Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1916-11-21
FREDERICK PALMER SAYS PLANS
ARE COMPLETED FOR CON-
TtNUANcE OF OFFENSIVE.
GUN POWER DoUsLED
BY NEXT SUMNER
ExPsots Hostiiitles To- Last TWO and
Perhaps Three Years-correspond-
snt Home From Front Tells Actual
Conditions and Preparations -
Tanks" Save Many Lives.

pared to lose 100000 men next sum-
mer IL necessary in the battle Of the
Somme, which Will continue until the
END Of the war. This is the way Fred
erick Palmer, noted war correspondent,
sums UP the situation as he found It in
the months he spent in the field with
General Haig's army. Mr.. Palmer re-
turned to this country on the NieuW
Amsterdam.
1T is Mr.. Palmers opinion that the
allied offensive in the battle Of the
Somme will end only when the war it
self ends; that it will be continued for
two, perhaps three years He was told
by the stafeof the allies that they had
no expectation Of breaking the German
line this year.
. He said aeronautic activity in Eng
land is such that he has seen as many
as fifty aeroplanes fly across the chan
mel in one day to replace the great
losses of air machines at the front.
vsrdun Only Comparison.
OF the work of the tanks" at the
front, Mr.. Palmer said their charges
upon the trenches had saved thousands
Of lives.
There Is only one historical COM
parison for the Somme battle-VeF-
dun said Mr. Palmer. TT has long
since passed verdun in the intensity of
4 the fighting, in numbers engaged. in
losses in killed and wounded and in
volume Of artillery fire.
IN the Somme sector 5000 British.
French and German guns have been IN
action on the same day. Within one
period Of twenty hours there have
been at least 10000 casualties, count
ing those of both sides. So far in this
engagement at least 100000 men have
been hit Next summer the British are
prepared to lose 100000 men If nee
essary, and they will have twice their
present gunpowder.
Next Year to Be BIoodier.
"When will the war be over? only
know that next year will be bloodier
than this. The week before / left
France L talked with General Joffre
and Sir Douglas Haig, and with such
army and cosps leaders as Sir Henry
Rawlinson On the Somme and Generals
Neville and Mangin, who planned and
executed the French attacks which re-
covered Forts Douaumont and vaux at
-Vertlun. Their idea was the same that
! have found everywhere-that it is a
fight to finish.
Talk about courage! There was
nothing at Port Arthur to compare
with the way the British went against
frontal Positions which were supposed
to be impregnable on July 1, when the
grand offensive began.
Every battalion was set certain
objective-all modern attacks against
frontal positions must be made in that
Eay-and every battalion meant to
leach that objective, dead or alive.
louth OF Thiepval, on the right flank.
they broke thru; northward they were
repulsed
Whole 8attaIions Lost.
Some battalions reached their OBJ
jectiyes with losses of 5 and 10 per
cent Others reached and held their
detectives with only one or two survi-
vors. In the Thiepval and Beaumont
Hamel sector some battalions disap-
peared In the blue. They were en-
quilted. as dozens Of German battalions
were in their attacks on yerdun.
In the midst Of the close and COM
plicated fighting in the Somme battle
the British have taken $4,000 prisoners
and the Germans, about 1000. The
British simply refuse to surrender
when any group Of them get too far
forward. and their supports on the
right and left are repulsed. They dig
in and fight to the last man.
The French took 5000 prisoners with
leg CO 11,55aaao in killed and wounded
when they stormed Douaumont."