New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1917-03-18
Where the Five Armies Stand That Have
Gradually Taken Over French Line
in West From the Channel to Roye
May Yet Extend to Noyon
By FRANK II. SIMONDS
Author of "The Great War;" "They Shall Not Pass"

between La Bassee and Royc. because the
French were supplied from the south and
from Paris.
But before the British can take over a
sector they have to reconstruct railroad
lines and join them up with their bases,
which are on the coast and not in Central
France. The result has been an immense
railway construction in France by the
British. Whole British lines have been
transported to the Continent, British rail
way men have taken over the task of re-
fitting and rebuilding lines, and Sir Douglas
Haig told me of one instance where he
asked the railroad men of England, who
had visited him, for prompt assistance and
they promised him eight hundred miles of
line in an incredibly short time, when his
request had been for three hundred. pre-
sumo no one is better informed than the
German as to this great railroad transfer
nation that is going on in France.
AS for Boulogne, Calais and Havre,
they are the busiest ports in Europe to-
day. No one who has not visited them can
imagine the activity that is going forward
all the time, the huge numbers of troops
that are arriving, the vast stores of sup
plies that are accommodating. And all this
goes on despite the German attacks in the
air-the aeroplane raids, which are of such
frequent occurrence, almost never excite
comment in the press-and despite all the
attempts of the submarines to cut the sea
courses, which are, in fact, the life lines
of British military power in France.
The Drive for Calais
Looking now to the historical side of the
British occupation in France, the story
may be told about in this fashion. The
original British army in France, having
fought at Mons, retreated to the Marine
and participated in the pursuit of the Ger
mans after the Marine to the Aisne, was
drawn out of the Asne front and taken to
Flanders by Field Marshal Sir John
French in the first days of October, 1914.
1t was Immediately assailed by the Ger
man masses which were making their tire
mendous drive for Calais, and took its
stand on the front between La Bassee and
the western environs of Ypres. On this
front far too extended for its numbers,
the British made their great fight, the fin
est in British military history, and, with
the French, blocked the German thrust to
the Channel.
When this battle was over much more
than half of the whole number of British
troops that had come to the Continent, more
than half of all the eXpeditionary army,
were killed, captured or wounded. 1pres
alone cost 10000 casualties, and it was not
for MANY months that the British were
able to take over again from the French
their own original front from Ypres to La
Bassee. On this front in February, 1913,
the British delivered their attack at Neuve
Chapele. which failed, but almost sue
ceeded in getting through and turning the
Germans out Of Lille
A little later developed the famous shell
scandal while the army of Field Marshai
French was starved of men and munitions
to enable Kitchener and Churchill to SEND
out the fatal Gallipoli expedition. The
"pojson gas" attack in April, 1915, very
gravely compromised the British position
for several days and cost the Canadians
terrific losses. The lack of high explosive
shells at Festubert in the first days of
Nav led to slaughter of British troops
that resulted in the final exposure of the
she'll situation.
The First Extension
After the French attack in Artois in
Nav and June. and before the Battle of
Champagne, in September the British
made their first little extension of front
and came south before the city of Lens.
From this newly occupied position they
made the great attack upon Loos in Sep
tember, taking some trenches, including
the town of Loos, but losing nearly 10000
men. The failure here was the final
episode in the command of Field Marshal
Sir John French, who in December gave
way to Sir Douglas Haig.
Between September, 1915, and july
1916. the British front was materially ex-
tended. During the German attack upon
Verdun the British. at the request of
Joffre. took over all the French line from
Ioos 70 Arras, thus releasing French
armies for service in Lorraine. Later the
british extended their line again and came
south almost TO the Somme; that is, to the
country due east Of Amiens 1t was from
this new front that the British made their
attack in the great Somme combat of last