Daily capital journal. (Salem, Oregon) 1903-1919, 1917-12-31
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front, among these being 1,343 Officers
They captured 398 guns and Howitzers
/ including a large number of heavies,
and, in addition to these, 554 trench
mortars and 1902 machine guns. During
this time the British never lost a sin
gle gun.
In the air the British have maintain
ed persistently aggressive attitude
at all times, carrying the war to the
enemy instead of waiting until he cross
ed the line. At random selecting the
month of September. find that 21S
German planes were destroyed or driven
out of control during those 80 days as
against 80 British planes missing, while
125 tons, of 250,000 pounds of high ex-
plosives were dropped on back areas be-
hind the German lines.
! Taking quarterly period-August,
September and Oetober-the last for
which my notes are complete, one finds
that 369 German planes were hopelessly
smashed to smithereens and 265 driven
down out of control in places where
their actual wreckages could not be seen
and their loss verified, as against PA
/ British planes missing.
| But these summaries do not tell the
whole tale of British accomplishments
out here during the past year. The Som
me retreat, the smash at Arras, the
storming Of Vimy, the hemming-in- Of
Lens, the taking of Messines and cap
ture of Passchendaele all together prob
ably mean less than the everlasting ham
mering the Germans have had to under
go, killing them, manning them, under
mining their spirit of resistance, keep
ing them all the time on the defensive
and without the proffer of striking back
For, one of this year S achievements has
been an unheard of increase in British
gun-power with more ammunition that
the guns could fire.
Every offensive, from Arras to Elan
ders, has been accompanied by artillery
preparations and attack -barrages in
creasingly heavy and each time more
accurate and deadly. One result of all
this gun-fire has been to tear German
divisions to shreds so promptly that
very few have been able to stick 1t out
longer than two or three days during
the campaigning season. The wastage
has been enormous considering that the
Germans, as rule, only relieve d1vls-
ion after it has sustained 80 per cent
asses or over.
In the first three months of the Elan
ders fighting Crown Prince Rupprecht
threw 81 divisions into the line against
the British. This is five more divisions
than appeared against the British and
French both during the first three
months of the Somme. The majority OF
these 81 divisions were new ones, though
some appeared twice and two came IN
three times-that is, after being cut to
pieces once division may be with
drawn, refilled to strength by drafts,
rested and put back into line second,
third, or any number of times. Thus II
not infreuently happens, in a long and
costly campaign, that a battalion OF
LOCO men may lose several times that
number.
During the first month of the Elan
ders offensive the Germans were fore
ed to use up ana take out 81 DIVISIONS
of which only two appeared on the nhe
twice. During September, the second
month. 20 divisions were knocked out,
six not SO badly but what they could
~ patched up and put back. In OCTOBER
"a divisions were given maullng, II
reappearing twice and two, three times
in the line.
Counting the 78 divisions hacked up
at the Arras-Vimy and Messlnes SHOWS !
the seven crippled by the Canadians oe-
fore Lens, and including those account
ed for by the French III their Alshe-
Cbamnagne offensive during the sum
mer and also those smashed by them III
October on the Aisne, total OF over
400 German divisions have been taught
n severe lesson since this year S cam
began.
So roughly has he been handled, and
so busy has he been licking ms Soie''
that kupprecht has scarcely had Time
to think of striking blow ON the west
ern front himself. Against the British ne
III only once. This blow landed amongst
the dunes of the Channel Along ABOUT
a 20OO yard front, between the Lysette
river and the sea, he advanced has lines
as far as the User, forcing the BRITISH
70 the other side. The battle lasted part
of one day-his first, last and only
offensive of the year ON tins 'front.'
Hindenburg has lost SO many men
that he has been forced to call up the
Glass of 1920, three years ahead OF the
normal time, IN order that they may W
trained this winter to be drafted INTO
service during spring and summer, 1918
A rood many OF these boys are already
1eing used by Germany under the Aux
.liary Service Act, according to prs
,ners Of the 1919 class now actually on
he firing-line. These made their ap-
there during October.
Officers captured by the British have
ndicated that Germany still pins her
,aith to the U-boats. Thus this year S
'iqhting might be accepted as partly :
demonstrating that from now ON 1t lsfv
struggle for survival between German
nan-p power and allied tonnage. Without $
he men for great offensive on tins
ront. but on the other hand slowly 9
alling back under titanic artillery ham {
nerings that are rapidly sapping their
divisional strength and which, ultimate T
' must succeed, Germans are trusting .
a their submarines to get there trst,
q Peace, before the back of the army
: broken. as break it must when the
weight of America is added to that OF
England and France.
Meantime Hmdenburg's situation IN
Flanders in preearious. He IS already
angling to the Westroosebeke end Of thei
Nv ave nrpyyS