The Bamberg herald. [volume] (Bamberg, S.C.) 1891-1972, 1917-10-18
THE WINTER CAMPAIGN.
The Allies Are Making Preparations
for Strenuous Military Operations.

Preparations for the fourth winter
campaign on the western front are
already in full swing. The summer
campaign is over with by the end of
September, and while both the Eng
lish and French may be expected to
make a few big drives. it is not an
ticipated thatth beginning OF winter,
for military purposes, will see any
radical alteration in the war map Of
France and Flanders, writes Ernest
Orr of the International News Service
from Paris.
Millions of sweaters, socks, paper
suits, rubber Wellington boots, head
wraps. muff1ers, gloves and mittens
are beginning to flow out from fact
ory and home to the French poiluS
and British Tommies, hundreds OF
thousands of whom are facing their
fourth winter period in the trenches.
The 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 bearable.
Don't Like to Dig.
Practically all the way from Nieu-
port to Verdun the armies are in
quarters totally different from those
they occupied last winter; with the
exception of one or two stretches-as
around La Bassee and the Argonne-
the French and British are stationed
in captured German lines. Through
out 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 this
month and next in order to provide
themselves with snug and well-drain
ed trenches for the autumn and
winter.
Until next spring the western line
is not likely to vary to any great
extent, unless the totally unexpected
happens. High winds, morning and
evening mists, snow f1urries and rain
will limit the usefulness of the aero
plane and diminish the enormous
help it gives nowadays in every big
offensive. The machines are capable
of performing wonders in any
weather short of a hurricane, and
there will be plenty of aerial
ectivity, especially bombing raids,
right through the worst months;
but poor visibility will make
cooperation with the gun bat
teries difficult, the more so as the
Germans latest type of 'Archibald,'
or anti-aircraft gun, enforces respect
and compels pilots to fly high.
Intensive Programme.
In these circumstances big sweep
ing moves are not looked for, but
rather a repetition on more inten-
sive scale of last winters tactics.
Short, sharp blows at selected points
during the fine spells,> a continual
battering of wide fronts by con-
to closeup rest stations, hundreds
of aegoplanes swarming out to attack
encampments, aviation sheds, mu-
milton dumps and lines of commu-
nication-these will be the regular
order of the day throughout the
winter. The enemy will be kept on
the Jump all the time great gaps will
be torn in his dwindling reserves
and every possible step taken, first
to prevent his ever again assuming
the inititive upon the western front,
and, secondly to weaken him ir-
reparably for the final knockout
blow in 1918.
The part of the American c6ntin-
gent will play in the winters activity
is the closest of all military secrets
at this time. There is nothing that
Hinderburg is burning to know so
much as just what Pershings plans
are, and there is nothing Pershing is
more bent upon doing than keeping
the slightest hint from Hindenburg.
But while no light can be shed at
this stage upon the plans of the
American commander-in-chief l am
able to give this assurance, that pru
dence is his motto, that he will never
consent to play to the gallery as even
the best generals are sometimes
tempted to do. 1t is Haig's great
merit that he bides his time and
only strikes when he is able to strike
in real ernest. Pershing resembles
the British leader in this respect, and
Europe has had enough war expert
ence to know that these are the men
VINO get the real results at the least
possible cost in lives, and that though
they have little to show on the war
map, they are steadily, persistently,
relentlessly wearing down the tough
est foe that ever took the field.
America to DO Its Share.
What can be done however, with
out giving any information to the
enemy is that here in France Ameri-
cans will cooperate throughout the
winter in the gigantic task of pre-
pairing for the death blow. The de-
tails cannot be discussed, but the
ground has been cleared for colos-
sal amount of work, embracing all
branches that go to make for the ef-
fcient operation of modern war
machine, and big share will be
taken over during the bad weather
by Americans, not only in the United
States, but also in France. And this
o-r;Io from trainjno of tho