The Brattleboro daily reformer. (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1913-1955, 1916-06-15
Reason to Believe It Already
Has Been Started on
Western Front
ENGLISH TROOPS NOW
HOLD 9O-MILE FRONT
French Have Not Yet Been Obliged
to Gail on British Troops to Help at
Verdun-New Thrust May Prove to
be Gigantic One.

LONDON, June -. - There is rea-
son to believe that in addition to the
great Russian offensive under way
against the Austrians, another has
been begun against the Germans on
the northern part of that line while
a third Is about to be launched by the
British i'll the west if this last is not
already under way.
For weeks there have been unmis-
taxable sigas Of a great British of
fensive impending which would be
come active when the Germans before
the British line had been reduced to
a minimum, and propitious offensives
had been begun by the Allies in other
quarters.
The British front formerly extend
cd from the Belgian front, which ends
about ten miles north Of Ypres, for
thirty-two miles down to about the
same distance from Arras In the last
week in March the British replaced
the French as far as the Roye rail
way. south OF the Sommc, and thus
occupied Il front of about ninety
niles. or a quarter of the entire ives
tern front. The substitution of Brit
ish for French troops in the southern
sector, the French going, it is believ-
ed, to the Nerdun defenses, was made
without any offensive on the part of
the Germans.
Prior to the beginning of the Ger
man campaign against Nerdun on Feb
! u British offensive had been week
| expected by visitors to the British
! concentration camps, parade grounds
! ami storchouscs in the rear of the
| British front. Particularly was this
when a great movement OF German
! troops was observed going east AND
south in the week of Feb. Is, through
| Central Belgium and Northern France
| However. subsequently, the gigantic
| proportions Of the German offensive
at Nerdun were said to have diminish
! ed the chances of an offensive by tn
! Allies in the near future, as it wa.
pointed out that the defense of Yer
| dun must necessarily make great in
roads on their accumulations of mu
nitions and men.
1t had unoilieiaIly traaspired. how
ever, that in the defense of Nerdm
! the French had not gone beyond TIN
use of their local reserves, save 70
the veterans who had been transferre,
! from the western sector, and that TIL
reserve force of 1916 and 1917 con
scripts of 1000, 600 men and the vet
eran Territorial Army of another mil
lion had not been touched. Besides
the only aid the British gave to tn
defense Of Ncrdun was the loan of n
Australian battery Of naval guns
which performed a special service an
then retired. 1t is also significant tina
the French have, in the defense 0
| Verdun, made no use of their hCav
mobile artillery.
Thus conditions behind the BIRTHS
lines continued to excite the admir-;
ton of visitors. On March 30 a Bri
ish officer wrote TO his family in Lo:
don:
"Apropos of this recent taking owe
by our troops Of these intervenin
miles of French-defcnded trenches
NAV he permissible to touch upo
what ! know to be a very widely 81
culated rumor at home, to the ef1et
| that the British have been helping OF
gallant ally in his magnificent rests
; ance at Verdun. General JOtfrc S me
sage of thanks to Sir Douglas Ia
has been quoted in our press as ev
dence of this.
cit seems reasonable to infer tn
the thanks were for the release
the French troops in the line we ha'
taken over, ana that the glory of t
defense of Verdun belongs wholly a.
solely to the army of France.
3. Although the hour of the Britt