The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1917-04-14
FIGHTING IN OPEN
Germans Handicapped by New
~ Style Warfare.
Realize HOpelessness When
Forced From DugOutS.
QBy the Associated Press.)

British Headquarters IN france,
April 14.-It is not without difficulty
that one comes to a realization that
semi-open warfare has replaced the
deep trench fighting on the old Brit
ish front 1t is difficult even for the
fighting men actually to grasp the sit
uation, one for which they have waited
so long The Germans possibly feel
the change more than anyone else for,
above all things, they love their under
ground comfort. The Germans were
the first to transfer fighting to bitches
and they are reluctantly giving up
that style of warfare.
The deep concrete dugoutS and tun-
nels along the old front We're the only
protection the Germans had against
the ever-increasing British gunfire and
at every opportunity they get to pause
now they begin to dig in. They take
to cover as second nature. The Brit
ish always have contended that the
German dugouts softened the men who
congregated in them and they could
be kept only with difficulty in the
open trenches, so it was easier to
break the British of the trench habit
than it was the Germans.
Trained for Open Tactics.
Open field tactics have been a part
of the training the new British army
has had since It's organization began
in 1914. There has been some crit-
cisn of that system from time to time
On the ground that the war would al
ways be fought from trench to trench,
but for the last few months the Brit
ish army in Franch has been drilled in
open tactics almost daily. The results
have been apparent the last few days
and will undoubtedly prove still more
valuable in the wider operations that
unQuestionably are coming.
The correspondent saw a bit of field
maneuvering late today in which the
British completely outwitted part of
one of Germany's crack regiments. II
is rather a striking commentary that
when the war began the officer in
command of the British unit was
young solicitor and such a thing as
! leading soldiers into battle had never
entered his head. Two years of train
! ing in the school of actual war works
| its own wonders
British Army JubiIant.
! The losses in the recently inaugu-
rated operations which continue daily
| to widen have been so much smaller
than would be naturally expected III
attacks upon such sIrong positions AS
those from which the Germans have
been driven that the army authorities
are jubilant. Driving the Germans
from positions which they had held
/ for two years has given the army a
higher fighting spirit than it has ever
/ had before.
The turning of the top of the Hin
denburg line, to which attention is now
called in the official communicates, has
| been an achievement of which the full
| Importance has naturally not been yet
! developed.
The Germans, by the way. no long
/ er call this line after Hindenburg, but
know it as the Siegfried line. The
switch to that line from QUAINT north
west, prisoners say is not yet finished
and was not expected to be used ex-
cept as last resort. The complete
! smashing of the Viny ridge seems to
| have somewhat upset the German
! plan but they are evidently determin-
/ ed to put up the strongest possible
defensive fisht before falling back to
the uncompleted positions where dug