The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1917-02-17
Jockey for Positions Along
Western Battle Arena.
Titanic Struggle This Spring
Expected to Decide War.
ARTILLERY IN STELLAR ROLE
Big Guns Will Be Deciding Fac
tor as Death Weapon.
Germany CuIling Forces to Lead
Won Hindenburg Army.

British Headquarters In france,
Feb. 16-(from a staff correspondent
{ the Associated Press) The cold
which has held the western front
frost-bound for nearly a month is
gradually moderating and it is easy to
sense along the battle line an unmis-
taxable quickening which tells of the
approach of spring and foreshadows
the coming to grips of the greatest
armies yet assembled in the world
war. Already these armies are reach
ing out toward each other testing vari-
Gus parts of the lines and attempting
to discover the most likely point of
contact for the beginning of the titanic
struggle that is expected to make this
the decisive year of the conflict. In
anticipation, the Germans have re-
! the cities and towns behind their line
but no such precaution has been taken
by the allies.
Never silent, the British guns are
beginning to roar more and more
steadily. Tonight they are booming
with particular violence in the Somme
sector.
New groups of divisions have been
identified recently along the German
1
troop movements now going on in
Germany. British officers, however,
say that this concentration is not as
formidable it appears at first sight
They say that many of the so-called
new divisions of their opponents are
merely Encouragement of old divi-
sions These statements are based on
| information carefully collected during
the continuous trench raids.
Many Boys in Trenches.
A maneuver carried out by the Ger
mans has been a combing out of regi-
ments and divisions by which groups
| of twenty-five of the Youngest men
were taken from each company in the
line TO form new units or corps d'elite.
British officers believe it is on these
corps d'elite that Field Marshal Won
Aindenburg is placing his greatest
reliance. According to the Informal
| ton obtained here, the gaps in the
| companies have not been filled and
the diminution in numbers has been
covered in some instances by reducing
infantry regiments from four bat
| talions to three. One infantry com
| pany was recently encountered with a
rifle strength of seventy-two out of
a regulation of IT'S.
| Landsturm regiments have recently
| been identified on the front here.
They had formerly been employed in
patrolling the Dutch frontier and pro-
tecting lines of communication. Ac-
cording to prisoners the picked men
of the Landsturmers are in the
trenches.
The movements of Landsturm troops
are those now being reported, British
officers say, and they are depends
upon to withstand the shock of the
coming battle. Many boys of II and
i s have also been found in the Ger
man trenches by the raiders There
| is no disposition to underestimate the
stubborn resistance the Germans may
make The evacuation of Grand Court
by the Germans and other minor sue
cesses won by the initial British opera
tions are interpreted as meaning that
the Germans are prepared to give way
at some points in order to fall back
upon carefully prepared main lines of
! defense.
Depend Mainly on Artillery.
! Artillery is expected to be the de-
upon it the British have been concen-
trating their energies The constant
| laundering of the British guns all thru
the long, dark winter has had a deeper
! meaning than the casual scattering of
| death and destruction. 1t has meant
the careful training of officers and
men in the modern arts of gunnery
| from the delicate timing and placing
! of protective curtains of fire, just in
front of advancing infantry to the
most Skillfu1 cooperation of airplanes
and guns in the hurting of long dis
| lance shells against selected targets
far behind the German lines. There is
a grim realization of the fact that it
will be tedious work trying to blast the
Germans out of their main lines of
defense but British and French COM
| manders alike are confident in their
! predictions that they eventually will
| force the fighting into the open.
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