New-York tribune., 1916-04-27

New in the warfare Of other CEN
turies the value Of the Nerdun fortress
was lust this: The furrow which have
described is the one avenue available
for an invading army coming from the
east out Of Metz or south trom Luxem-
burg and aiming TO get ino the Plain Of
Chalons 70 the west. Il S the way the
Prussians came in 1892 and were de-
feated at Nalmy, at the western en-
trance Of the trough about thirty mics
away. They took Nerdun on their way
so did the Germans IN 1870.
Verdun in French hands closed TINS
trough 10 the invaders.
1t closed it because the low hill
which bears the town was strongly
fortified and was surrounded by lower
ground. Such artillery as was IN exist
ence was not Of & sufficiently long range
TO place upon the hills about Nerdun
which we have described as the rim o.
the bowl. The town of Verdun was
situated on both sides Of the river ana
commanded all the bridges. u was IN
fact. the stopple in the mouth OF me
bottle-neck passage leading into Norm
Central France, the passage through
which ran the main road and. later, the
railway from the frontier nearest PGrls
to the capital.
Out of Date Defences.
Pu. when the modern Developments
Of artillery came, then NeTdun, tne o!u
fortress that Nauban built for Louls
NIV. lost its value. u was COMMANDED
nv the surrounding hills ard the French
moved out Of the town and the Nauban
fortjhcations and built on the sur
rounding hills, on the rim. 20 70 pacH
~ our fgure. the forts which were the
defence OF the town when the present
war began. forts arranged ouite IKE
those Of Liege or Antwerp ana some
four Of five miles away from the Town.
But bear in mind these forts were of-
signed. like the old fortress and iortl-
fcations of the eighteenth century 10
bar the road from the Meuse ana rom
Germany 10 the Plain Of Chalo7s ana
- ia,,ai country west Of the Argonne.
Wben tho Germans came south tnrouEh
Rel0iurn and got into the pam o. 'ha ,
inns from the north they had turnei
tbe whole Verdun position and had cot
into the region i barred by ahotneii
you,e. they had come in - the DsCN
door. Verdun was the front. Not only
that. bu: they arc there nov ana nav
been there ever since the INST days OF
September, 1914. ,
Wben one hears about Nerdun as
the gateway 20 Paris or any'h'ht
elfe one hears about the Nerdun o.
he mast n was not ne door 20
peri. but the outer door 10 me fe,
oion around Paris. % the Plans o.
champagne and Chalons. But a. the
Germans are ALREADY IN these plain :
Inc taking OF Nerdun now would hol
hiring them nearer 20 PARIS theS a.
only City miles away at Noyon' OF 'ne
Oise. and they would he $50 at Neruuh
II they took the city. II tney ''os NeIuun
they would get oontro, o. me a.a...
Metz railway, and y they theh 49, ~
-. French away from the trough We
tsr. been describing they would get n
,Ior. line INTO France. and line com %
,,, from German territory directly, not
nsssirg through Belgium. Buy they
,oui1 not be nearer % faris.
Trenches Dug 10 North
Ub.n.,be French saw. in he opening
dsys ~ the war, that forts were OF no
ncrronueut value against tie German
-. ,bey LEFT the forts on the mus
sboye Vsrdun a. they had abandoned
,tc Vauban works and moved norm 'or
d. ,ey, miles. Here they dug trenchcs'
,,onn,ed their guns IN concealed po'i-
.'o,. snd stood on the defensive. a.
49,, v,ere standing elsewhere from
pai.i,,,o >, Switzerland. IN re was now
~ ~ fortress Of Verdun and 'erdun city
gs. .s nothing but point behind the lines
~ treuehep. point Ike Rheims or
Ara. The forts Of the rim |etf
equally Of 10 more importance ana ".Ie
poy empty Of guns o. EaTr'sohh, - .' 'i,
Germans. b. a sudden alta a. Dfo'o MI