The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1917-03-25

only been able TO garner In a few
dazed--often crazed-men covering In
the deepest dugouts. 1t has even be-
come rare to find dead in the trenches
after the guns have been trained on
them Where In 1915 and the first
half Of 1916 the assa!ling forces gem
orally found captured trenches lined
with horribly mutilated corpses. their
experience now Is that the hattened
traces of former bitches are barred of
dead. a few bodies are extricated
from ruins of less efficiently made dug
outs and where the guns make lucky
hits in communicating trenches while
the reliefs are being moved up, dead
bodies are also found there still.
But II has become the general rule
that the most terrific concentrations
Of shell fire on entertainments now in
fict mainly material damage and for
some months have taken a steadily
declining toll OF human lives
II Is not the case. however. that the
soldiers chances of death have be-
come fewer. Long continued barrage
solid walls of exploding shells
completely annihHate any company or
battalion caught underneath them and
render counter-attacks most perilous
and nerve-shattering undertakings
whenever the guns are we'll furnished
with shells
Little Use of Infantry.
In this years fighting on the Somme
the Germans have made next to no
efforts with infantry to dispute the
possession OF their shapcless trenches
when the British have advanced under
cover OF their own barrages. This
accounts for the small number OF Ger
man prisoners taken from dozens Of
miles of captured trenches
y3vr {,A aNffr as
also the British have rendered trenches
and dugouts absolute death traps.
The system of raids which they in
augurated has increased immeasura-
bly, the horrors OF trench life. Pep
pered all day and night with every
kind OF explosive. the troops sheltered
in their dugouts. never know when
the moment may suddenly CONS for
n lull In the artillery fire and the
simultaneous Eruption into their shell
ers OF soldiers armed with bombs and
bayonets.
Patrols are out all nigh. for several
hours at tirne searching the enemy
lines and picking up stray prisoners.
It has not yet como to cavalry pa
trolls but there in now feeling in
all the armies that the existence OF
hrigades of cavalry on the scene OF
war Is about TO be justified
After discussing present conditions
on the western front in close touch
with them, learn that the new Ger
man term. elastic trenches" has no.
been coined merely as an excuse for
recent retl-ements. The elastic
trench" IS an inevitable step from the
rigid trench OF the past thirty months
FOR the strategic change that Is to
como.
II Is tho kind OF cover which ar
out xunned force quickly nbandons so
as 20 avoid unnecessary sacrifices of
troope, especially their capture. and II
is only defended stubhorniy when II
forms an essential part OF a key 20
sftion
The fading away of trench systems
10 keeping time with the increase IN
the output OF heavy guns. II there-
fore follows that the army which frst
yields It's trenches wholesale Is the
one that possesses the least guns and
hells or which, for reasons OF It's
own, In least disposed to use .ts ar
tillery lavishly.
Weapons Lose Value.
when the transformation from
trench to maneuver warfare 10 finally
contaminated, hundreds of millions of
dollars worth OF war material will
cease to possess any immediate value
and may be At only to stock new army
museums. Tens Of thousands OF