The daily banner., 1917-08-25
AMERICANS DON'T
LIKE DIGGING IN
/ Hard 40 impress on PerShin2's Mem
lmpoI t:tnce OF keeping Under Cow
er-Naai Iu Fight in Open.

American Training Camp in
i France. Aug. 24.-One Of the great
est problems American officers have
| before them is impresSing upon then
men the Importance of learning the
best ways OF keeping under cover.
The American soldier is not a ma
tural "digger-in. He is much like
MS Canadian brother in arms in that
respect. 1t is an old saying on the
BRITISH front that Canadians will die
IN the last ditch. but never dig 1t.
one OF the great reasons why the
Germans are still in France and Bel
gum Is their wonderful facility for
digging III. They nave Il perfect pas
sion for it and an incentive as we'll
The Allied artillery never ceases to
pound them day and night.
The German belief that they can
dig faster han Il modern army can
advance is one OF the principles OF
their defensive tactics. Notwithstand-
ing all that has been told along this
line, Notwithstanding the heroic eff
iortS TO rouse his enthusiasm over
the pick and shovel, the American
soldier EaS remained decidedly luke.
60 ~ Nv NI' nv ~ dHte 10
the Germans. he says. not TO dig a
hole and look at them through Il spv
glass.
The French. Canadian ana Austria
han soldiers resent the idea of dig
glng. Ihey would not admit the nee
essity of dong so until bitter losse.
taught them dearly bought lesson.
Ii Is purely a matteE of tempera-
ment. There seems to be little doubt
now that only actual battle expert
ence Will convince American Soldi-
ers the ability to take advantage of
any bit of cover is one of the great
est assets The modern man-at-arms
can have.
1t seems shame TO have to curb
the first line fighting spirit of our
troops, said an American training
officer, but the men must be made
TO understand that impetuoSity must
be subordinated to Steadiness This
has become a time-clock war. The
men must advance in given time and
go no further. Every step of infan-
try advance must first be worked
out with artillery. When the plan
Is arranged it must be strictly adher-
ed to-
We realize it will be difficult to
hold our men to this plan. If they
see a battle going on, their favorite
impulse will be to push on as fast as
they can. Some are bound to do so
just as the Canadians did in the ear
lier stages. We will undoubtedly
have big losses in this way. But the
men who come through our first bat
ties will be worth their weight in
gold thereafter.
They will learn quickly the value
of steadiness and absolute discipline
under fire. They will be the steady
ing influence we can distribute thru
the newer units of our army as they
get their final preparation"
Fighting from shell holes is an art
in itself and one that Americans
must learn before taking their places
in the Allied line. German prisoners
say they would rather fight from shell
holes on an active part of the front
than from regularly organized
trench system. The latte" affords
the artillery too good a target. lso-
lated shell holes are difficult to deal
with. The Germans even conceal
some of their shell holes by putting
brown waterproof sheets over them
whenever an Allied airplane is seen
The passion for digging is so
strong with the Germans that they
have been known desperately to claw
holes in the ground with their hands
till the ends of their fingers were
nearly worn Off. Thus some were
found dead. Others, taken prison
ers, had to be sent to the hospital
with all their fingernails gone.
There was great excitement late !
Wednesday night in a small French |
village where contingent of Ameri- |
can troops is billited. Fire broke |
out in the army mule stables and !
threatened to spread through the !
place. The soldiers formed a bri- ,
gade with buckets and an ancient |
hand pump fire engine. with which ,
hey confined the blaze to the stables. |
Seven Missouri mules perished. So |
many troopers assembled on the top |
Of house adjoining the stables that |
he roof gave way. All the men es- |
'aped serious injury.
n