Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1916-11-14
CRISIS ON SOMME
PASSED, GERMAN
LEADERS BELIEVE
Allies Will Never Break
Teuton Lines, Warriors
Assert
''M RIDER, NOT WAR"
BY CARL W. ACKERMAN

PRINCE RUPRECHTs HEADQUAR.
TIERS ON THE WESTERN FRONT Cvia
Berlin and sayvillel, Nov. IL.
Germany believes the Somme crisis has
passed. The belief Is based on the un-
shakable and unanimous opinion OF the men
who have borne the hammering blows that
the Entente Allies can never break through
these lines Of steel and cement above and
below ground.
Furthermore IL is pointed out that success
In pushing the German lines out Of France
and Belgium would make the occupied Sec
tions of these countries n shambles-a mo
Mans Land; made such by French, British
and Belgian guns.
This confident belief that the Allied Of.
. fensive is wearing itself out is held in the
face of statements by British prisoners
that the month of November will be one Of
surprises. The result of the great Allied
offensive was decided in July, German Off
GERS here declared, when the combined
French and British artillery and the Eng
hsh tanks failed to break the German lines
In their daring initial dash.
Here is the opinion Of n captain at Cen
eral Won Carriers headquarters, an intel
ligence officer who interviews all prisoners,
reads all documents found on battlefields.
whose business also is the study of strategy
and who spent a. number of years in Eng
land and France:
''The Allied offensive was decided last
June. despite the fact that it has been kept
up four months longer. They cannot pro-
gress further because battles today are de-
cided by artillery, not infantry. Mass at
tacks cannot gain what they did at the be.
ginning.
I'VE have almost as much artillery now
rs the French, and when we shortly shall
have much ammunition they can make
no more progress. At some places the
French have fifty guns on 150-yard line I;
on an eight-mie line they have 1000 can
non.
but one must remember that this coun-
try is worth ten times more to the French
or British than to us. for 1t is the French
mans home
The French realize this more than the
English. The French destroy only what
military necessity requires. The English
destroy everything with their artillery.
Here on the Somme is Frances great
est tragedy, for IL the Allies expect to re-
deem the entire occupied territory In this
fashion they will make France and Belgium
territory No Mans Land.
THE immediate objective of the Franco
British offensive was to reach Bapaume
and Peronne through break in our lines.
They figured this would cause our with
drawal TO other positions No matter how
deep their wedge goes we will not withdraw
and we still have Bapaume and Peronne."
The impression here is that Hindenburg
will force such price from the Allies that
they cannot pay II.
The battle of the Somme is being fought
by young men. Fully eighty per cent of
the English and French prisoners are be-
tween nineteen and thirty. Most of the
Germans are the same age.
Another matter of deep interest Is the
part pgeons are playing in this great series
of battles. They have proved invaluable
especially when artillery destroys tele-
phonlc commuA ications with hidden Ger
man. guns. There are eighty of them in one
hayloft the Somme. They are helping
out as the eyes of the defenders. when line
communications are cut they are sent back
10 artillery stations with bulletins telling
where infantry is approaching, when
airy is seen and where tanks are numbering
toward the lines. Within few minutes ar
tillery hell is loosed.
II is a wonder there are enough men left
20 fight after one night OF battle in which
artillery fire is ceaseless and gas attacks
seemingly enveloping. Watching a battle
one night from a height eight miles away
the gas used by attacking British forces
was strong we could still get the fumes.
While watching / met young man who
lived most of his life in Newark n. j., who
had been released from active fighting to
act as interpreter for prisoners
This isn't war;" he said; its murder"