Omaha daily bee., 1918-09-19
Germany's Frontier Forts
New York Times.

stretch of the Hindenburg line and the kaiser
appeals to the German people to preserve the
fatherland by Successful defense it is time to
give some attention to the Notifications OF Ger
many on her western frontier and to those OF
the Rhine in the path OF invading armies of
the allies Those fortresses must be reduced
or contained whatever the cost if there is to be
victorious entry into Berlin. On the Franco
German frontier the allies would have to deal
with the fortress districts, including areas OF
fortified places, of Metz and Strassburg; but
they could elect to use a large part of their
forces in making their approach to the Rhine
fortress districts of Manz and Cologne,
through Luxembourg and Belgium. Mainz is
about 100 miles in straight line from the Lux
emburg frontier and Cologne Is from the Bel
gian The difficulties of the task in either case,
should not be minmzed, and in regard to the
invasion OF Germany through Luxembourg and
Belgium there is still long way to go, meas
uring the distance by the shock OF battle and
the overcoming of defenses, existing and I'M
provised, which may cost heavy casualties and
require vast expenditure of munitions. More
over winter, with its mpediments to the NOV
ing of artillery and its not lntrequent trustra-
ton OF infantry attacks. is not tar off,
Metz until the il-starred Bazaine surren-
dered it, had never yielded to an enemy. Metz
and Strassburg are very formidable bulwarks of
poleon III improved the defenses by circle of
forts extending for a considerable distance from
the city, and the Germans after wrestling Metz
from France, constructed defenses still further
out in fact as far as Thionville on the north
and beyond the field of Gravelotte. Metz as a
fortress dates from the days OF the Romans. In
the fifth century the Huns under Attila cap
tured and pundered it. Metz had been in pos
session of France for two centuries when the
Germans invested and took it in 1870. The
peace of Frankfort confirmed their title. The
capital of German Lorraine, Metz is SO miles
northwest of Strassburg, and it is connected
with Luxembourg and the lower Rhine country
by remarkable system of strategic railways.
Strassburg, 80 miles east of the French
frontier, derives good deal of its Importance
from the fact that it is the capital Of the i'm
perial province of Alsace- Lorraine. Three hun
bred and seventy miles from Berlin, its modern
Notifications consist OF chain OF ~ or more
detached forts at distance of from three to five
miles from the center OF the town; but the Ger
mans, considering the range OF modern art-
lery must have constructed works much fur
Their out than this chain of forts. Strassburg
being situated on plain at the junction of the
Ill and Breusch rivers, it has been practicable
to contrive system OF releasing their waters
to flow over a great part OF the environments
in an emergency.
Antwerp was regarded as perhaps the most
formidable fortress in Europe, perhaps lmpreg
magic. 1t was one of Bramont's triumphhs,
and the outlying forts, many of which had been
constructed later, were supposed to make Ant
werp Belgian Gibraltar; and yet the Germans
had no dlthculty-lt does not appear that their
heraded 42-centimeter hoWitzers were used at
a-in pounding the tremendously expensive
works to pieces and forcing Captulation. Ant
werp shared the fate of Liege and Namur Could
Metz and Strassburg be closely invested, and
could the artillery of the allies remove these
fortresses from the road TO Berlin? The Ger
mans have never been able to dispose of Yer
dun. There the vive force school, as Lord Sy-
denham calls the believers in high explosives
and storming troops, certainly failed. Bern
hardi says of Strassburg that "it secures the
French offensive into southern Germany, and
its capture or maintenance is of high moral
value for the whole conduct of the war"
The approach to Berlin through Belgium and
Luxembourg should prove more feasible and
more attractive. From Liege to Berlin is about
800 miles, but it must always be remembered
that the strategic railways OF the defenders
would permit of rapid concentration and trans
portation OF troops to repel invasion The
Rhine could be gained only after a succession
of battles on German soil; and having arrived
within striking distance of the river the allies
would find the strongly fortified cities and dis
tricts of Cologne, Coblenz and Mainz in their
path. The fate of nation" Bernhard says,
can never be decided by the capture of town,
may it be ever so important" Armies in the
held must be destroyed or captured. The allies
III 1919 will have great superiority in COM
hatants, and fortresses, used Extensively or de-
iensively should not long impede their ad-
vance on Berlin.