The Detroit times., 1917-10-24

Every inch OF these German POSI-
lions was hOneycOmbTd with cav
ems tunnels and subterranean quHr
rieg Many were two stories heft
electrically lighted and ventilated.
I Every ole 0f them the GermEns hau
constructed into a teriiable unu''
ground fortress Where there We.
single tunnel Al torniliei
whlcb place the French first encoun
tered this German rabbil-warren SIS
te,, Of defenes--th were three
tnnneis here. Some Of them proved
aImost insnrmountable defenses'
Tueaday's battle involved the cap
sure OF a score u these Germ an
caves. tunnels and quarries ON 'hr
ground held by the French before
he drTye-that r.. on The southern
slope OF the ridge there were sliIil
lar caverns, grOttOes and warren
Theae were manned and kept niiea
with French troops,
Monday night the caves on DOR
aides OF the ridge ana
rrsnch-were gorged with reserves
swattinR the rush 81 The battle 'h'
ira nlateau THE entire ridge li'f
aIix WAS alive. like gigantic ant
Nil The massed forces below
wa,,ed on both sides Tor The de
.lason ~ a battle on the earth above
the manifestations or which hieIaii!
tremblsd the whole ground
The French artillery concern ia'
ton was 81 unheard ~ lntenslts
batteries secretly installed weeks
sro opened with an appalling sua
aenneer a veritahle volcano o. steel
For eight days preceding the actuai
attack itself great guns had polha
Cd minute BY minute, day anc pisNi'
Al the German positions
The capture Of Fort Malmaison
was perhaps the most brilliant on
ALI the naneuveTs ~ the Assault
FOR weeks preceding the attack
four regiments which had been
chosen for Fort Malmsison re-
hearsed their plan OF battle They
were letter perfect N their parts
Inst before the move was made on
the powerful fort the giant French
guns rained a hundred tons o. shells
into the fort. Then. while one @!
the French regiments assaulted tne
position from the front. three others
enctrcied n. The combined drive
OF the four. carried out with ne
precision OF men drilled 20 every
motion. completely smashed the |
picked Second Guard division
Aitho the attack was launched Al I
a. NJ. and IN complete darkness
except for the flashes OF the guns i
the entire battle plan. capture oi
fortresses, Affsfrnat-rrfi
and all was executed on clockNoTA
For six days, the vhirlwind 81
French barrage OF both artillery ana
nachiae guns "si2ked on tbs at
lacking front and isolated the Ger
mans from munitions. food, commua-
cations or reinforcements The
.nemy bad 10 stick tight 20 his IN
lerground fortress Then came
imultaneous rain OF prolectiies OF
ha great French 400, $50 and so
nillimeter guns-smashing the en-
rance 10 tunnels and caveTns. cav
az In those near 20 the surface and
ctualiy shaking the ground Ike an
I personally witnessed these Eian
uns iobbing shells Weighing q tn
ach over the Aisne crest. The mis-
Ties were visible 20 the naked eye /
rom their departure from the can
IONS mouth, thru their magnificent I
ire over the crest and the beginning |
u their downward plunge to the Ger
nan lines.
Countless French sirplanes using
wireless regulated every shot so ac'
-urately that one battery fred i've
shots from a distance OF sir miles
Ill Eve OF which struck successfully
In the same hole, penetrating a sub
terrsnean fortress.
Altho the crown prince had the
Fifth division Of tho Prussiar
guard among the Eve divisions l7s
900 mem facing the French. he rush
ed up two other guard divisions and
likewise Bayarisn division. thus
In the zone Of ATTACH
the very flower OF the German army,
He entrusted the defense OF TO.
Malmaison 10 the Second division o.
the PruSsian guard
IN pursuance OF their past tactics.
the Germans massed reserves in the
cavcrns. intending when the French
infantry dashed over the plateau t.
rush these out Of their safe subter-
ranean wairens for a CoCnteT-attaCk
But when the French attack did
come, the poilus out.Hindenburged
1av
wave OF the French attackers came
specially trained battalions OF poilus
who seized the entrance 90 caverns
and blocked them eftcctually with
machine guns. grenades and power.
full forces. They literally walled up
beneath the ground, in the vast and
Intricate underground galleries. the
huge reserves which the German
bad massed there This fact alone
accounts for the enormous and a.
most unprecedented number OF Ger
man prisoners 'aken--a number out
OF all proportion under previous
army tactics 20 the width OF the
front over which the French made
their gains.
Along four miles OF the front on
which the attack was made the
poilus achieved an advance aversg.
ing considerably more than a mile.
taking 1900 prisoners
Such an important gain AZ this
particular point suggests the most
dangerous menace toward the Ger
manheld city OF I,aon. The ground
from Malmaison and Chavignon 10
Laon "A slightly rolling down hill
and that great French city Is not
more than sir miles distant. Laon
ID the base MINI ~ Iln 40 raucA