The Detroit times. [volume] (Detroit, Mich.) 1903-1920, 1916-06-19
BRITISH READY FOR
SUPREME EFFORT
Continued from Preceding Psse,.

lives TO two. and more likely two
lives to one. for what slight ad-
vantage he has gained In obstruct.
ing the French offensive planned
for later In the summer. My per-
sonal belief. after a visit TO verdun,
In that the true relation OF losses
will be far more damaging 10 the
German. Not only does the attack.
ing party In such fight as this In
evitably lose far more than the de-
Tending party. but another element
has entered into the Verdun fight.
The French have been able 10 re-
cover almost all their wounded. The
Germans have recovered compare
lively few of theirs.
II Is 10 be remembered that after
the first week OF confusion In which
the French lost heavily because OF
the unexpectedly massive nature OF
the German preparations and more
or less contradiction in their own
orders. they have been fighting be-
hind strong defenses. They have
undertaken few counter attacks. and
these were not only well prepared.
but were directed with that genius
In military matters which fao
Frenchman has consistently shown
throughout this war They were SCI
efoot Just when the Germans whole
attention was engaged upon his own
attack en- masse. The consequence
is that whatever gains were made
by the French were made az a
comparatively--slight loss would
be afraid to state what compare.
lively slight loss means in this bat
tie. The figures woulu ut iscscdi0!Cl
On the other hand &C Germans
have not only sustained a Smelling
in their defcnses which ~ late, al
least. has been quito 60 ,s u vol
ume 10 that they have rent tho
French, but they have attacked 70
peatedly in mass formation. On
one day l00,0 900 men came under the
Gro OF the French artillery In the
open field. Yesterday l6 separate
charges in the open involved the
use CT not less than $4,000 men
and they did not reach their target.
The loss OF life in attacks OF that
sort Is absolutely unthipkable.
1.-TWO full regiments took part in
IN attack on Douaumont yesterday"
was told by a wounded oficer. who
saw the fight. They came out into
the full field OF Ere and simply melt
ID away. BY and by we could see
little gray figures running back. II
seemed to me that three-fourth re-
manned on the field"
Yet attacks OF that sort are neces-
bary II a position Ia to be gained.
On those fields over which the at
tack has passed the wounded live
and die by hundreds and thousands.
Through their field glasses the
French officers can see them NOV
ing-writhing. wriggling themselves
on, the brokenlegged men pulling
themselves. the men with broken
arms crawling, the men shot through
the body rising and running In agony
and throwing themselves to the
ground
They made me think Of bees
swarming on q broken branch" said
one officer.
When the world was different a
truce would have been arranged In
order that these wounded might be
succored Nothing OF that sort Is
permitted now. All day and all
night the shells fall on those aw-
full fields. Wounded In such num-
bers could not be rescued by few
working parties OF brancardiers. Sol
diers expose themselves in the open
at the accepted risk Of their lives.
A rescue party might too easily re-
solve itself into n dash for an en-
emy's trench. Some of the wounded
manage TO crawl home. The 9TH
ers--
"AIl night long we hear the Ger
man wounded bowling" man after
man has said. I'VE would save
them II we could But we cannot"
II must be obvious that even II
the initial loss were equal. the net
German loss is, under such condi.
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