The Appeal. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn. ;) 1889-19??, 1917-10-13
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 occa-
sionaI AirpIane Raids To Be
Order Of Day for Winter.

Paris.-Preparation for the fourth
winter campaign on the western front
are 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, it 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, mufflers, gloves and mittens
are beginning to flow out from fac
tory 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.
Practically all the way from Nieu-
port to Verdun the armies are in quar-
tiers totally different from those they
occupied last winter; with the excep-
ton Of one or two stretches 49, 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 for-1ard, 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 flurries and rain
will limit the usefulness of the air.
plane and diminish the enormous help
1t gives nowadays in every big often
sive. The machines are capable Of per-
forming wonders in any weather short
Of a hurricane, and there will be plen-
ty of aerial activity, especially bomb
ing raids, right through the worst
months; but poor visibility will make
cooperation with the gun batteries diff
ficult, the more so as the Germans
latest-type Of "Arclibald," or anti-air-
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
fine spells, continual battering on
wide fronts by concentrated gun fire
.gthening out to closeup rest sta
tons, hundreds of airplanes swarming
out to attack encampments, aviation
sheds, munition dumps and lines of
OmmunicatiOn-these will be the reg
ular order Of the day throughout the
winter. The enemy will be kept on
the jump all the time, great gaps will
every possible step taken, first to pre-
vent his ever again assuming the inl-
tiative upon the western front, and,
secondly, to weaken him irreparably
for the final knockout blow in 1918.
The part the American contingents
will play in the winters activity Is
the closest Of all military secrets at
this time. There is nothing that Hin
denburg is burning to know so much
as just what Pershing''s plans are, aud
there is nothing that Pershing is more
bent upon doing than keeping the
slightest hint from Hindenburg.
Prudence the Motto.
But while no light can be shed at
this stage upon the plans of the Amer
lean commander in chief, am able to
give this assurance, that prudence Is
vo.~~~~o-~~~~~v~~-