The Detroit times. [volume] (Detroit, Mich.) 1903-1920, 1917-10-18
Germans Now Only
Hanging On, Says
Observer
HAVE LOST POWER
OF INITIATIVE
Have Not Dared Real
Attack Since Verdun
Catastrophe
By WILLIAM PHILLrP SIMMs
Sfa6 Cores poRdent United Press.


STAFF CORES spoRdeHt United Press
WITH THE BRITISH ARMIES
IN FLANDERS. oct IS. The Nar
on the western front today has en-
tered a new phase--ana probably
it's last.
now from whaf II was Ia f9lA and
1915 as II could possibly be-
Fiv7' 'Nsge WIS Cpgn waC.nrr
r'Aaa tte ~ "a. liAl aataia aiakoyer hilsG
Eium ami .Frauce -SEeunA- h--f-
came trench fEhunp which slowly
developed until the taking of -ln
gle trenC hWa9 an operation s big
as Wat -'0o NOW one sees praetl-
cally omen country battles WITH fhc
enemy en- sagins in "A sort oi rear
guard action which. when fuly cX
panGod viii mean prussiHn fou
Only mo sudden collapse of fu
uliDoa can prevent this curtain on
tho kslsrr fhror-act drama
Not since the crown prince hrobe
lis caElet feathers against \rdun
more rtan wear ago have the uer
man armies dared rel ofensi1e ON
The western front Since The SouUe
riind~nhurg has been openly 0n fne
rirtrt1 tvr Eur t-T0 rrr7r11t uTrtr0uF
ot fighting are fhe direct outcome
pf chat general groupings to 6nd
means io hold out
Tho Sommc battles were cries
OF stormiue operations The 'aking
of trench systems That stretched tor
miles in Feritahle masses of sup
porting cGis and channels So iou-
as llindruburg believed hc mighf
sull break thru The Niles lines he
continued fhs french warfare fic
kept hs front lines run of men
Ten of thousands of his Troop
were Billed before ho awohc 10 thc
realization tnaf De WAS losing ms
punch Hindenburg dug tine trcn bees
nd duEouts dccrer often 2N of
even so feet below ground 70. h
men still dicd like rats In rart
vhen British Tommies threw Mills
bombs down ihc dueout openng or
rolled charges Of high explosives
down the almost perpendicular
stairs
I'm tho Are-trenchos where Iindcn-
hurg KEEP troop standing ehoulffr
90 shoulder 90 repel attacks. Nlied
shells tore whole c0mpanios go
shreds while the great German
tactician blundofcd on British and
French guns thunuered. and tho su
uerh German labyrinth OF trenches
became an appalling shamblce
A. last liindenhurE saw light
The offensive was no longer his
.ie must Aght honceforth dcfcn.
stve war The famous retreat ON
the Somme last winter was Step
No l. he abandoned ris once
precious trenches. now become
hell.hole Uttered with putrcfying
corpscs OF German youths
Hindcnburg's next step was oh.
served during the battle Of Arras
IN April His trenches were stiil
there. but now thtnly manned The
bulk OF troops were kept In support
trenches hundreds of yards behind
but his plan WAS still faulty and
later. 40 Mossines. I'm 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 at
tacking troops were held In rcadi
ness TO charge the tired british as
soon aa obiectives had been won.
But the British got on just the
same and Hindcnbnrg began 20 lose
faith IN trenches July 81. begin
nlng the battle Of Flanders. found
the Germans still differently die
posed
They were occupying not trenches
so much as Concrete-lined smell
holes. two or three linked together