New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1917-09-21
(From HUpcr's Magazine for Oct0beD


the new warfare think that it consists IN long
periods OF stagnation, with an occasional local
action here and there, and rare offensive
movement on a large scale. The daily buile-
tins issued by the armies lend color to TINS
impression. IL Is, however, wholly wrong
Trerch warfare Is a continuous battle that
will not end until the armistice Is signed.
On the front there Is always firing; there
is always fighting The artillery has no rest
day or night; the infantry, never ceasing its
vigil, exposed all the time to shell fire and
snipng, plies the shovel and the pick, with
arms at hand to repel or attack. This has
taught us to make the unit battalions IN
stead Of divisions or regiments, and to exert
every effort to avoid daily losses from need
less and thoughtless exposure, and to get
the days work accomplished by division OF
labor that will keep the men in condition for
the test that may come at any moment.
Battalion Trench Unit
II Is by battalion that sectors are occupied,
by battalion that offensive movements are
carried on, by battalion that small opera
lions are organized The officer who COM
mands a battalion does not have to think
about tactical and strategic problems, but
he is the chief reliance Of the General staff
in the execution Of an offensive movement.
II we want to understand how an offensive is
prepared and carried out-in a word how
war is being fought in the autumn Of 1917,
the role of the infantry must be treated
from the standpoint Of the battalion. A sec
tor Is that portion Of the front lines occupied
by battalion. The battalions are the units.
When a battalion moves up to relieve another
battalion the problem of the organization Of
.he sector confronts the commanding officer
Of the battalion. From the moment the order
is given to move forward to occupy sector
until the battalion is brought back to rest
the responsibilities and duties Of the COM
handing officer are as great and as onerous
as those of his superiors. He is like the
foreman in industrial life-constantly at it.,
responsible for what the men under him are
doing, responsible to them as we'll as to the
men higher up. He has to think Of everything,
carry dozen different things at one time
in his head and be ready for any emergency.
He must keep his men in good moral and
physical condition by just division of labor
and by looking after their food and their
safety Psychologist, pathologist, carpenter
builder, engineer, cook, physician, scout
, Judge, father-get all these professions TO-
eether, none of which are learned at 81. Cyr'
and you have a good chef de battalion.
Organization of a Sector
The organization of sector consists
NJ. (al accessory defences elements de
tranchee) which are made to arrest and re-
tard the enemy advancing under fire OF the
defence. III first line of surveillance, occu-
MED bv very few men, from which all ground
in front can be we'll seen; (c) line OF re-
sistance, occupied very strongly, which must
be defended, in principle, whatever happens;
| (dO lines Of support, which contain here and
there strongly organized centres that can De
defended while lines in the rear are being
organized. These successive lines are con-
nected by communication trenches (boyauX)'
The boyaux serve primarily for protecting tne
soldiers going forward or coming from the
front lines, the transmission of ammunition
and food, the evacuation Of wounded and the
massage Of officers on their rounds. But at
the moment of an attack, if the enemy has
broken through one or more lines, the ooyauX
can be used also as defensive trenches, and
are extremely useful in subJecting the enemy
to thanking fire. All the lines of trenches,
es we'll as the centres Of resistance on the
line of support and the boyaux are now
protected by prodgality of barbed wire en-
tanglements The parallel trenches, as far
as is possible, are dug in zig-zag form, fol-
lowing the old principle of fertilization, not
only in order to subject the attackers to cross
| fire. but also to enable the defenders to hold a
portion of the trench more readily, If the
enemy breaks through at any point. Just
before a general offensive movement steps
are dug in the wall of the trench nearest the
enemy, to facilitate the climbing out of the
attacking forces, and the boyaux are widened
SO that reinforcements and munitions can
pass rapidly.
Accessory Lines of Defence
The accessory defences depend entirely
upon the nature Of the ground that lies in
| front of the first line Of surveillance, and
this consideration dictates also how strongly
| it is advisable to occupy elements de tran
chez The first line of surveillance cannot
always be a continuous line. Sometimes
it means only a little post here and there.
Watchers (guetteurs) must be on the qui
vive in the first line night and day. With
adequate artillery preparation it is always
possible for the enemy to occupy the ele
ments de tranchee and the premiere ligEe.
When reads in the bulletins of the capt
ture of these two advanced lines, the same
or following bulletin generally states that
counter attack has driven out the invaders.
An offensive movement can be considered as
serious only when the line of resistance,
where the defenders are we'll dug in, has been
carried. This line, too, can be smothered by
heavy artillery. AS we fight to-day, big
offensive is launched only after the line
! Of resistance "a suppoSed To he wholly de-
stroyed and the line of support subjected
to demoralizing Smelling, which continues
during the offensive The line of support,
occupied by entire companies, to whom re-
Inducements can be sent without delay, is
where the attacking forces, if the artillery
preparation has been sufficient, begin to
suffer their first serious losses. The centres
/ of resistance, villages and concrete forts,
| where existing buildings cannot be utilized