Montpelier examiner. [volume] (Montpelier, Idaho) 1895-1937, 1918-06-28
SLAUGHTER OF GERMANS
IN DRIVE FOR AMIENs
(By e. q. Pipp, an Eye witnessl

The cities along the line OF the
British front in Belgium and North
ern France were masses OF tumbled
down stone and brick and motar.
Shells had done their work every
where. Hunt the cathedral i'm any or
those cities and you would and
wreckage every time. Not only ca
thedrals. but buildings OF every kind
were in ruins. Now and then enough
OF cellars would be left to afford a
place of refuge for soldiers Quartered
there. This was the condition even
before the spring drive Of this year.
Nor was It all the result OF she'll
fire. In some cities occupied by the
Germans after the big battle OF the
Somme and before Hindenburg's ia
nous voluntary retreat, there waa
any amount of evidence OF buildinRs
being deliberately blown TO piecea
One could easily tell the difference
between the irregular hits by she'll
nre and the systematic blowing out
of the fronts OF buildings on entire
streets.
Il was over this territory that the
Germans proposed to make their
! drive for Amiens.
A study of the map will readily dis
close their purpose. Their line was
about 40 miles east OF that place.
Amfens is an important railway CEN
ter, and to capture that city would
enable the Germans to cut the British
army of the north of from the army
OF the south and prevent communica-
tion between the French, Americans
and British south of the Somme.
Viewing the lines OF defense. the
cannon, howitzers, wire entangel-
ments and trenches of the British,
one would not think II possible for
any human mind to exist so cold
blooded and wifi so little regard for
life as to attempt TO push human
flesh against steel to the extent re-
quiTed to break through. For every
gain there must be a price, there
must be a measurement OF loss OF
life against ground gained. Men of
experience and sanity can figure in
advance to something OF certainty
as to what the cost will be, and no
general in the British, French or
American army has been found so
reckless OF human life. so stepped in
military heartlessness. as to be will
ing to pay the price that Germany
paid. or willing to order the death of
his own men as Germany ordered In
this drive.
History records that when Napole-
on was nearing his finish, when IL was
regarded that his mind was becoming
somewhat degenerate, he spent his
military resource. the lives OF hts
men. with Just such profiIgacy aa was
shown by the Germans in the year
1913.
The kaiser himself came 70 the
western front to make this battle hie
battle. Intrigue had won Russia. but
intrigue could not fool the British. or
freachery touch them; 90 they were
to be made to feel the power OF Ger
man wrath.
Mfltarism must prevail for Germa-
nv at all cost; the rulers must make
mother showing. whatever the loss in
lifa TO the men in the ranks. who
with their ancestors had had training
OF more than a a-century In nothing but
taking orders.
And so on the twenty-irst day of
March. the blow was struck. the Brit
! ash resolute. determined. believing
they could hold the line. the German
generals striking with that madness
and recklessness that comes OF dee
Deraff0n.
Hundreds OF thousands of men had
been moved from the Russian front
10 help in the struggle Smoke
screens we're thrown up TO hide the
Y snerenents from the observation bal
looms and airplanes; some or the
screens had been thrown up az early
aa the week before when we were
there. The German guns coughed
harder, louder and more often. The
coughing and barking OF guns and
the whizzing Of shells made the dfn
Va heard the week before seem like
ss's rlay The Germans were
shnotsng over their own line Of
trenches into the first line of British
defense. That ts the method OF start
- IN offensive.
The German men in their own
fEnHfaHsaH - Va-k ~