Tulsa daily world. [volume] (Tulsa, Indian Territory [Okla.]) 1905-1919, 1916-05-14
Captured Staff Report, In
tended for Kaiser, Is
Interesting.
THE PLAN IS SPOILED
" Always to Kill the Ger
mans" Became Watch
word of French.
(Rv John L. RALDERSToN)

tBy Jofi L.. BA oN.D
Copyright 1916, BY Mcclure Newspaper
Syndicate).
ONDON. April 15.--Some weeks
II ago. upon the authority of a very
high parsonage in Paris. | described the
q tack at Verdun as a new type of
battle which will revoiutioniZe tactics
in war until some general works out
something better. That view was
based upon the French methods at
Verdun. where they manned their
first lines with plenty of machine
guns and q few men. forced the en-
emy to expend enormous quantities
Of shells TO ocupy ono position, and
then continued their unimpaired re-
sistance from a position in the rear
This method was adopted in contrast
TO that of the Germans in Cham
pagne. where heavy less was suffered
because the defenders tried to hold
their ground.
Since that article was written a doc
ument prepared by an authority on
the German general staff. pparenty
for General Won Falkenhayn and the
kaiser. has been captured" by the
French. l am given to understand
that il was found upon an officer
who was captured. but general staff
officers are seldom captured. and
don't carry such papers into the
trenches when they go there. so per-
haps espionage is the real explanation
Of how the French got it.
New Form of Attack.
This report gives the impressions
of some unnamed German authority
concerning the lessons of the French
attack in Champagne. and recon-
mends q different form of attack in
the coming offensive" against the
French. The document was drawn
up during the early winter, and evil
IDENTIFY refers to the attack at Verdun.
1t is explained that the French sue
cess in breaking the iii st German line
in Champagne could be duplicated
at any time by either side. with suf-
ficient artillery WORK to pulverize the
enemys deferses in advance. but the
report points cut hat the great mis-
take of the French was in trying to
break through the second and third
possibility of accurate artillery fire
from guns hastily pulled over cap
tured ground and firing upon targets
from unascertained ranges is cited
and compared with the advantage the
guns OF the defense POSSESS in firing
on ground of which they knew every
inch. Other familiar handicaps i'm
posed on the attack in modern war.
from which both sides have suffered.
were enumerated.
The report then goes on to explain
how to win through the enemy's line,
avoiding the previous mistakes. and
the method recommended Is that
which the Germans adopted at YER
dun. The first line should be
crushed and captured. the report ad-
vises, as both French and Germans
have done. but then the attack should
pause and MT assault the second line
at once. An interval Of some days
should elapse. until the heavy guns
ascertained. and then the process
should BE- repeated. BY this method.
it is said the supply Of shells re-
ouired will be far greater than in the
past but the lives of the attacking
soldiers will be economized and. most
important Of all. It will be possible to
break through the enemys
line and bring about a great victory
in the open field.
XIII Germans"
The Germans tried this at Verdun
end the French outwitted them.
Joffre and De Castelnau. too. had
been pondering over the lessons
lea rned at Champagne and Loos. and
importance attached to holding
ground had been overrated. that the
main thing, as General Petain re-
marked to a British visitor at his
headquarters. was ito kill Germans,
always to kill Germans" They ac-
worked out the plan Of de.
tense which was tried at verdun. and
which aimed. first. to compel the en-
emy 70 expend millions of shells In |
destroying the few devoted troops left