Forest City press. (Forest City, Potter County, D.T. [S.D.]) 1883-19??, 1917-05-11
BY FRANK H. SlMONDS,

01 fhAWk II. SIMUNUo,
Author OF 1.-THE GREAT WAR;"
'THEY SHALL NOT PASS"
Copyright. 1s17-Ths Tribune Assoc;a-
ton 1.-THE New York Tribune).
One week ago i discussed he Brit
ish attack at Arras and mentioned
briefly the French attack along the
.Aisne, which was just beginning. Az
that time l pointed out that both the
British and the French were attacking
at either end Of the socalied Hinden-
burg line. and that there was Il great
similarity be. wecn the two attacks
the British directed at the Vlmy ridge,
the French at the hits above the Aisne.
which are roughly grouped unde the
head of the Craonne plateau. Since i
wrote, there has been n marked iuiI
in the British operation, which Isl only
just now beginning again, while the
Trench attack, after "A week, has IN
turn fallen away.
We have then something that sug-
.ests u concerted plan, in accordance
with which there are to be alterha-
tive blows struck first by the British
and then by the french ON fronts sep
arated by less than 100 miles. The re-
suit of such tactics would be to permit
first the British and then the French
to consolidate ground gained. repleniSh
their ammunition and prepare for u
new attack. while the Germans would
constantly have to face pressure ut
one point or ;he other, n would con-
Stantly have To make demands upon
their reserves.
Equally interesting is the clear evil
dence of a change in method on the
part of the i.ritish and the French.
Instead of "A prolonged attempt to
pierce the German lines at the first
blow, there seems rather to be a policy
Of attacking. consolidating and reat-
lacking. after a new artillery prepara-
ton. In this fashion the allies may
expect to avoid these great losses
incident to u continuation of an
offensive beyond the limit of artillery
preparation. which We're incurred at
Lo6s and in the battle of Champagne.
French Aims.
In the present article I am going to
describe briefly the French operation,
leaving again Until next week the new
Just beginning. At the outset of the
French attack the new German line
ran in practically II straight line from
the Somme at ST. Quentin to the
Aisne. east of scissors and near the
old French fort of Condo. Here, ever
since the battle of the Aisne i'm Sep
teanber, 1914. the have main
tanned n bridEehead south of the river.
Eastward of this ~bridsehead The Ger
man line recrosSed the river and
curved TO he north of 1t along the
hills over the river. including Craonne,
and then turned again sharply To the
sOuthWard across the Aisne at Berry
aM-I3ac. and rested ON the forts in
front of Rheims. Eastward from
Rheims 1t ran straight along a series
OF hills dominating the plain of Cham
payne. until it touched the old battle
field of Champagne of 1919. at the
village OF Auber'ive. The French OPP
Grafton was double. an attack east
ward of scissors, as far as the out
skirts of Rheims. y an attack east
of Rheims as far as Auberivc. The OPP
erations had Il twofold purpose. II lp,al
objective. which would he serve! II
the French were able to nee cast
and west of Rheims, since th.s wuul.
compel the Germans before Rheims IL
retire, and a larger purpose. wllidh WA
to break the German lines a,,lA. u"
CraOnne plateau. and compel the va
nrement of the whole German Enc i"
b frontier. Neither of these OF, CO.
tives vas attained by the first ntl,, Is.
although valuable ground was "a Mel
n many prisoners were taken.
In the western field. between ecis-
SOns and Rheims, the Ehcnch lad be-
fore them when they began practiealls
the problem which confronted tan
British when they reached the .sisne in
pursuit of the Germans after tilc battle
OF the Marine. At that time the British
passed the river. pushed north OF Sol
IONS and occupied IL portion of the
Craonne plateau. still further to the
eastward. This ground about Scissors
was subsequently lost by the French in
h winter of 1915. when the Germans
counter attacked after u successful To-
cal French operation and this counter
attack conceded with a flood in the
river which swept away the bridges.
The French therefore had to retreat
across the river.
Tho German Position.
THIS portion of the battlefield must he
very familiar to those who recall the
British camr-'gn after the battle of the
Marine. Here the Aisne flows through a
wide. level valley. above which. on the
north side. rise a ridge of hills. These
hills are cut by a series OF ravines and
the German position may be likened to
. saw lying flat. the teeth pointing to-
nts t ---- 49, -----