The Brattleboro daily reformer. (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1913-1955, 1917-01-03
Turning Out Thousands of
Guns a Week for Expected
Campaign of 1917
HUGE SUPPLY OF
MUNITIONS GATHERED
Belief in Berlin That Great Anglo
French Efforts of Coming Season Win
be Made in Vicinity of Verdun -
Year Of Privation Expected

BERLIN. Jan. 3. (by Wireless to
Sayville.) - Many thousand guns per
week is reported to be the measure Of
the mighty manufacturing effort which
Germany is now ma king for the cam
paign of lgl7-an effort upon which the
entire manhood force of the nation
which can be spared from the front
and their regular occupations is being
concentrated under First Quartcrmastcr
Gen. Won Ludcndorfs universal labor
service law.
Counting four months before the
probable renewal Of the world war in
full NigOr ON all fronts these. figures
mean a new immense supply Of cannon
of all calibres, from field ghns up to the
gigantic howitzers, TO mert the admit.
teddy gigantic effort which the entente
allies are expected to make in this,
the third year of Kitchcncr's prophecy
TO turn the scale of the war.
Along with these guns the German
factories are turning out correspond.
inglY stupendous quantities of ANNA.
milton, and the production of machine
guns, each of which virtually replaces
q. platoon Of men, has been placed on
scale far beyond that of the last
year. ..
The campaign Of 1917 will, it is al
ready evident, be fought as n wide
extension and development of the
Somme battle, with even n heavier con
centratiOn Of artillery over a far wider
front aud with lines literally bristliue
with machine guns. Confidence that
their opponents will be unable to break
through this wall Of steel and fire i,
not only expressed by the higher com
manders, but also is manifested right
down into the ranks Of the common
people.
To produce great masses Of war ma
terial, thousands of skilled men hav,
been brought and are being brought
back from the front and placed i'll thu
krupp and other munition factories
These men are replaced in the rank
by levies set free by the universal Ia
Dor service bill and by a Widespread,
coming out of ahle-hodicd men from
hitherto exempt occupations
Another expected development o
lalI as change in the center OF gray
lty on tho Western front. The Somm
battle has swept its way into compare
tive quietude, and, while the miIitarr
experts here naturally are unable I
predict with certainty the plans of tn
Anglo.Frcnch leaders. adyiccs of reccn
weeks point to % transfer of the en-
tente allies main efforts 10 anothe
fegion-most likely that of Nerduu
where the French energies recent
have been concentrated ON cxtendin
to ITS original size the sally port Yves
of the Meuse--the most Obvious poiu
as that nearest to the heart OF Gen
many-fOr the effort 10 roll back TN
tide of invasion, or, i'm case Of mino
successes, point whence operation
into the rich iron fields would bc poss
bic.
The military experts here point ON
that the employment Of British troor
IN large 5pVmbers at this point Of tn
battle line would be hampered b
great transportation difficulties, an
assert that the French reserves are il
adequate for any great unsupported Of
fort. They express the fullest conGdenc
that wlrN~-thc balance Of artillcr
strength fully restored. as they cxpet
~ to be by spring, Germany will b
able TO prevent any serious adyauc
at this salient.
The he@ year, as FAR as intern,
conditions are concerned. will bc
year Of priyations. The increased ba.
vest of gains is offset bv a diyappoin
ing potato crop, 50 that, despite til
1000 supplies captured in Rumania. !,
prospect of an increase in the total r,
ton can be held out for the prcsen
though perhaps later it may be foun
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