Der Deutsche correspondent. [volume] (Baltimore, Md.) 1841-1918, 1917-01-16
GERMANY PREPARING FOR THE
GREAT SPRING DRIVE OF
THE ALLIES.


telligence and material. in men and
guns-~a larger army than yet seon
on any battlefield, will be thrown
against the west front in the Spring,
with a shock that may shake the
German Empire" says the we'll
known newspaper correspondent
Karl II Won Wiegand in his latest
article in the New York American,
Germany has entered upon cam
paign Of preparedness such as only
can be limited at
Employ Expert Miners.
After stating that the German
Government, after the fall of Buch
Arrest, had held out the "ollve
branch" TO her enemies to avoid, if
possible, the terrible and useless
slaughter Of hundreds and thousands
of human beings which must be the
result of another battle in the west,
Mr. Wiegand continues
Preparations on the west front
for the coming battle" began ac-
lively about the time that the Somme
battle fickcred out in November.
The Germans had seen what the
French and the English COULD do.
They also had seen what they COULD
NOT do. rhe lessons, written in the
bloody and mutilatcd letters and
figures called human units" which
make up the casualty lists" had
been learned
Ilindonburg personally for the
first time visited the west front and
Inspected the lines and the ground.
Soon thereafter the men represent
ing the finest military engineering in
the army, reinforced by the best en-
ginccrs in civil life--the men who
build the big canals and the harbors
began surveying and laying out a
series Of new lines Of positions be-
hind the front
Tho "Schippcr Armec," as tho ar
my Of "shovollers" OF "diggers" are
known, number around one million.
They are armed solely with spade,
shovel. pick or axe. Around Peronne
and farther north on the Somme line
l have seen these silent columns
cocme out of tho gray mist as day
was breaking after a nights work on
the firing line. The creator part Of
this army OF military gophcrs is now
and has been for some time on the
west front.
In the first week in December
$4,000 expert miners, men with pick
and drill were sent to the western
line. They were followed by long
trains of steam diggers, huge ex-
cavators as used in building canals
and harbors--boring machines and
compressed air "diggers" from the
subway construction concerns.
Steel Works Sent Engines.
The big iron and steel works in
the Rhine region were allied upon to
send their best engines for digging
and eXcavating and subterranean
| works. Everything was heading
westward From the vast amount of
this kind OF machinery being ship
| ped, II was evident that work of an
unusual character was under way.
I asked a high official what these
SIGNS might be taken TO indicate.
1--WE are building wall which the
! English and French cannot get over,
nor under nor through" he replied
graphically Let them come" re-
marked Hindenburg with about as
near to smile as he ever gets, when
! / spoke Of the coming battle" in the
! West and touched upon these signs
OF activity Of tho Germans to repell
the new onslaught. 1--WE will be
waiting for them" he added.
AS already stated. the old lines
and positions on the Somme wcrC
often where the allies could lombard
the first. second and even third Ger
man positions simultaneously. Thai
is one lesson the Germans learned
In the new scheme the topography
oft he country from stratcgica
standpoint Is taken full advantage Of
The matter Of falling back a mile OF
two never did bother Hindcnburg Of
Ludondorff Il by such a manocuvr'
they gained military advantage IL
position.
German staff officers have told m,
again and again that Hindenbur;
never showed his genius and hi
greatness more than when in the facl
OF his victorious advancing army h'
suddenly, in the Fall of 1914, or
dered his entire line to retreat, an6
fell back from Ivangorod 70 behin'
Lodz. almost to the border OF Silesia
because the Russians Unexpected,
crumpled up the Austrians on hi
right wing. thereby exposing hi
front TO quick turning movement.
Many Of tho officers, not knowing
what had happened cursed an'
swore that tho old Field Marshal hat
suddenly gonc insane, when tho OF
der for general retreat camc. Fall
ing back to LODI. Hindenburg got
new foothold and swept forwar'
again most successfully.
The new lines in the west behin'
tho German front are so Far apar
that even the long range guns, o
which tho English especially have s.
many on the Somme, cannot reacl
the second line from in front of tn
FIRST The exact distance l viii no
mention The light or field artiller
may be anywhere from ono to nv
miles in front Of the German trench
es The medium and heavy some
times considerably farther away.
have been with the German batterie
Of long range naval guns behind tn
Sommc front when they were firin
at range or 1900 and even 22,00
yards (about ten to thirteen miles,
But these guns. whore every she
fired costs $500 to $500, are nc
used for drumming" trenches. bu
TO "break uDr ammunition depot