The Daily Ardmoreite. [volume] (Ardmore, Okla.) 1893-current, 1917-08-27
CRATERS AND TANKS.

The ngntlng on the western battle
front has entered another phase. Re.
cent reports says that the Germans
have abandoned their underground de.
lenses. The concrete.walled and steel
covered trenches which they thought
impregnable have proved ineffectivel
The high power shells thrown bv the
allies in ever increasing force and vol.
ume smash the strongest works and
make their deep, fortified dug.outs mere
man traps. where in bombardment
they die like rats And so the new
warfare" gives place 10 warfare I'm one
Of its Oldest forms. The kaiser's troops
fght on the surface again, as man did
In the beginning.
Butt not altogether on the surface.
The defenders must have some shelter
against the hail Of shrapnel and the
torrents Of machine gun bullets. SO
they hide themselves in the shell era.
ters with which every section Of the
battle zone is so literally pitted. There
they lurk with their rifles and machine
guns. protected from the peering eyes
Of air scouts by the small size and
countless number Of their ambuscades.
and by the tricks Of "camouhage"
with which, like the French, they ingen-
iously merge themselves with the blast
ed landscape Many OF the little hole
forts are protected with fences Of barb.
"a wire.
This wide, loose array Of petty de.
lenses offers new difficulties to the ad-
vancing allies. II was a comparatively
simple matter 10 blast the Germans out
Of a definite set Of trenches which could
be photographed and charted before a
charge. II required tremendous bonn
hardment but IL could be done 1t is
impossible TO blow the enemy out Of
all their countless shell-craters Thor
ough as the artillery preparation" may
be, there are always some hornets
nests left. And so, when the guns stop
roaring and the French and British
troops go "over the top" they soon find
hostile machine guns spraying bullets
ON their backs.
II is a terrific task for infantry to
clean out those craters in the forward
sweep And imagine myriads OF them
splitting fire all the way 10 the Rhine.
But every development in warfare
has its ounterdevelopment. And in
this case the remedy seems already to
have been found There came over the
cable the other day an account Of a
brand.new form Of attack. II was pure.
ly and simply tank show" The Brit
ish tanks" have played important roles
in former battles. but never before were
they the whole show
In this case no men rushed forward
when the signal sounded, There was
not a sign OF human life. But over
tretch Of a mile wide there numbered
forward a line Of shell monsters in the
gray morning light. From their height
the men inside the tanks could see into
the shell holes. They turned their guns
on hole after hole. killing or capturing
the occupants And after them. in due
time, came the infantry. to do what
cleaning up was necessary.
There was little to do but collect the
prisoners. All obiectives were attained.
And the British losses We're negligible.
An OF which arouses a natural Won
1er as 20 whether our war department
b, building tanks" Why not a few
thousand Of them, to insure victory
without appalling sacrifice OF life? Steel
is cheaper than men.