The Chickasha daily express. (Chickasha, Indian Territory [Okla.]) 1899-current, 1916-03-28
ATTACK Is SUICIDE FOR
FIRST LINE TROOPS
Only Reserves Can Expect to Reach Gov
eted Position; Aerial Conflicts and
Submarine Activity are Also
Likely to Increase
BY Wilbur S. Forrest.

United Press Staff Correspondent.
London, March 15-(By Mail.)---
Men who have been in closest touch
with every move of the world war to
date are beginning to forecast that
the next five months will bring an
unparalleled burst of battle, attended
by the worst bloodshed in the worlds
history
The immense waste of human life
and materials before verdun, greater
than that which shocked the world at
Liege and Namur, has demonstrated,
the experts say, that if this war goes
on TO the bitter end, no phase of his
tory, ancient. medieval or modern,
will compare with the slaughter. One
military critic said today:
"The almost impreguable character
o. the defenses of the western front,
which have been building for eigh-
teen months, make it suicide for the
first line of any assaulting body OF
troops. When commander orders
.attalioa to the assault and posts the
reserves in the rear ready to follow.
he knows that the position attacked
will be captured by the reserves. IL
captured at all.
'He cannot help but know in ad-
vance that the first line will melt
away before the fire of the opposing
side. Before the reserves reach their
objective over the bodies of their
comrades. they too, may have been
decimated by the machine gun. rifle
and cannon fire which protects the
trenches or every mile of the front
that runs from the North Sea to
Switzerland.
mo one can blame the command
ers for the course they are bound to
take. It is war. The men, too, are
not unwilling to make the sacrifice.
Those in the front ranks know that
their chance is slim. The best they
can ask for Is wound from which
they will ultimately recover. Months
of monotonous trench warfare are re-
spopsible for this. The men are will
ing and ready for anything that
means a diversion from the stale
nate of the past year ard half.
What will happen on the western
front will be repeated on the eastern
v here both the Russians and Ger
mans have been working feverishly
fo- months entrenching fortifylng.
constructing WIRE entangloments and
placing heavy ortintree pieces suf!i-
oient to sweep the ground for miles
|arcund."
At Sa,onica. where the allies hur-
rledly dug themselves IN and have
gradually fortified their holdtlgs to
almost impregnah lity. the cost os
taking the Greek port for the central
powers would Ear cxcs cd It's military
worth.
Throughout all ihe theaters. the
COU.lHB SpIlhe VIZ 0s~ e"o - t~'"'~e~
activity Of the wa attended by the
slaughter which conditions make In
evitable, the mil;SSry experts are say.
ing.
Nor will the slaughter be limited
to soldiers. some forecasts declare.
Il is believed in some circles that
Zeppelins will take heavy toll of civ-
ilian populations in many Quarters.
Reports from Friedrichshafen. on
Lake Constance. say that the Zeppe-
lin factory there is turning out twelve
or sixteen Zeppelins month. The
German Parseval and Schultz-Langc
factories, located elsewhere also are
reported active to an extent Of ten
times their normal output.
This great monthly addition to the
German aerial fleet, the experts arn
inclined to thirk, must forecast liith-
erto unexampled air raiding every
where. The question OF the air de-.
Tense of London is being debated in
parliament and with the appointment