Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1918-03-22
SHALL NOT PASS
SLOGAN STANDS
Present Boche Offensive
Recalls Heroic Resist
I ance of Verdun
ALLIES FULLY PREPARED
Ready at All Point to Meet
! Drive of Germany's
Mighty Hordes
By HENRI BAZIN

.Ht MlSHIy iiNt ">o
BY HENRI BAZIN
...r cor-espordcnt Evening Public Ledger
~" ,Dih the American ArnU IN france
Paris, March 2. (By maiD.
From the French front which re-
..ntly visited at three different points,
hear stories OF a three-line defense
,,on the boche side that makes the
Hindenburg line look like feather in
!. snowstorm. These lines are TO cover
sny possible Allied combination, and
are classified respectively as ordinary
combat feld," important combat field
and battle field" the word field"
b.ing local and the application general
belng to zones. Allied aviators have
photographed and noted great activity
within enemy lines for distance of
4 sixty kilometers back with the mass
inr and moving of quantities of ap-
psrently fresh troops and vast con-
slomeration of artillery and aviation
PREPARATION.
on the Allied side. all is ready for an
attack, ready all along the line from
the sea 10 AlSdtts DO tHol oushly itduy
that we of the Allies can well sing
TO the tune OF THE Old Gray Mare
Tho old gray mare.
We We Raye Saye The he fn9ilsrs infantTy.
We We ssye ssWs the ise nyins nSfins'ry; men,
SO God help Kaiser Bill.
As far as available records permit. II
n known that the boche has accessible
for use on the western front 220
divisions. representing fighting force Of
l575000 men. and that every other
branch Of the present available German
force would add abont the same num-
Der of men, inferior In sodierly
quality for divers reasons. or, through
tyne of service and years. without any
Aehting quality at ALL My figures of
$4,000 first-rank fighting men are
based In part by boche losses during the
last Ave months, and the fact that in
late September. 1917. the Austro-Ger-
manic armies had massed upon the Rus
sian. French and Belgian fronts 200
divisions. 155 on the western and 1876 on
the eastern. This excluded the rea-
lively few divisions of Turks and Bull
GarIans which do not enter in my calcu-
lation Probably eighty divisions, rep
resenting approximately thirty army
y corps of present numerical formation,
are deemed quite sufficient to cope with
the present Russian condition. and that
on the Italian front as well. II this as
sumption is correct then go divisions
on the big front where. as ] have often
written. the war is to be lost and won.
Is fair estimate of the boche total
ready for offensive or other work that
may come to II.
I must not detail what I know OF Al
lied readiness. save that it is some readi-
ness and very much on the job, saturated
with, a great confidence and the spirit
Z Of Verdun. whose second anniversary
was recorded little more than a week ago
today.
Yerdun the Uncomfortable
For now as ever, Verdun stands out
Verdun, the connecting link between
the Lorraine and Champagne fronts
Through the present variety of its nat
ural and military defenses. Verdun can
\ be considered the most important fort
ress west of Metz, where the Germans
have increasingly increased their de-
iensive and offensive resources from
1871 to February. 1918. Metz is but
sixty klometers from Verdun and a like
distance from st. Mihiel, Toul and
Nancy. II has never been the objective
Of attack in the present war. Verdun
ana the Verdun front, on the contrary.
have foiled every Germanic intent and
enort the enemy never even crossing
the Meuse save at st. Mhiel. In all
nave read or heard or seen of Verdun,
tnere is no statement. as far as I know,
OF what Verdun meant and means to.
ine morale of the Allies, nor what part
ner glory and herosm play, conscious.
OF otherwise, upon that morale. A
mort resume might therefore not be
Without interest.
The most important arteries tba, n,ace
sns IN direct communication with
S.rasourg follow the Marne to Vitry-le-
sshcois. the Ornain to Ligny-en-Bar-
Iois. the Meuse from Lerouvllle to Pag-
~, tne Moselle from Toul to Frouard,
s.,,, sne the Meurthe from Nancy to Lune-
ns, Inc course of these rivers is
counied by the Rhine-Marne Canal,
to1ming, from Vitry-le-Francois. a line
NAT communicates to the very heart of
rSnce and constituting at the Same
ume powerful line of defense against
4 ~ invader from the north. This line
oeiore the battle of the Marne held en-
any troops from Meaux to Revigney.
The Meuse and the Moselle approach
% an almost touching point, and then
separate abruptly, the space between
tnem widening to about one hundred and
Menty kilometers between Treves and
i
involved forms an Elongated triangle,
me apex resting between two deep VAL
ieys OF the two rivers To the west.
me Aire and the Aisne valleys form two
parallel conditions. between which rises
ne Argonne forest upon an elevation
higher than the surrounding country -
sl Historic Soil Of France
The land-lay about the Meuse hills de-
ponds suddenly on the right bank Of the
river, reappearing on the left toward
sne north and east where Chense, Signey
Apoeye. Hirson, and other points were
occupied by the French after the battle
OF Charleville to retard the advance OF
invading armies. as witnessed by combats
of the Eighth army at Signey rAbbeye.
me Fourth at Fosse, between Chesne
and Steney. and the Third in the env-
irons OF Dun. The crossing of the Ar
eonne forest, 1t will be remembered, be-
n came an enemy difficulty through the
necessity of covering against flank at
Ack constantly threatened by the Third
Army between Verdun and Reylgney
On the opposite bank Of the Meuse,
~ tIyon, Liouville Fort. and the defenses
(! Toul on the Moselle resisted every
oowacle, The fort at Camp des Ro-
mains, isolated upon a height at the
eet OF which spread out the entire
saint Mihiel district. fell In the fair
seriy days OF yerdun attack. but the
neroism OF the French about Toul
bvmptiy re-established the situation.