The Manchester journal. [volume] (Manchester, Vt.) 1861-current, 1917-10-18
ALLIES PREPARE
FOR THE WINTER
Warm Clothing Being Rushed
From Factory and Home
to Men in Trenches.
Big MOVES NOT LOOKED FOR
Short, Sharp Blows at Selected Points
During Fine Spells, With oeea.
sional Airplane Raids To Be
Order OF Day for Winter.


Parls.-preparatlons for the fourth
winter campaign on the western front
IRE already In full swing. The sum
mer campaign is over, and while both
the English and French may be ex-
pected to make few big drives, II Is
not anticipated that the beginning of
winter, for military purposes, will see
any radical alteration in the war map
Of France and Flanders.
Millions Of sweaters, socks. paper
suits, rubber Wellington boots, head
wraps, muillers, gloves and mttens
are beginning TO flow out from fac
tory and home to the French pollus
and British Tommies, hundreds of
thousands of whom are facing their
fourth winter period in the trenches.
Tho comfort of the fighting man Is
so carefully studied now, after three
years experience, that nothing will be
overlooked to make the coming harsh
trial bearabe.
Practically all the way from Nleu-
port To Vcrdun the armies are in quar-
tcrs totally different from those they
occupied last winter; with the eXccp-
ton of one or two stretches - as
around La Bassee and the Argonne-
the French and British are stationed In
captured German lines. Throughout
the spring and summer the men have
shown little inclination TO dig, feeling
that in view of the possibility of a
further move forward, just enough
shelter was good enough for the time
being. Turning over earth has never
appealed TO any infantry in this war,
but necessity is likely to force them to
do a lot Of it in order TO provide them
selves with snug and well-drained
trenches for the winter.
Little Change in Line.
Until next spring the western line
Is not likely to vary to any great ex-
tent, unless the totally unexpected
happens. High winds, morning and
evening mists, snow fiurries and rain
will limit the usefulness of the air
plane and diminish the enormous help
it gives nowadays in every big often
sive. The machines are capable of per-
forming wonders in any weather short
of n hurricane. and there will be plen- |
ty of aerial activity, especially bomb
Ing raids, right through the worst
but poor visibility will make
cooperation with the gun batteries dif-
fcult, the more so as the Germans |
latest type of archibald" or anti-alr-
craft gun, enforces respect and com
pels pilots to fly high.
In these circumstances big sweep
ing moves are not looked for, but rath-
er a repetition on a more Intensive
scale of last winters tactics. Short,
sharp blows at selected points during
ine spells, a continual battering on
vide fronts by concentrated gun fire
engineering out to closeup rest sta
ions hundreds of airplanes swarming
tut to attack encampments, aviation
sheds, munitiop dumps and lines OF
,omnunication-thes9 will be the reg
liar order Of the day throughout the
winter. The enemy will be kept on
he jump all the time, great gaps VIII
,e torn in his dwindling reserves and
very possible step taken, first to pre-
rent his ever again assuming the ini-
iative upon the western front, and,
econdly, to weaken him irreparably
or the final knockout blow In 1913.
The part the American contingents
viii play In the winters activity Is
he closest of all military secrets at
his time. There Is nothing that Hin
enburg is burning to know so much
s just what Pershing's plans are, and
here is nothing that Pershing Is more
ent upon doing than keeping the
lightest hint from Hindenburg.
Prudence the Motto.
But while no light can be shed ct
his stage upon the plans of the Amer
,an commander in chief, am able to
I've this assurance that prudence Is