The Madison daily leader. [volume] (Madison, S.D.) 1890-current, 1917-10-24
ALLIES PREPARE
FOR THE WINTER
Warm Clothing Being Rushed
From Factory and Home
to Men in Trenches.
Big MOVES NOT LOOKED FOR
Short, Sharp Blows at Selected Points
During Fine Spells, With occa-
sionsi AirpIane Raids To Be
Order Of Day for Winter.

0ToeT OF LAY foT WiHtcTs
Paris.-Preparation for the fourth
winter campaign on the western front
are already in full swing. The sum-
mer campaign is over, and while both
the English and French may be- ex-
pected to make a few big drives. Ii Is
not anticipated that the beginning of
winter, for military purposes, will see
any radical alteration in the war map
Of France and Flanders.
Millions of sweaters, socks, paper
suits. rubber Wellington boots, head
wraps, mufflers, gloves and mittens
are beginning to flow out from fac
tory and home to the French poilus
and British Tommies, hundreds Of
thousands of whom are facing their
The comfort of the fighting man is
so carefully studied now, after three
years experience, that nothing will be
overlooked TO make the coming har rsh
trial bearable.
Practically all the way from Nieu-
ters totally different from those they
occupied last winter; with the excep-
ton of one or two stretches - as
around La Bassee and the Argonne-
the French and British are stationed In
captured German lines. Throughout
the spring and summer the men have
shown little inclination to dig. feeling
that In view of the possibility of a
further move forward. just enough
shelter was good enough for the time
being. Turning over earth has never
appealed to any infantry In this war,
do lot of IL I'm order to provide them
selves with snug and well-dralned
trenches for the winter.
Little Change in Line.
Until next spring the western line
Is not likely to vary to any great ex-
tent, unless the totally unexpected
happens. High winds, morning and
evening mists, snow fiurries and rain
will limit the usefulness of the air
plane and diminish the enormous help
it gives nowadays In every big often
sive. The machines are capable of per-
forming wonders in any weather short
of a hurricane, and there will be plen-
ty of aerial activity, especially bomb
ing raids, right through the worst
months: but poor visibility will make
cooperation with the gun batteries diff
ficult, the more so as the Germans
latest type of Archibald" or anti-air-
craft gun, epforces respect and COM
pels pilots to fly high.
In these circumstances big sweep
ing moves are not looked for, but rath-
er a repetition on more intensive
scale of last winters tactics. Short,
sharp blows at selected points during
fine spells, a continual battering on
wide fronts by concentrated gun fire
lengthening out to closeup rest sta
sions, hundreds of airplanes swarming
out TO attack encampments, aviation
sheds, munition dumps and lines OF
ommunication-these will be the reg
ular order of the day throughout the
winter. The enemy will be kept on
the jump all the time, great gaps will
be torn In his dwindling reserves and
every possible step taken, first to pre-
vent his ever again assuming the ini-
tiative upon the western front, and,
secondly, to weaken him irreparably
for the final knockout blow In 1918.
The part the American contingents
will play In the winters activity Is
the closest Of all military secrets at
this time. There is nothing that Hin
denburg Is burning to know so much
as just what Pershing's plans are, and
there is nothing that Pershing is more
bent upon doing than keeping the
slightest hint from Hindenburg.
Prudence the Motto.
But while no light can be shed at
thj, stage upon the plans of the Amer
ican commander In chief, / am able to
give this assurance, that prudence Is
his motto. thAt he Viii leNa cuuS,I
TO play 10 tile gallery as even the best
generals are sometimes tempted 10 90.
1t Is Haig's great merit that he bides
his time and only strikes when he is
able to strike I'm real earnest. Perish
ing resembles the British leader in this
respect, and Europe has had enough
war experience to know that these
are the men who get the real results
at the least possible cost In lives, and
that though they have little to show on
the war map. they are steadily, per-
sistently, relentlessly wearing down
the toughest foe that ever took the
field.
What can be said. however, without
giving any information to the enemy Is
that here In France Americans will
cooperate throughout the winter In