The Meeker herald. [volume] (Meeker, Colo.) 1885-current, 1916-05-06
When France Resolved to Hold
Verdun.

When the German attack before
Verdun developed to Its true proper
tions, General JofYre and the French
high command practically rs unit
advocated the abandoning OF Verdun.
Not only did they advocate this, but
precisely rs Field Marshal French
issued the orders for the withdrawal
from Ypres In the First Battle OF
Flanders, Jofire is believed to have
ordered the retreat from Verdun, and
to his orders is attributed the loss OF
Douaumont, which naturally-but as
it turned out, srroneously-convinced
the Germans that Verdun was about
to fall into their hands. !
,Joffre's reasons were perfectly
plain. TO retreat for q few miles, to-
straighten the line and abolish the
salient, was to surrender city that
had no present military value, to give
over point which WAS difficult to
hold-which was, in fact, an invita-
ton to attack under the most favor
able circumstances for the assailant.
To give up Verdun, now under the
terrific fire of the most extensive ar
tillery concentration the world ever
had seen, was to give over few miles
of French territory-that and nothing
more. In the present trench war 1t Is
only the piercing Of the line that
counts. In September the French
had made an advance Of two or three
miles in Champagne, iu May and
June they had scored similarly in
Artois, In April Of 1915 the Germans
had done the same thing about Ypres;
but these successes had been without
morrow, because the lines behind had
held.
To keep Verdun meant to spend
many thousand lives, to lose 1t meant,
from the military standpoint, just
nothing, since the hills south Of Yer
dun were quite rs suitable for de-
fensive Orerations. They were beyond
the reach Of the German heavy ar
tillery, as 1t was then In position, and
behind these hills the French could
concentrate artillery and men in SUI
flcient quantity to meet the German
concentration, which would have to
be moved forward over several miles
to reach the new front. Thus for
many days Paris and London believ-
ed that Verdun would be evacuated,
and Berlin, doubtless knowing the
French point of view, steadily insist
ed upon the approaching fall Of the
town. Read the German state
ments and Official communiques and
and you will find confidence which
Is patiently not mere manufactured
confidence; the Germans believed
that they were about to take Verdun
because they knew that the French
high command did not mean to de-
fend 1t to the last ditch.
But French high command did not
have Its way. One hears much in
history Of the evil consequences Of
the interference with the soldier for
which the politician is responsible.
Conceivably, the case Of verdun may
prove one example Of the wisdom Of
the politician and the inferior iudg-
ment Of the soldier. At all events,
the French statesman, tile Prime
Minister, members of the Cabinet,
members of the two branches of the
Legislature promptly appreciated the
political Is contracted with the mill
tary aspects of Verdun. They recog-
mixed what the effect upon the world
would be Of shining German sue
cess, Of success that would shine be-
cause, whatever the military fact, the
civil legend concerning Nerdun made
of 1t . Gibralter.
There was then . sudden crisis, a
real crisis in the political life of the
Republic. The civilian government
said to the military, "Verdun must
be defended; 1t must be defended be-
cause its value, its moral value is in
calculable." To this opinion the mil
itary mind yielded, mainly, it is said,
because General de CAstlenau, the
second In command, finally came to
see the situation as the politicians
saw 1t. As = result, de Castlenau
went to Verdun. The man who had
saved Nancy undertook At the
eleventh hour to save Verdun, and he
succeeded. With him he took Petain,
who will always be remembered in
French history as the actual defender
Of Verdun.
At Verdun, soldiers and ambulance
drivers alike told me Of the electrical
effect Of the coming OF these two men.
For several days the crowds Of inhab-
itants Of the villages hastily evacu-
Ated - the German advance was
pushed and clog8ed the roads. Men