Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1918-10-05
AMERICANS PERIL
FOE'SIRON MINES
TeutOns Have Lavishly
Fortified Briey Coal and
Ore Region
VITAL TO THEIR ARMY
Advance of Few Miles by
Americans Will Mean Vital
Loss to Enemy
Special Gable to Euening Public Ledger

bpt''ht NUOtt ~ GIeHfHR HO't1 't"fo''
Copyright, 19fs, Jy Ncw York Timcs Go.
Paris, oct. 5.
Little news has been given lately by
the official communicates as to what 10
really going on upon the American front
east and west of Nerdun, but this may
be regarded in the nature of things.
The situation of the American troops
in this region Is looked upon here as
distinctly paradoxical From Pont-a-
Mousson to the outskirts Of Nerdun their
front faces almost directly northeast to-
ward Etain, the Briey ore fields ana
Metz. Above Verdun they occupy sub
stantal stretch of the left bank of the
Meuse as far as the north of Brcuillea
and look due east across the river to the
enemy, who hold" the opposite bank OF
the stream. Westward from this point
the American from. faces. roughly speak
Ing, due north, to where it joins up with
General Gourard's front on the left.
But for the rampant afforded by the
Meuse this situation might be regarded
as somewhat risky. The experts here
are delighted to see that after their mag
Eifcent bound forward of twelve to thir-
teen miles along the western bank of
the Meuse, the American troops have
been satisfied to restrain their ardor and
settle down steadily to consolidate their
new positions despite count nter-attaCks on
their own side of the river and heavy
bombardments, including y substantial
proportion of gas shells, from the Ger
man batteries on the opposite bank
The hardest nut the Americans have
to crack at present is on their front
between Nerdun and -Mousson.
Here they are facing complex and
al 81 I,. ,g,I,
the Germans have protected their most
valuable frontier fortress of Metz and
even more valuable iron field from
which comes a vast proportion of the
ore that alone enables them to continue
to carry on the war,
The first of these dcfcnscs, apart
from labyrinth of advanced trenches
and hundreds of acres of barbcd wire.
consist of a lon6 continuous line of for
tilted works of great strength starting
from Azannes to the north Of Bezon-
vauX on the outskirts of Ncrdun, and
running by Etan. Harvillc, Lachausse
Charey, Rembercourt and Prcney to
Wanderers, where. it hooks sharply
round to the westward till it ends at
Vilers.
The object of this hook at the end
is to flank the positions at Nittonvlle
VI
| the Moscllc just north of pont-a Nous
son. 1t is before this powerful line
that the Americans are at present mark
ing time before they succeed in forcing
it; as the Hindenburg line has been
| forced further north, they will be faced
with what is virtually three other lines
of strongly fortified positions on which
the Germans have been expending an
| enormous amount of care and labor
! during the last four years.
| They are virtually three lines. be-
cause these positions are not entirely
continuous They begin with the fores,
| of Maugienne, north of AZannes. which
| has been converted into fortress re.
| sembling Houtholst wood, which the
English and Belgians carried few
! days ago.
Then there is the final main line OF
defense coming from Nerny, due south
of Metz, crossing the Moselle just below
| Noveant and running due north outside
| the belt of twenty-five forts which pro-
! tect Metz and away up in front OF
| Thionville and beyond other supplement.
| tary fortified positions cover Longwy
the French Pittsburgh, and Longuyon
which has been In German hands since
| the beginning of the war.