The Birmingham age-herald., 1917-03-29

From a Staff Correspondent of the As sociated Press, British Headquarters In France, March 2S.-(via London. )-Now that the desperate episodes in the war. known in history as the battles of the Somme, have been definitely ended by the German retreat from Arras to the Aisne it has been possible more leisurely to in- vestigate the conditions which existed along the German front just prior to the backward swing to the so-called Hinden- burg line
 When the retreat first began more than a month ago the British swept over some old Somme positions held by the Ger mans and even the most hurried glimpse of the evacuated trenches indicated how untenable they had become and why it was decided to run no risks of any all lied offensive in this sector. Five miles of slogging along the old German lines in the vicinity of Bapaume today re- vealed a picture of ghastliness which may never be seen again in this or any other war. The front line was a long, open dilapidated, crumbling grave which disappeared In the mud at times, but could be picked up further on by means of the bodies that marked the way. TLAI U CD b1 DEAD
 One realized with a shudder how the men doomed to live in these trenches had been plagued by their own dead Such a ceremony as decent burial had been wholly out of the question and there was no means of conveying the bodies to the rear. It had been like passing through fiery rain from Hades to bring up food and water to the living So the dead had simply been tossed out of the | nnl tn ba ho oIr of,, by an exploding shell. Sometimes they came back in fragments, for there were arms and legs. feet and hands every where.
 GRIM SIGHTS TO PASS
 Occasionally graves had been dug in the sides of the trench itself, but the dead could not rest there. At frequent intervals the inevitable skeleton hands and feet protruded from the trench walls.
 It has been an enthralling thing to stand by the British guns in the last three or four months and wonder what was the meaning of all their continuous roar. There was no set battle in prog ress and the gunners said it was merely the "daily hate going on to keep Fritz unhappy. The hideous revelations of the German trenches, however, gives the gruesome answer 10 what the guns were doing. In some places there were verit- able mangled masses of what were once human beings. Neither by day nor by night had the Germans rested. Their trusted barbed wire, in which they al- ways place such great reliance, had been swept completely away over thousands of yards and they dared not venture out to repair it.
 COMMUNICATION CUT
 All trace of communication trenches to the front lines were wiped out and it was necessary to bring up supplies and relief at night over a country blown into endless shell holes, many of which were filled to such a depth with water that men were drowned in them. White bits of broad tape could be seen here and there attached to the iron posts. These were for the purpose of guiding the men up to the front line.
 These pathways over the fields of death also were strewed with fragments of human bodies. Some of the dead had the looks of mummies. One of the fallen soldiers had his right arm thrown over his rifle as if his last impulse was to protect this weapon of defense. But there was no defense against the con- stant shelling. Some pieces of metal thrown about by the high explosive shells must have weighed at least 10 pounds; the result of hitting man with 9 10- pound bullet can easily be imagined.
 At one point in the trenches was just the lOWeT udll OI d IeflIldI1 OlllCeT lucii- tified by the boots and leggings he wore. His legs were crossed tailor fash ion. Trench helmets of heavy steel had great holes torn in them.
 DUGOUTS NOT SAFE
 The front line, of course, was scanned with the inevitable deep German dugouts, but even these had not been immune. There were hundreds of direct hits on top of them. which must have made life intensely miserable and hazardous with