The daily Gate City and constitution-Democrat. (Keokuk, Iowa) 1916-1922, 1918-02-05
Ten Years in Prison.

eign office, through Holland, has pro
tested to Germany against the sent
ence of ten years Imprisonment OF
two British aviators for dropping
propaganda literature over the Ger
man empire, the London Mail assert
ed today.
After careful investigation the
foreign office has been unable to DIS
cover any breach of international law
on the part of the aviators, the Mail
said. Germany, the foreign office SAID,
has done similar propaganda work on
an extensive scale and unless the
ayiators are released, reprisals Will
be taken.
1.-THE military status of the two
British aviators mentioned in the
above dispatch was ignored by the
Germans.l
Can Accomplish Little.
[By Henry Wood, United Press Stan
Correspondent
WITH THE FRENCH ARMIES IN
THE FIELD, Jan. 24.-(By mall)-
The most which Germany can pos
sibly attain by a big offensive on the
western front this spring is merely
to produce in the French lines
salient more or less deep and more
or less extended, which in the end
the French would again reduce.
This is the unanimous opinion or
competent French military autnorl-
ties based on three and half years
of present-day warfare on the trench
front. The premises on which their
opinion is founded, are very simple.
In the three years and half that
Germany has launched gigantic as
saults against the French she has
never vet succeeded in piercing the
lines in the real military sense OF
tho word-namely, to such an extent
as to enable her armies to pass
through and encircle the broken
ends.
What has taken place with the
German assaults is that the front
lines at a given point have been
pierced or broken into sufficient
extent to force the opposite army to
fall back over a limited front upon
it's second, or third line OF trenches,
or even back upon It's second or third
line of positions. In each case like
this salient is produced in the line
and nothing more. What is worse,
once this salient is produced 1t be-
comes very easy for the opposing
army by attacking simultaneously
the two sides it presents to them, to
reduce it and straighten out the line
to what it was before.
This. competent French military
authorities declare. is all that can
possibly result from the great spring
offensive which the Germans declare
they are now preparing. Three years
and a half Of warfare have demon
strated that the western front can
not be pierced. In addition there
never was a time when the French
front was more strongly fortified and
defended than now. Still more, there
never was time when the French
front presented less vulnera BILE
points of attack than now.
This is for the very simple reason
that all salients which formerly exist
ed in the western front have now
been reduced, with the exception of
the big one at ST Mihiel, south of
verdun. Like all salients, this could
be easily reduced by the French if
they considered it worth while to do
if anything were to be gained by
the effort.
For this reason, the many rumors
which Germany is now circulating
relative to the big western offensive
she IS preparing are causing moth
ing but calm confidence and attentive
expectancy on the western front.
Thirteen Aeroplanes Destroyed.
PARIS, Feb. Eight German
aercplanes were completely destroyed
and five others were brought flaming
to earth by French aviators in a
series of formidable air battles over
the German lines Sunday, it was Off
cially announced today.
An enemy attack in the Chemin Des
Danes region, following artillery
preparation was thrown back before
the attacking waves reached the
French lines, il was announced.
For the first TINA IN +bo 1,i,.a. - .