The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1916-02-23
YEARS EXPERIENCE MAKES TRENCH
WARFARE SCIENTIFIC FIGHTING
bitches Made Almost enable Soldiers Learn
Live in Comparative Comfort Armed Against
Cold and Weather Changes

II Paris, Feb. 23-The second winter
campaign along the Franco-BeIgian
front has thus far differed little from
the first, excepting In the greater eff
fciency that experience has given to
tactics between the trenches. The
two armies at close quarters are, as
last year, like two wrestlers gather
ing their forces, each seeking a solid
foothold and on the lookout for the
chance to grip the other by the neck.
Most Of the activity between the ar
tillery positions is with flying ma
4 chimes overhead with the sappers
and miners underground; in the
trenches themselves it is largely a
matter of vigilance, mud and water,
| with a frequent variation in repairs
| of defense works and q heavy bonn
/ bardment. The mud is a more SCI
/ rious problem than at the same sea-
son last year on account of heavy
! rains Ditching has been done on a
| large scale all along the front, ex-
cepting in the dunes of Flanders
where the trenches are mostly above
| ground-compose of millions of
| sacks of sand: the water there is too
near the surface to make drainage
possible. Elsewhere drainage has
! been effective in dry weather but the
rain toys with the genius of the en-
! gineer and turns the bitches into ca
nails.
! The men are we'll armed against
cold with sheep-skin coats, muff1ers,
Esweaters, boots and are quite comfort
able in the Vosges where the water
runs off readily In the plains of
| the Woevre. though, where an entire
| brigade worked four days to execute
a plan of drainage admirably con-
ceived and theoretically perfect that
was found insufficient during the 1rst
storm, there is no protection possible
! against mud and water.
| The bottoms of trenches are COW
cred with fagots, but in vain; they
disappear in the mud after a storm.
A week of rain causes as much dam
age as violent bombardment, ac
cording to an officer who has seen
nearly every sector of the front this
| winter.
In certain parts Of the Woevre.
/ 4=rtois and Flanders the ground all
aroud the lines, belabored by shells
! of all cahbres. covered with excava-i
/ tions that rain has transformed into
| miniature lakes, resembles a. marsh of
| interminable length and mile or so
wide; the communicating trenches
themselves, sometimes several miles
long, are lige cess-pools. The men
obliged to tramp through them to
! get to the front line are tired out
when they arrive. One relief de-
| tachment was a whole night making
/ the four miles from their quarters
/ to the trenches; during the passage
| huInDef OF tn0In l6IL their SHOES III
! the heavy, sticky mud Men often
prefer to risk the enemy's shells and
make their way to their post on the
surface, but even this route is scarce
| " better in many places on account
of the pitfalls dug by artillery fire. 1t
| is over such ground that the soldiers
must p1od with backs bent under
loads of materials required to main
tain the inViolability of the first line;
no other means of transportation is
possible.
esThey reach their posts as a rule
ready to drop from exhaustion" an
officer tells the Associated Press, ''but
the smoking rata, as the trench
slang has named the rations, and a
hot cup of coffee. restore them quick
| Iy; Indifferent to swollen and blister
| ed feet they set to work under the
heavy rains, throwing up earth that
has caved in from the parapets, re-
| pairing the fagot supports, raising
the parapets, with never finch and
never a sign that their courage may
have suffered from those trying
tramps through the mud
There are parts of the front where
it is possible for the men to carry to
the frigid trench primitive foot
warmer In the shape of a stone heat
| ed by brasier at the quarters in the
rear the heat endures long enough
to afford a real comfort, but, of
course, the trench must be dry. For
| other comforts the men must wait
| for their turn to go to the rear
A head ventures above a parapet
and is greeted with a volley of bull
| let's; the adversary replies and the
! fire intensihes from both sides. All
! the men at work drop their piclSa
and shove1s for the rifle and the fu-
SHADE becomes general. The bomb
| singers join in and generally the
six-inch guns follow. covering the