The Wheeling intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1903-1961, 1918-09-19
METZ FORTS ARE At PRESENT
WITHIN RANCE Of AMERICANS
tropyrirh,. 1919. by Frank II. simonds

! ir"ryrirht. 1919 by Frank H. Sim"ndS.l
| Very natural as Il result Of General
! i'"rShng'S victory in ;hc 81. MihIci St-
li"nl. IN" eyes at all his r"untrym"h
! ar. iN"d uI",u M"t2 Its forts ar" now
! within rang" at our heavy artillery. as
! they HAY" been within rang" Of French
heavy gums on the hills alloy" i"nt-a-
! MnuSSun ON the cast bank If ihr Mo-
| sell, sine" tn" autumn of 1918. FROM
! Snr,r If the halter hills M"tH itself is
N-iSrbl" on Il clear day. From "ur pres
/ Int from u"rih al Th!au'rurt We are
distant l,til" NOR. than iiT" mics from
: thu battlefield nf MarS-la-T"ur. wh"f"
: I:a%lu- threw away on of IN" great
. chances al military history and l"Sl'
! ne, mere ~ Metz and his army, hut Also
/ -NS;lc"-l .nrraln" :" France"
And a. Il r.sul, ur -. Mihi"l il - not
, too much To say that III" determination
has lmr.r aroused III all Americans. sol
dirrS and civilians alike. Ia max" one
/ uar, Of AmrriCa'S work in this war IN"
return Of Mrlz aud with il .tlSarr-Lor-
! rlinr to Franco The work is not III n"
undertaken lightly. We arr bound no"
~ W., look at Il campaign just begin
MIN" Ia T"CuEniH0 how great are INC
obstacles IN our pathway. but tnc very
greatness Of these obstacles adds 10 the
srIrndnr Of thu achievement. toward
which We hav" taken tho first step.
direct attack upon Metz is un-
thinkablc not merely hccauS" Of the
forts which are far moro modern ana
infinitely stronger han th"s" 81 N"r-
dan. hui because Of tho lines Of Ji"frns"
which ;hr Germans hav" newly con-
structnd upon the circles Of hills SUR
rounding III" old French city since INC
war began. We must r"rUEnlZ" init
N.;Z is The foundation nf German d'-
rcn$r. not merely "f III" odd FRONTIER
hut of all IN" country between TN
Ith.nr and sth" belgian ard French FROM
tiers If M"tG should fall Il p"rnlah"h'
stay Of this German armies west or sac
belgian tr,ynlirr would be- lmr"SSlhi"
a d"f-ns" III .Nlsar"- Lorraine could not
long he maintained and the ''c'''i'lhH
would have II, no distant date TO re-
,ir.. Ia tho line at the Rhine the Lau-
,, ter and Saar. at tho vAry least.
More than this. Metz defends all that
great iron district from l.ongwN IN
E'r,ncr. on the Luxembourg frontier
southwark to the point whrr" the pres
INT front crosses tho MoSrllr near NOT
ROY. To los" this iron district W"ul"
! l." To lose tn" main S"ur'" "i ih"'sPfn-
: sable war material. II would Il" tah'h
noun, t. the luSE Of III" war itself
When bismarck took M"i% h" "''cE""
the urEingS OF In" elder Moltk" ana Inc
military men. n" took il h'"aus" my
advised him That in German hands M"'E
WAS the key 20 France. y" Cla!m W
C.,-n,an nnnuIation. Of German 'radi<
finn could hc advanced fur Metz: II
WAS as French in its population Ms
Tours or Orleans. But with tn" d"vcl-
rnmcut of tho iron industry in i."T-
-yirr Metz became not only IN" Key
,n Franco but The bulwark I" Ger
; many. :.
As military problem IT is well 10
! dismiss IN" idea that tn" taking "I
Metz can hr accomplished by dir""' AS
.,,,,lt There hnvr hr"n too many OPP
cra,irrS like III" S"nU" ana ra'"r'S
| ,,st y.,ar IA make such an operation
trmntinr now. Me- will hay" 10 D."
taken by I'll" NOW familiar method q,
the pinrcrs Inuu"StI"nahly W" small
! So. next y"ar---w" may So" IN" "cE'"-
MIN, this yrHr--a d"uhl" thrust lrui''
V.rdun Straigh, ont toward tn" MoSrII"
If l,ricr AMI below Mrtz and another
thrus, nur;hcastward from IN" front
! h.vund Nancy into tho gap between
| Mr;z and Strasshurg. which was lh'
! seen. of tl- French offensive. OF M
l.us, 1914. which ended s" disas'r"uSIN
-, Nnrhnucr rh"s" TWO 'hruStS VIII
I tu..thrr cuv"lOp Metz ~ the 81. ailh',
! salient was "nvclnpcd the other uay anu
! r,,nlu"I the Germans to choose "''' 80
! ,,.oruutiny thr whole Metz position an"
! riskin. an army in Il h"Sl"Srd '"''
us r!aZainc riSkrd his army ana VIZ
/ Er,nrh cause in 1870.
! II is a proper calculation h"hcrin' -"
! IN ruunt on tn" ultimate cArtnr" n' Mr."
! hv I'rrshnE. probably maternity ~"
I l,,,t :
! reg, calculation To mcasur" IN" TASK ~
IN, s,nallncss If the diStanc" when
,,nr scnar;,trS us frnm tn" forts 81
/ u,,y The Germans got within I""'
: miles. of ,hr citadel If E"rdun. hni u
tool; hem NOR" than t'v" months ~
! ,unkn tn. advance. which al" NV.
amount to S"vrn miles Al the 'N'''''''
. n.,iu; ri penetration. Their fniinr" VIZ
i nm aclrnirahl" illustration "i III" 1"l'E ~.
irving to pack ones way mt" ~" 49,!
stronghold. and E""h has shown III ~.
n,r.ratinns this year his contempt w.
| such tn"ti"S. ,L
: sIow cunpaign for Metz. w" arr pou'',.
! Nv, r,,ir thruStS delivered. n"'
-, ,b, forts and lhr imm"hiai" 'ir''''
- lcrusrs which hnw fac. "ur 'r""PS'
Nan, nn-tb and south uf these d'I'lS'9
, ,hruS, designed - crE"l"p M"'H. "''I
,,kr !, hv Storm. and IN" rnv"l"n'i'n ~
| will inevitably fore" th.' E'rifhn ~
! nvnc,alr thu. town when their gar SOW
, is Threatened with Immediate 'h''''
! m"n,. -, car
! r.rshinr is unw on thu point nf car
rving the. war int" ''FlnhhH' ,It
! Lis FIRST obstacles. and Metz may WI
49, r,.,tcr Of months not days. nut
-. Grant said. W" shall Fright IL .'"'
IN ,ha. line If il takes All summer