Harrisburg telegraph. [volume] (Harrisburg, Pa.) 1879-1948, 1916-02-22
PRIPET SWAMP BRISTLES
WITH MACHINE GUNS

TContinued From First Page.
ing futile in this section at least all
Russian efforts to regain lost territory.
An Associated Press correspondent,
the first to have the opportunity to
view the machine gun front" in and
about the Pripet swamps since the
Teutons took up their positions in
September and October, has just re-
turned from a trip along several miles
of the swamp fighting line.
BrlstIcs With Guns
Every mile of this front fairly
bristles with deadly machine guns,
which cover every inch of terrain.
Though the correspondent had no
means of ascertaining how many
men defend the Pinsk sector the null
titude of rapid-firing guns gives the
impression that even small number
of men should be able to hold the
line indefinitely. In addition to the
guns, millions of running feet of
barbed wire entanglements, transform
ing each village and house into a
veritable fortress, render the German
positions, from a layman's standpoint,
mpregnable-which the military au-
thorities claim that they are.
Forces DeadIockcd
This impression is heightened by
the fact that the swamps, from two
to ten miles wide, in the region OF
Pinsk have not once been frozen over
the mild weather, with the resultant
open swamp land between the Ger
man and Russian lines, has made ex-
| traordinary fortitications unnecessary
thus far. Probably nowhere on any
front is the term Stationary warfare
more applicable than in the Pinsk dis
trict, where lonely outposts in block
houses erected on tiny islands in the
swamp lands and rowing patrols give
the only real touch of fighting.
Every Yard Fenced
The German lines at Pinsk protrude
farthest east of any along the whole
front from the Baltic to Galicia. They
project in semi-oval form. The
greatest danger to the forces at Pinsk,
therefore is a flanking movement from
the north-the swamps afford protec-
| ton from the south. In consequence,
! the northern lines have been made ex-
tremely strong. Not only is every
yard of this front fenced in with en-
/ tanglements 100 to 120 feet wide,
but there are supporting points at
very short intervals which are verit-
able fortresses in themselves. They
are surrounded by star-shaped barri-
cades of wire.
Live i'm DugoutS
Each of these supporting points is
subdivided into barricaded sections
with bombproof shelters and with ma
chine guns to fire along both sides OF
each point of the stars. AS a final
4 precaution each supporting point is
surrounded by a single wire, stretched
knee high, on which hang ten pairs
| of empty bottles, which cllnk the
alarm the moment the wire is touched
by any person who approaches.
A novel feature of the German de-
fense in this section is that the troops
are composed almost entirely of crack
cavalry regiments, numbering high
mobiles among their officers. short
time ago they would have scoffed al
the idea of being dismounted, but now
they live cheerfully in part or wholly
under ground. riding their horses only
for sport in improvised hippodromes
The lot of the troops on this north
ern flank of the 'front.' however is
happier than that of those east and
south of Pinsk, for they have been
able to entrench themselves.