The Bemidji daily pioneer. [volume] (Bemidji, Minn.) 1904-1971, 1915-04-16
MANY OBSTACLESN
TRENCH FIGHTING
Field Marshal French's Report Shows
Why Blunders Were Made by
British at Neuve Chapelle. =
ENGLISH DEMOCRACY WINNING
1ncompetency Among French Officers
Explains Ease With Which Ger.
mans Succeeded in Belgium.
BY ]. w. T. MASON.

by j. w. Il. MASON.
New York, April 16.-Field Mar.
shall French's report on the plumbers
committed by the British at Neuvt
Chapelle clears up much that was
obscure in that engagement, and en-
phasizes anew the almost INSURER
able obstacles that prevent a major
victory from trench warfare.
Since the entrenched fighting be-
gan in France and Belgium, it is Ger
tain that many incidents not unlike
the acknowledgement at Neuve Cha
pelle have occurred to all of the bel
1igerents. Otherwise, the annals OF
the last six months would show more
victories won by the Germans or the
Allies. But until the British COM
mander-in-chief made public his
frank avowal of the blunders of his
army, all details of failures have
been suppressed. General Joffre has
permitted it to be announced that
incompetency of the part of the
French commanders was responsible
for the success of the German drive
through Belgium and northern
France. The Germans, too, have
publicly criticized the Austrians in
general terms. But. the British re-
port Of the Neuve Chapelle battle is
the first one to give particulars of
an unpalatable character.
Is Winning Fight.
The British democracy, apparent
ly, is winning it's fight against the
Kitchener censorship
Four primary reasons are stated by
Field Marshal French to be respon-
sible for the meagerness of the gains
at Neuve Chapelle. First, the failure
of the Twenty-third brigade to prop
erly cut it's way through barbed wire
entanglements; second, the delay Of
the Fourth corps in getting it's re-
serves into action; third, the difficult
ty of recognizing the various units
1after~they had charged through the
enemy's trenches; fourth, the i'm
proper control of the artillery, which
swept the field over which the Brit
ish themselves were advancing.
Would Miss Lesson.
1t would be easy to set down these
mistakes to British laundering and
to remark on the similarity of the
present report and those issued dur
ing the Boer war. But criticism of
this nature would miss the prime
lesson of Sir John French's analysis.
Every mistake committed at Neuve
Chapelle is representative one. If
if were not for these and similar Diff
ficulties, modern generalship would
not be so impotent before the enemy's
entertainments.
There is no reference in Sir John
French's report to a belief that such
errors will not happen again. In
fact, five weeks have passed since the
Neuve Chapelle battle, and as yet no
effort has been made to redeem the
blunders committed last month. He
says such losses as those at Neuve
Chapelle must be expected in the fu-
ture unless he has "most efficient
and powerful artillery force and an
almost unlimited supply of ammuni-
tion."-
Cannot Pay Price.
There is no reason at present to
believe any of the belligerents has
IAN almost unlimited supply of am
munition." Neither side can afford
to pay the price of Neuve Chapelle
victories without unlimited ammuni-
ton, which cost the British $4,000
lives for gain Of 1000 yards along
front Of about two miles. The les
son of Sir John French's report,
therefore, is that no present hope ex-
lists of breaking the deadlock along
the western battlefront.