The Democratic banner. (Mt. Vernon, Ohio) 1898-192?, 1917-09-07
OUR men DON'T
like TO ''O|C IN"
Troops In France Can't Enthuse
OVar MOIe|ik0 Tactics.
PROBLEM FOR The OFFICERS
Passion For Digging In Is So Strong
With Germans That They Have Been
Known Desperately to Claw Holes In
Ground With Hands Until Ends Of
Fingers Were Practically Worn OF.

S'ObUp WIN S'hI ENuo VI
Fingers Were Practically Worn OF.
One Of the greatest problems Ameri.
can officers have before them Is i'm.
pressing upon their men the absolute
Importance Of learning the best ways
of keeping under q yer. The Amerl.
can soldier Is not q natural digger
in" lie is much like his Canadian
brother in nrms In that respect. for 1t
Is an old saying on the British front
that Canadians will de in the last
ditch, but never dig 1t.
1t Is the American spirit as 1t was
that Of the Canadians. to stand up aud
fight but the world war has long since
passed that stage. aud now in the long
wear and worry Of a struggle OF attri-
tion the best commander is the one
who best conserves his men hy keep
ing them under cover.
One Of ~ great reasons why the
Germans su'l are in France aud Bel
gium Is their wonderful facility .or
digging themselves in, They have II
perfect paS-.On for 1t and an incentive
as well. 70. le allied artillery never
ceases to pound them day and night.
Can't Enthuse Over Shovel.
The German belief that they can dis
faster than modern army can ad-
vance Is one OF the principles OF their
defensive tactics. Notwithstanding all
that has been told along this line not
wit hSt th. hnpni.. aft nrtS ia,
his enthusiasm over the pick and shov.
el, the American soldier has remained
decidedly lukewarm. He came to
France to fight the Germans, he says.
and NOT to dig hole aud look ut them
through spyglass. The French.
Canadian and Australian soldiers all
resent the idea OF digging in and would
not admit the necessity of doing so I'M
til bitter losses taught them a dearly
bought lesson.
II is purely matter of temperament.
and there seems to be no doubt now
that only actual battle experience viii
convince American soldiers that the
ability to take advantage of any bit of
cover Is one Of the greatest assets the
modern man at arms can have.
1T seems shame To have to curb
the fine fighting spirit of our troops"
said an American training officer. but
the men must be made to understand
as far as possible that impetuosity
must be suhordinated to steadiness.
This has become time clock war.
The men must advance IN given time
and go no farther. Every step Of in
fantry advance must first be worked
out with the artillery. and when the
plan Is arranged 1t must be strictly nd
hered to-
The natural fighting man, 1t seems,
has natural antpathy to digging in.
Even In these late months of war Brit
ish Tommies would much rather remain
above ground and stand chances of get
ting killed by shells than to dig the
deep dugouts so udOred by the Germans.
In planning the battle of Messnes
Ridge, which was n model of clean cut
victory, the British commander took
into account the lighting mans point Of
view, and when the advance had reach
ed stage where it gave the British
covered high ground the fighting men
were directed to take rest, while spe-
clally organized labor hattalions We're
rushed mp from the rear to do the neces-
sary digging and consolidating of new
trenches, so as to make them thorough
ly proof against counterattuck.
American o. KS That Plan.
The result was that the lighting men.
unhampered and unworried by neces-
sity of digging, went forward later In
the day and took detectives thnt were
rather hoped for than actually expect
ed ThoAt are the tactics the Ameri-
cap lighting man would like to see.
I%sy appeal to him. but just now he
Is being put through n pretty stiff
course Of digging This does not up-
ply TO d;gging trenches alone. He l.;
being .sught how to dig himself In in.
dividualy while lying Hat on the
ground In face Of enemy fire. thus get
ting te nporary shelter and protection
In a s,r- of grave-like excavation. 1t
ID not 80 often nowadays, however.
that man has actually to dig himself
In on solid ground, for there is sell
dom On infantry advance made over
anything but ground pitted aud torn
with shell craiers.
Fighting from shell holes is nm art
In itself, and oaa that Americans must
learn before taking their place In the
allied line. German prisoners declare
they would rather fight from shell
holes on an active part of the front
than from regularly organized trench
system. The latter affords the artillery
too good target.
Tncy kre Regular Moles.
Wha Gsimans even conceal some of
.bsir shell holes by putting brown wa
lerproOf sheets over them whenever
tn allied airplane is seen approaching
the passion for digging in is 80 strong
with the Germans that they have been
known desperately to claw holes in
the, ground with their hands till the
ends of their fingers were practically
worn Off. Thus some We're found
dead, others taken prisoners and had