one
bit of woodland to another. progress
up hill after hill. Yesterday we went
to the Forest of Parroy. The day be-
fore we had seen the Forest of Cham
penoux. On another occasion we Wis !
tied the hill of Mont Saint JEAN Dur |
ing tAe greater part of our visit COM |
pass points were a mystery to US. We |
rode in confusing circles and zigZags. |
But every now and again we mounted |
some little hill. There. bulking heavy |
shouldered and impressive in the mist, |
was the Cathedral of Metz. Tall spires |
fenced 1T about on either side. De-
cidedly. if Nancy is shelled. Metz will
suffer.
Our introduction to the part French
sailors are playing in the defense of the
department of Meurthe-et-Moselle was
in the forest of Champenoux. There
we saw blockbouses and trenches. The
same sort of blockhouses and trenches
that one sees everywhere nowadays.
The manufacture of blockhouses and
trenches has been standardized. Given
the same conditions and either army
will build practically the same thing
Perhaps the French construct more
finished trench. They give more at
tention to beautifying their surround
ings But blockhouses and trenches
are basically the same everywhere. We
looked at them with mild interest. Then
we saw something at our feet.
"a little railroad" said some one.
What the dickens."