The daily Gate City and constitution-Democrat. (Keokuk, Iowa) 1916-1922, 1917-11-21

been penetrated and at least TWO OF
its lines utterly destroyed. but the
British now directly menace the
main German line of communications
i-Douai. Cambria and st. Quentin
The surprise of the British drive
coupled with it's overpowerfng force,
was so complete and the German de-
moraliZatfon so utter, that official
reports did not attempt to estimate
the quantity of guns, supplies and
ammunition.
Revolutionary Tactics.
! by ]. w. T. Mason. Written for The
United Press.1
NEW YORK, Nov. 21-General
Hafg's great victory against the Hin
denburg line has been won by the
adoption Of revolutionary tactics that
may change the whole course of the
war. Surprise has been restored to
strategy.
The British advance has been made
with tanks serving instead OF artillery
to break the German barbed defenses.
No preliminary bombardment Of the
enemy's position was undertaken suf-
! ficiently far in advance of the attack
| to give the enemy time TO prepare his
resisting measures. Instead of the up
roofing barrage, the British tanks
cleared the path for the infantry.
/ Never before, since the adoption of
the trench system of fighting have
tactics of this kind been employed.
Artillery always has been the advance
agent of the infantry. Sometimes the
preliminary booming has continued
for more than a week and always for
several days. Thus the enemy has
been given ample warning of the direc-
ton from which an attack was i'm
| pending.
But Haig apparently did not loosen
his artillery days in advance OF the
present attack. The emphasis in the
British Gf.inial report is placed or
the fact hat Tho enemy was complete.
ly surprised. No such surprise has
ever overtaken the Germans on the
western front since the battle OF the
Marne They have always known be-
fore hand when any major attack was
preparing.
Today, however, 1t has been demon
strated that surprise attack can be
undertaken along huge front with
great success. The German air ser
vice even can be fooled. Re the Ger
mans are unable to discover the di
rection Of attacks In advance, their
fighting efficiency must snf,e. an i'm
n ense decline The allied superior
ity in nan power and munitions Will
then lay their real part in the war,
for the Germans haven't enough men
Ito concentrate ey everywhere Mt once.
| Should Won Hindenburg. therefore.
! fail to invent new meas ares to guard
AGAINST surprise offensive, the posi-
biities II Haig's novel Ia tics are l3'-
stiess
Shows EnsIand's Strength.
NEW YORK, Nov. 21-The linden
burg line was established last spring.
It was the defense position to which
the Germans retired in their STRAIT,
egic retreat" on the Somme front. The
Germans had worked for more than a
lyear constructing the defenses of this
line, utilizing civilian labor in many
sections.
Todays blow came at time when
England is not only still pressing the
Germans hard on the Flanders front
but has sent great numbers Of hel
troops to aid Italy in driving back the
Teutonic invaders The fact that the
British can send forces to Italy, keel
great army hammering in Flander:
and still spare plenty of men for the
blow reported today, is splendid ant
significant indication of England's mil
itary strength.
Conversely the tremendous gain
achieved would seem to indicate tina
, the Germans have had to deplete thei
! defense lines OF considerable numbe
of unexpectedly both for the Italian
,, drive and to protect their positions il
Flanders.
Tanks Play Important Part.
LONDON, Nov. 21.--All of the ster
eotyped rules Of preparation for wa
and of the actual battle strategy itsel
were thrown aside in the British coup
Some time Monday night large
number of British tanks took theft
berth behind the lines. The Germans
didn't hear them, it was too dark fol
! them to be seen.
In the early morning Tuesday these
monsters crawled forth in the hay
light between darkness and daylight
. A smoke barrage concealed their cam
ouflaged sides. The Germans didn'
know they were in action until the,
rumbled and wheezed over theil
!, heads
The Hindenburg line-the impreg
nable. the never-yielding, the las
word in defenses-was taken, there
fore. without single preparatory
: gunshot.
How complete was the surprise fo
the Germans was evidenced in tht
fact that at one point a German divis
ion was in process of relieving anothe
at the very moment of the attack.
Greatest Surprise Stroke of War.
BY Perry Arnold, United Press For
eign Editor.l
NEW YORK, Nov. 21.-The great
est surprise stroke of the war, one o
) the greatest single strategic achieve