The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1917-11-25

| hold at their vafltlon. What he aims
I to do lis to restrict the depth OF their
advance by holding the bulk OF MS
men and artillery in the rear OF his
outlying positiops--and OF Withdraw
| ing his guns from emplacements near
1 the front, whenver the allied bonn
bardmentN reaches crecendo thar
/ forefends an infantry attack
Thus is revealed the strategy OF
! the German great general stan--tc
/ reiinaiush Belgian and French terri
I tory they ovrrran at the beginning
Of the wer as solwly as possible.
taking the heaviest toll of the as
sailarts they can, and not trying to
defend for too long a position they
would eventuily and perhaps uneA-
pectedly lose and thereby imperil
their whole line, And their object
In thus prolonging operations la to
give the submarines chance to win
the war for the army that failed.
No Mans Land and a belt OF terri
tory a couple of miles deep on both
sides OF the opposing advanced po-
sltiOns is always mass OF smell
craters. When the average size of
the guns was 06Iy three inches there
were only shell holes. but today when
the guns run 10 six, eight, ten ana
twelve inches and when innumcrable
great new pieces casting profectiies
sixteen and eighteen inches in diameter
are being used, the shell holes have
rxranded - fair sized craters. as large
rs the yawinR holes ripped up by the
average mine exploded.
The German engineers select an
imaginary line and then set 20 work
30 organic" the shell crRters. These
RI pn{nr I'm
many cases that the removal OF
few snadesful OF earth makes them
n continuous line so that runners
and haison officers can get from one
point 10 another along the front Nth
out getting out on the open and re-
vnallnE themselves TO enemy snipers.
Machine guns are placed In the
larger shell holes and each position
Is made a reserve depot for hand
Erenades tomhs Verey lights, am
munitlon gas bombs flame projectors
and food There are no underground
shelters built and the defending
troops are strictly prohibited from
undertaking any extensive defensive
work which would reveal 10 aerial
observers and TO aeroplane photo
eraphers tho exact position of the
advanced line,
/ Just behind this line is the zone
+ for isolated defenses.' These 'iso'
lated defenses" are the pin boxes
7 STOUT which az much has been writ
ten. They are constructed of con
crete and steei--~usuallv railway ties
! criss- crossed and Embedded in the con
crete The pill boxes" are usually
set flush with the ground or at mos
elevated only a few feet in cases
where the terrain permits their beinf
hidden by camouhage In the "pil
boxes are machine gums, sonetivn Ell
light field guns of the quick -irini
pattern. and garrison or "sturn
truppen"--the picked troops used 70,
bombing and shock tactics. The zon'
OF Isolated defense 10 frequently tw,
or three miles deep, and 1t is hehine
this position that the German estab
FISH their most advanced line Of con
tinuous trenches.
Here. or In the next position to I'll
rear IL the organization for support
and relief troops which was forInerl
situated just behind the front line
, There are spacious underground shell
tiers, capable Of housing thousands O
= men. There are dressing stations 70
. the wounded, and even hospitals
There are she'll dumps FOR me amfnu
milton and there are food reservoir
and water tanks. There are stable
built deep underground for artiiler
horses. and there are gun repai
a shops to take care of slightly dam
: aged artillery Here arc the organ
ization for asphyXlating gas. T.
liquid flames and for the other chen
D ical horrors the Germans first LAu
!. and which are now being used again
them
II .s back in This defensive sy'
tenn, often three or four miles frol
$ the actual advanced front lins @
!, crater positions" that the German
"a counter attacks are organized AN
, started after each advance by tt
. British and French, SO far III
l. method u beginning the counter a
tAcks So far in The rear has bee
= possible because the Crowu Prin,
Rupprecht still holds "a few heigh
and ridges and hills In Flanders whtc
u hide his troop movements and enab
II him TO mass men for an attack beyor
Il tho vision OF the British. But, wi
" these observing positions all lost
Is him, Rupprecht will be forced to Ii
=