Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1918-09-16
The "hindenburs Line"

ara the nossible turning at Lar ere,
makes the following description par
ticularly timely;
The celebrated Hindenburg line OF
Siegfried line, barring the Aiiles
road to Berlin. has been compared oy
the German leaders to the great wall
Of China. Until the British broke 1t
in the spring Of 1917 they believed II
innpreRnable to assault as was once
the Chinese wall and regarded 1t as
the eighth wonder Of the world.
The Hindenburg line as senerahS
defined is about 50 miles long running
in a general north and south directlon
across the Picardy Plains in France.
It's northern extremity was guarded
by the heavily fortified bastion OF Vi
my Ridge and by the mining city OF
Lens whose underground corridors
and chambers long have barred the
British. The southern end of the
Hindenburg line, proper, is in the vi
cinity Of LaFere or Laon. That end
is protected in part by the forest OF
ST. Gobain and the Notifications
around Laon.
Between Vimy Ridge on the north
and lie Fere on the south the line
passes west Of Cambria and &.
Quentin so as to protect those two
important industrial and railway
centers which are routes for bringing
I'D supplies for the German Army.
Some war correspondents describe
the German line as continuing south
eastward from La Fere to the Aisne
River and Rheims following the line
of the Chemis des Danes. They call
that part of the line southeast or La
Fere the Albeeich line. This would
add about As miles. making a total
length Of more than 100 miles. Gen
orally, however, the Hindenburg line
has been described as running only
from Eimy Ridge to La Fere.
Fearing that the northern end OF
the line might be turned the Ger
mans established a switch" line
connecting with the Hindenburg line
at Queant and running north about
25 miles to Drocourt. They called
this switch the Wotan line.
The northern end Of the linden
have been broken more than once by
the British armies and both are now
in possession of the British armies.
Long ago the Germans lost Vimy
Ridge and have failed to retake it.
The HinJenburg line is not
trench but a system Of field fortiflca-
tions. In places it is said to be ten
miles deep, consisting not only of The
trench system, but Of multiple lines
Of barbeG wire entanglements, con-
crete positions for artillery, deep
dugouts capable Of housing a battal-
ion OF troops, numerous pill-boxes
for machine guns and, in fact, every
device the Germans have been able
to assemble to block the way to Ger
many
Near Bullecourt was a formidable
underground fortification known as
the Tunnel Trench" which the Ger
mans believed to be impregnable.
This tunnel connecting the trenches
was more than mile long and was
mined for it's whole length, lighted
with electricity and had entrances
at short intervals. 1t was reinforced
by concrete pill boxes and support
trenches. The British captured it in
November 1917
Below Graincourt the British
troops found great catacombs along
the Hindenburg line. These were
deliberately fitted up as battalion
headquarters, electrically lighted and
protected by concrete trenches. In
front Of Cambria. the villages, behind
the line had beneath them great
| chambers which it would be a SLAM
der to call dugouts. They were more
like hotels, fitted with electricity,
water, sewers, drying rooms and
kitchens. They were shell proof and
bomb proof. The trenches there
were built along the banks of the
Canal du Nord which runs north and
south near Havrincourt.
Important German strongholds
protec. the southern section Of the
line near La Fere The forest Of St.
Gobain presents an almost insuper-
able obstacle in attacking this end Of
the line.
Laon, lying within the Big Cor
ner" where the line turns eastward
along the Chemin des Danes, is re-
garded as the keystone Of the whole
German system. Hundreds Of Ger
man batteries were installed in the
screened ravines around that city
and in the forests Of ST. Gobain.
Southwest of Laon the town was
protected by Massif Of Monampteuil
behind whose crest are huge under
ground ravines and shelters, some
big enough to hold whole regiment.
The forest west Of Laon was crammed
with a vast store Of munitions and
materials. Divisions of troops could
concentrate in it unseen
Recently the Germans discovered
that the big dugouts along the Hin
denburg line were nothing but death
traps. An order by the Germans Di-
visional Commander forbade the
German troops to occupy dugouts
which descend more than eight steps
underground.
Behind the Hindenburg line the
Germans are credited with three 9TH
er lines OF defenses.