Albuquerque morning journal. [volume] (Albuquerque, N.M.) 1903-1926, 1915-08-05
S.ege Conditions Prevail All
Ways and No Human Life
Can Withstand Rain of Bull
let's From Machine Guns,
ARTILLERY AND MINES
PLAY IMPORTANT PART
Policy Is to Wear Down Ger
mans, Who Are Given No
Rest, Day or Night From In
tense Attack by Allies,
j, .osnIna JOURNAL SPECIAL LEASED ~,sri

ID, MORNING JOURNAL SPECIAL LEASED wlREl
Paris Aug. C9:S0 p. mo- An tX-
nIanation of why So little progress is
boinp made i'm the French and Rel
oian war zones. SO far as actual
eruInd-gaining is concerned, rs al
forded i'm a statement from Ingue5-
uonable authority, in which almost
unsurmountable difficulties of the
present struggle are set forth.
nDuriup Che last six months says
this authority "from the North sea
to the swiss mountains, there mas
bean veritable siege warfare along
tbe length of the broken line of
trenches In this warfare all strateg-
il. maneuvers are absent, because
mgneuvers are impossible on ground
where every square meter is marked
ond swept by artillery fire. The only
alternative is a frontal attack. such
nm attack is smashed to pieces in one
mart or another against the lormid-
able organizations Of defense, in
which an the resources of artillery
and science have been employed by
the Two adversaries
Task for Artillery.
"1n constant subterranean wars,
armored and casemated, flanked with
rapid firers and mortars, and linked
To one another by maryelously con
cealed communicating trenches, when
are protected by the fire of heavy
batteries. dwell the infantry abund-
antlr provided with rifles and hand
grenades To take possession Of one
of these works, it is first necessary
ID dismante these trenches and ue-
stroy the material which they shelter.
This is the artillery's task.
mo one before the war could nave
imagined the vast amount of shells
reoumeh Several thousand shells mr.
ed during a few hours on restricted
ed sauace announce an attack lof
which this preparation is being made
But. no matter how numerous the
heavy guns or how well directed their
fire. 1t often happens that the piVla-
rdtions have been insufficient, one
or two rapid-firers NOV down the
troops who climb from the trenches
ready for the charge and after SUI
ferng heavy sacrifices, the attacking
party arrive at the first line OF the
trenches Of the enemy. The opposing
artillery, with "A literal wall Of tlle
effectively prevents any reinforce
ments from advancing to their lup-
port They must fortify the capl0r-
ed trenches. being subjected the WlhH
to much more accurate bombarI-
mut. as the enemy knows the exact
range of their former positions
Careful Preparation Required
such offensive movements toulo
not he multiplied nor prol9nsed DELL
nitely as much on account Of the
moral and physical effort which they
demand of the men as on account OF
The losses which they involve. Neither
can such offensives be improvlsed.
Before beginning an attack large
quantities Of material and proJectllea
must be gathered in one place pre-
Nously appointed by the commander,
advanced fortifications dug and the
ground minutely studied.
"lf, despite these difficulties, the
French army reneWs an offensive az
The price of "a bloody sacrifice, it is
with the conscious mission Of holding
large enemy forces on the western
front By the Marne victory II stopped
the invasion and ruined the first Ger
man play, which was. first, to shat
Ter France and return then against
Russia
"By the victory of the Yser with
the aid of the allied armies closing
the line of defense, it effectively pre-
vented the enemy from getting foot
hold In Pas de Calais.
No Rest for Germans.
by continuous offensive actions
from February to July in the Cham
payne, the Argonne and Artois, it de
morali1ed approximately 200O'OOO
men and captured an enormous
amount of material without allow
ing the enemy an instants respite, IL
loreed the German general staff to
Utilize on the western front reserves
do barracks and arsenals.
ut would be a serious mistake TO
measure our effort by the ground
conquered The decentralization and
wearing down of the German army is
The real goal
We have attained this goal since
j has been proved that during these
sN months the enemy has suffered
heaVy losses, and. taking everything
INTO consideration, ne can only re-
move from our front eight per cent
OF nus total effectives
The great battles on the western
'front.' We're fought in the Champagne
uuIng the months Of February and
March; between the Meuse and the
Moselle during the month of April,
ana M Artois during May and June.
Decisive Gains Made
n Champagne, we have taken the
ehemys defenses for a depth of from
TWO 70 seven kilometers (from one
ana one-third to four and one-third
lnlesj which repeated and heavy
eoanter-attacks have not been able to
Iecapture Between four and five
perman army corps have suffered
"eaVy losses, two regiments of the