Tulsa daily world. [volume] (Tulsa, Indian Territory [Okla.]) 1905-1919, 1916-06-04
The First of Badersons Exclusive Stories From the British From

they are to say and do TO produce
certain desired impressions. giving
the correspondents themselves no
choice in what they were to see or
whom they We're to meet lie leaves
that sort Of thing to the Germans, not
only because he doesn't like it, but,
also. as he would be the first to ac-
knowledge. because he couldn't do II
If he tried.
At Exposed Points.
During my stay at headquarters,
have seen more than half the British
and GeriSln trench lines on the whole
front from the User canal to the
Somme, thanks to the magnificently
clear spring weather and the relative
inactivity of German cannon at times
when | was taken to exposed points
of vantage whence the best views on
the western front can be obtained, but
which cannot be occupied because
their prominence makes them easy
and obvious targets.
Thanks to the kindness Of the gen
eral commanding that portion of the
line | have enjoyed ramble of some
miles about an apparently deserted
| plain, with little hills and Stag heaps
dotted about here and there bearing
such names as Hin 20. Fosse S, the
| Hohenzollern Rcdoubt, and the
/ Double Crassier. The plain was the
! plain of LoOs. and for miles in all
| directions not a human being could be
seen. though some hundreds of thou
sands of men were hiding there. We
constantly jumped trenches with men
! in them, and were ourselNes-my two
officer escorts and myself-violating
the general rule that everybody must
keep to the trenches in the daytime.
! We were out of effective rifle range,
and though the Germans could see us
perfectly well, the theory was that
their first shell would miss us, and
we could jump in an instant to safety
/ in a trench The Germans saw II
| that way too. and beyond an oc-
casonal shell in our general neigh
borhood offered no opposition even
when we walked upon examined
abandoned cannon and caissons,
wrecked by shell fire and left stand
ing in the open because they are use
less and cannot be removed without
probable loss.
Balloon on the job.
have been taken into what was
once Ypres (deleted by CENSOR on a
bright morning with German aero
crashing into the ruins. a few other
civilians have been in Npres, but a
foggv day, when the Germans cannot
see you coming (deleted by CENSOR
has. | am told, been chosen in the
past for these expeditions. "Tht
Boche." remarked the staff officer
with me on this occasion, "doesn',
like motor cars" and he pointed to =
great German sausage balloon plant
ed where its occupants had perfect
view of our movements
The VprV latest tNppS of aprODlqnp
some of them not yet in use, have
been shown and explained 20 me at
an aerodrome in the rear, and | have
watched fighting in the air over the
Ypres salient, and stood beside 4
great hOwitzer as II received wireless
signals from its "spotting" plane fan
away over the German lines, direct
ing its fire. With my fingers in my
ears, in a gunpit far below the ground
and supported by steel girders. with Z
narrow opening only for the shells.
have been deafened by the rapid fir,
of field guns. | have been in tn,
trenches, and, far in the rear. hav,
followed step by step the mechanism
by which a modern army in the fielt
is kept supplied.
Perfect Organization.
Not the least interesting has proved
the study of the organizations at tn,
great bases (deleted by censOr), tn,
bakery which SUPPLIES the army witt
fresh bread every day the great re
pair shops where everything from
torn uniform or battered shoe to
wrecked siege gun is put in shape 20
service. the rest camps where mel
whose nerves have given way unde
the ordeal of bombs, mines and shell
are restored to health And from
dressing station in cellar at tn
front under constant shell fire ant
protected by the ruins above it of al
edfice which will be famous afte
the war for the unique battle that wa
fought there. to deliberately equippe,
hospital trains. hospitals at the base
whose comforts and appliances vi
with great institutions in the world
capitals, and the ship which dali
takes its cargo of manned humanit
back to England, | have inspecte,
Britain's provision for her sons VIII
are wounded
Maps in brigade and divisiona
headquarters showing the trench line
on both sides, charts in artillery head
quarters showing the positions of con
cealed batteries, and in corps an
army headquarters maps on a large
scale with little flags showing the dis
position, at the front and in reserv,
of the British troops, | did not expeC
to see, but | have seen them-anothe
proof that an Englishman shows yo
notf1ing or everything. In officers O
all ranks, from the beribboned gen
eral whose brilliant evacuation G
Gallipoli has marked him one q
Britain's greatest soldiers, to the sui
altern in his dugout at the very from
have found the same attitude towar
the inquirng neutral There is
real desire that he shall see what the
regard as the truth about the Britis
army, coupled with anxiety that h
shall not feel that they are trying I
"use" him, with favorable imprc.
sions while concealing the darker sic
of the business.
Details Come Later
In subsequent articles I shall dea
subject to the obviously necessary r,
strictions imposed by the staff, wit
specific phases of the situation Tn
spring on the British front. Tn
story written after five strenuous da!
with the armies, concerns itself on
with general impressions.
The most striking Of these is II
incorriGible optimism displayed ever,
where. from the high command
the Tommies in the trenches Tn
is surprising I'm an army which h;
never achieved q smashing victor
over its enemy, whose chief glor
have been won in logged defensive