Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1917-01-28

Il
bloodstaincd men. What has hap
pcncd?1 we ask. The four reply: we
are Tho only survivors OF thirty i'm n
motor lorry on which a big shell has
just dropped" Such incidents are com
monplace on the Sommc.
Some Of the big shells which hurtlc
through the air on the Sommc front
weigh n ton and half. They can be
thrown sixteen miles. Throughout the
night and day. without ever respite.
the air is filled with these steel mon
sters. varying in weight from fifteen
pounds To over n ton. What chance
haY the poor ipfantryman got? y very
poor one.
Yet, with Millions in the field. when
SHou are actually on the battle field, you
hardly sec soul. Behind tho lines
there are crowds at work on various
Jobs. They have to keep above ground
ana take their chances with the shells.
But this moTStrouS accumulation of
hcavy guns has turned the habits of
men INTO those OF rabbits The lighters
are all below the surface. The huge
devastated front is merely mass Of
shell holes looking like Il photograph
OF the moon, carcts. smudEcs. of what
were one" villages and woods. and
serted with white or gray lines which
mark The trenches. Except when the
infantry crawl from their trenches to
take over tn" cncmy's the battle field
( resembles ruined waste still smoldcr-
ing from some giant fire. absolutely
deserted and lifcIcss
The science OF digging in has ZACH
eh us zenith> There are underground
palaces thirty feet below the surface.
many rooms. several exits. hot and
cold water. and lii by electricity. There
are tunnels almost AS wide as the tube
connecting one line of trenches with
another Every device that can give
some protection against The shells is
being utilized.
The Germans have been working
like ants on their dcfenses this win
ter. They declare they are so strong
that we shall never break through
our generals think otherwise and the
French are Supremacy confident. Dig
ging in can be ovcrdoue. Very often
the more elaborate tho defenscs the
more easily they are taken by assault.
For this reason during those terrible
bonbfrdmcnis which preccde an as
sault the infantry have to keep below,
otherwise they would be aunihilatcd.
IL is only human nature 10 remain
under cover under such conditions.
Thus when the assault comes it's wave
tenders can come out. Many are re-
luctant To leave cover. The brave
alone di" at their inschine-Eun posts.
Thus in our last attack. north OF the
Amer. and in the two French assaults
at N"rdun. thousands of prisoners were
taken before they could fire a shot. In
one instance two British briEadcs pass
ed over Il position and occupied the
enenys second lin" before tho defend
ers Of the first line came out from
IA. underground Iabyrnths and com
mcuJ.d. 10 fight. Thus The heaviest
losses ten on our Third Brigade. which
had TO rc,ake the first line and deal
with these elaborat. underground
works.
BtRRAGE FIRE
INFLICTs HEAVY LOSSES
II j. not tn. actual defenders of 4
position who can check the first waves
OF AN attack. II is the barragc fire
which the enemy guns concentrate on
our trenches the moment our infantry
are seen TO leave cover. 1t is this
. which inhicts such heavy losses. The
Germans call this a drum ire The
waves OF shells fall simultaneously in
lines like the beats on giant drum.
Their drum fire collapsed last summer
and autumn under that OF our counter
batteries. or. at least. it was spasmo-
die and irregular and i!i-aimed be-
caus. they had lost cont,o! of the air
and their heavy artillery was firing
blind" This winter they have been
bringing up more heavy guns and ac-
cumulating vast supplies of ainmunl-
ton. They say their drum fire. this
spring and summer. Will crush our at
lacks. But will ii? Their underground
trenches have not stopped us in the
past. and gun for gun We shall be
more powerful this year than last
Once again our air service should
speedily drive theirs from the skies
We are confident we can bring about
the same old conditions and that our
great attacks must succeed. This will
show who was right and who was
wrong.