The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1916-08-10
FRENCH, BEST
SOLDIERS IN
WORLD TODAY
State Journal Correspondent
Finds Great Fighting Power.
British and Germans Cannot
Compare With Them.
FRANCE is BRAIN OF WAR
Officers Lead English and Con-
for With Russian-Italy.
Herbert Flint Tells of His Ex-
periences in Paris.
British and Germans Cannot
Compare With Them.
FRANCE is BRAIN OF WAR
Officers Lead English and Con-
for With Russian-Italy.
Herbert Flint Tells of His Exc
periences in Paris.
Ply HERBERT FLINT.
Estate journal Correspondent.l


learn of the French, they are thu
greatest soldiers in the world l no
tice this particularly these days II
comparing them with the English anc
the Germans in the present allied ad
vance on the Somme.
The cold truth at present is thai
the English, while trying very hard
are not able to keep up with the pace
the French are setting. You can tel
that by comparing the areas capturec
by the two armies. Only last week the
French went out in one day and cap
tured 5000 prisoners and a lot OF
trenches just as easily as YOU and
might go out and bag a bunny Or
sthe other hand, the British have tc
extend themselves to advance ut all
and many times costly gains have been
,counterbalanced by immediate and
successful German counter attacks
Doubtless the British have had marc
row to hoe in view of their utter lack
of preparation for this war. and dc
mot wish to belittle either their efforts
or their accomplishments. But any
comparison between them and the
French is sure to demonstrate my as
sertion.
First of all I think the French arc
able to make progress because of sG-
perior skill and patience in detailed
preparation for an attack BEFORE
they advance they take dozens OF pic
atures of a line of trenches and COM
lbine these into composites so accurate
I.tud definite that the French soldier
on the charge knows almost TO an inch
where to use hand grenades. where TO
look out for a hidden machine sun
and where to leave the work 10 the
artillery Result: the French advance
practically always gains.
Germans Surrender.
Indeed, the Germans are coming to
surrender very readily when the
French go after them. The Boone
knows, it is surrender or die when the
aIlsail1iss- cerne-out- may say there are
a lot of Boches these days who have
no great desire to die.
4. Again: one must admit the Judi
viluaI superiority of the French sol
=dicr to both the Tommy and Inc
1Eoche It has frequently been dem-
orstrated that the Germans fight best
when the men are side by side; close
enough to touch and encourage one
another They need this Elutual sup
port in order to stand together. and
they have little individual initiative
any more. Indeed, some of them Fave
to be made to stand up and fight
Chained to Guns.
Artillery men have been found
know that is a fact.
70. The English soldier, too. needs to be
s'mothered" a little by his superio7s.
The Tommy fights best for an officer
ITO whom he has become personally at
tached and for whom he will finally
do anything. That is, to me partial
explanation of why SO many British
Officers are killed in this war. Feel
ing that he can only get results from
his men by giving a personal example,
I'll tfsesal1 f1Q n
sacrifice his life by unnecessarily ex-
posing himself to enemy fire. Add to
this conjecture of mine the fact that
the British officer is not the clever
trench rat that the Frenchman has
come to be and you may be somewhat
near the real reason for the unusually
heavy losses in the British command
ing forces.
On the other hand. the French SOL
der has shown himself a marvel in
being able to fight by himself, sepa-
rated from his fellows by many Il
yard. alone in a shell hole with a
handful of grenades. or crawling to
the assault beyond the reach of n COM
panion's hand. The battles around
Forts Vaux. Douamont, and Thiau-
derful ability of the individual French
PoiIu to bear with unshakn morale
sthe overwhelming attacks of Germans
in masses.
French HaVS Officers.
n similar superiority can be found
in the French officer. Each small
Company of French soldiers has three
men capable of commanding and lead
ing it. whereas the corresponding unit
in the British army has but one man
to lead. Hence the French are never
in need of men to direct Moreover
1.-The French officer does not have 20
expose himself unnecessarily to en-
courage his followers, for he and his
men are one. They are brothers from
the start and fight as one.
Help the British
= And the general superiority of French
Officers over English already mem
=tfOned is reflected il repeated reDorts
nave heard here that the British in
this Somme advance have received as
~sistance In the way of officers from
the French.
f. Only last week. beyond n doubt.
three French divisions entire were sent
to help show the British how to do il.
- Joffrc's Great Power.
This differing of other allied troops
= the French is but a sidelight on
~ hat the great Joffre is doing for al
the allies. Joffre today probably
Yields more military power than any
fother man has ever possessed IN the
that this is generally known in the
Ft1nite States or not, but Joffre net
only directs the French armies: he di-
-rccts all the allied forces. The Brit
ish attack according to his directions:
the Italians in the south move as he
moves them; but particularly remark
able is the fact that the Russians in
the east are also co-ordinating IN a
plan was not put into operation Until
-Joffre put his o. X. to it. AS mat
ter of fact, the entire military m; n
-agement of the Russian advance, stra-
logically and tacitly speaking. is han
ad1ed by Joffre. That shows where the