Harrisburg telegraph. [volume] (Harrisburg, Pa.) 1879-1948, 1917-02-17

bTltisn fteauquartSrS III TuIcS,
Feb. 16 via London, Feb. 1.-THE
cold which has held the western front
frostbound for nearly month is grad
ualiy moderating and it is easy to
sense all along the battle line an un-
mistakable quickening which tells of
the approach of spring and foreshad- !
ows the coming to grips of the great /
est armies yet assembled in the world !
war Already these armies are reach |
ing out toward each other, testing |
various parts of the lines and attempt
ing to discover the most likely point
of contact for the beginning of the
titanic struggle that is expected to
make this the decisive year of the
conflict In authorization of eventuali-
ties the Germans have removed the
civilian populations from the cities
and towns in proximity to their line,
but no such precaution has been felt
necessary behind the allied front.
Guns Roaring Steadily
Never silent, the British guns are
beginning to roar more and more
steadily. Tonight they are booming
with particular violence in the sector
| of the Somme. From a distance the
| bombardment might easily be mis-
taken for the grumbling echoes of u
passing summer storm. The chorus of
guns rises and falls like great peas of
thunder and there are flashes in the
| uarkened SKY ike the play OF light
ming along the horizon.
Depend on Corps dc'elite
New groups of divisions have been
recently identified along the German
lines bearing out reports of great
troop movements now going on in Ger
many. British officers, however, say
that this concentration is not as form
liable as 1t appears at first sight. They
say that many of the so-called new
divisions of their opponents are mere
ly rearrangement of old divisions
| These statements are based on in
formation carefully collected during
the continuous trench raids. In a
raid undertaken this week an appar-
entity new BaVarian division was To-
Gated. 1t was afterward discovered
that this corps had been made up
from regiments taken from older di-
visions. Another maneuver carried
out by the Germans has been a comb
ing out of regiments and divisions by
men were taken from each company in
which groups of 25 of the younges
the line and sent back to Germany to
form new units or corps d'elite. Brit
ish officers believe that it is on these
corps d'elite that Field Marshal Won
Hindenburg is placing his greatest
reliance.
Iandstrumers in Trenches
According to the information OBJ
tanned here the gaps in the companies
have not been filled and the diminui-
ton in numbers has been covered in
some instances by reducing infantry
regiments from four battalions to
three. One infantry company was re-
Gently encountered with rifle
strength of seventy-two out of a regu-
lation complement of 175. Land
strum regiments have recently been
: Identified on the front here. They had
formerly been employed in patrolling
the Dutch frontier and protecting
lines of communication. According
to prisoners the picked men of the
landsturmers are in the trenches while
those who are untitled for the hard
ships of the firing line are on duty at
The depots in the rear. Utilizing the
landstrum battalions in this way per-
mits the organization of the young
men divisions in Germany and it is
these latter, British officers say whose
movements are now reported and who
are depended upon to withstand the
, shock of the coming battle. Many
boys of II and Is have also been
found in the German trenches by the
, British raiders.
, Doubt Reliability of Men
The British staff is keenly interest
ed in report that prior to the declar-
alton of unrestricted submarine war;
fare by Germany, Field Marshal Won
, Hindenburg stated to Chancellor Won
|
Everywhere our front is invul-
ncrable. The supply of reserves is
ample, the troops in good spirits
and absolutely reliable"
The British point of view is that the
last three words of this statement con-
stituted an admission that doubts were
entertained in German circles as to
I the reliability of their troops. There
Is no disposition, however, to under
estimate the stubborn resistance that
the Germans have the power of MAX
ing. The evacuation of Grandcourt
by the Germans and other minor sue
cesses won by the British in their in
, itial operations are interpreted as
! meaning that the Germans are pre-
pared to give way at some points in
order to fall back upon carefully pre-
+ pared main lines of defense, lines that
have not been hammered by bombs
and shells after the manner of SO
many of the present front trenches.
. Trained All Winter
Artillery is looked upon as the de-
q Gliding factor in the coming battle and
upon artillery the British have been
r concentrating their energy. The con.
slant laundering of the British guns
all through the long dark winter has
| had deeper meaning than the casua
? scattering of death and destruction
: 1t has meant the careful training o1
, officers and men in all the moderr
: arts of gunnery, from the timing anC
\ placing of protective curtains of fire
I just in front of advancing infantry
: to the most skillful cooperation -et