The Detroit times., 1917-10-18

PAG ,
nov from what Il was IN 1914 and
1915 ~ u could possibly BE-.
first there was open warfare
when The Germans swept over Bel
xiurn and France Second there
came trench hghung. which slowly
developed until the taking OF sin
gle trench Was an operation az ois
81 waterloo Now one sees pract
oaiiy open country battles with me
enemy engaging IN a sort OF rear
guard action which, when FUZZY ex'
banded, will mean a Pussian roui
Only the sudden collapse OF hos
tllfties can prevent this curtain on
the kalser's thTee-act drama
~ Not since the cInHn- prince hrnhe
tis eaglet fesfhor~ against NcFdun
more than a year ago have the Ger
man armies dared real offensive on
the western front Since the Somme,
HindenhurE has been openly on the
defensive ana the present methods
~ nghting are the di-cc; outcome
Of that generals groupings 10 ma
means 20 hold out.
The somme battles we're a series
OF storming operatlons-th taking
OF trench systems that stretched FOR
miles in yerifablc masses OF sup
porting cuts and channels. So long
as Hindenburg believed ne might
attn break thru the Allies lines, he
continued this french warfare. he
kept bis front lines fun OF men
Tens OF thousands OF his troops
were killed before he swoke 10 the
realization that he was losing hls
punch. Hindenburg dug the trenches
end dug-outs deeper-often 20 or
even so feet below ground But his
men still died like rats in traps
when British Tommies threw Nils
bombs down the dugout openings or
rolled charges OF high explosives
down tho almost perpendicular
stairs.
In the fre-trenches where linden
burg kept troops standing shoulder
20 shoulder 10 repel attacks. Allied
shells tore whole companies 10
shreds. While the great German
factician blundered ON, British and
French guns Numbered. and the 50
perb German labyrinth Of trenches
became an appalling shamoies.
At last Hlndenburg saw a light.
The offensive was no longer his
He must fight henceforth q defen
sive war. The famous retreat or
the Somme last winter was Step
No. /. He abandoned his once
precious trenches. now become A
hell-hole Uttered with PURIFYING
corpses OF German youths
Hindenburg's next step was OBJ
served during the battle OF AFras
in April His trenches were siill
there. but now thinly manned. The
hulk Of troops were kept in support
trenches hundreds OF yards behind
But bis plan was stu faulty and
later, az Messines. In June, German
troops were more widely scattered
Machine guns were no longer fred
from trenches but from special. iso-
lated posts. Also trench mortars
And specially trained counter-ai-
tacking troops were held in read
ness 10 charge the tired British az
soon as detectives had been won
But the British 20, on Just the
same and Hindenburg began 10 lose
faith In trenches July 81. begin
ming the battle OF FLANDERS. found
the Germans still differently dis
rosed.-
They were occupying not trenches
90 much as concrete-lined smell
holes. two or three linked together
with short tunnels. Pill boxes
steel and concrete turTets whose
Undiscovered tops we're t4=t above
the ground, usade theis debut ssnd
thru narrow sIitg machine guns spat
death ever the Flemish quagmires
These shell-hole positions and pill
boxes with scraps Of trenches a few
yards long. plus patches Of oaTbed
wire entRnglements here and there.
covered large area.
The idea. OF course. az British
officers explained 81 today. WIS 20
make II necessary for the British
to are a million rounds o. shells 20
kill a dozen men. The shCll-holes
and pill.box tops were wcll-nigh ~.
visible from tho air and only 4 d.
rect hit suficed 20 put them entire
~ out OF commission Then when
Tommies advanced they would come
across AN unsupported bit OF barbed
wire enfiladed by machine gun are
Finally. after crossing such a zone
as this. they would meet fresh
troops IN a terrific counter attack
The plan worked only partially.
Then came the battle OF Menin Road
when the world first heard OF the
creeping barrage which took the
night out OF even the piil-boxes.
The rain of shells nattened every.
thing Likewise the same terrible
curtain OF fire often wiped OFT Ger
man counter-attacking troops be-
fore they got started
Such Is the lighting today Il is
nov Hindenburg's move.