South Bend news-times. (South Bend, Ind.) 1913-1938, 1918-04-07


Wednesday March q. The extreme points Of
German advance there we're Albert the north and
Montddier on the south. Such fighting followed
through days purely local The first
German blow spent its force and pending the de
livery OF second. there necessary period of
and reorganization to the assailant, who had moved
80 miles days torn and devastated country
and in the presence OF a hard fighting foe
In these first seven days German strategy and Ger
man applied the greatest offensive of the
fully disclosed and it is possible now to dis
cuss fashion which the latest Of
all the western operations resembed and differed from
other but considerable attacks of both
of nations on the ives. and the east front, alike
First Of ali it is essential to examine the recent
attack in its relation past efforts and to endeavor to
indicate in what manner proved disproved
conclusions which had been based the experience
the great battles break through enrenched
front and transform war position into a
maneuver.
The majority 81 French military x-
pers we're agreed as result Of the experience of the
Germans at verdun in 1916. OF Aisne
in 1917 and the British the Somme in 1916 and in
FLANDERS in 1917 that an through of an
enemy's position and a return to war Of movement
il impossible, yet unlikely to make it
unvise given approximate equality the numbers
OF the vest to undertake such
gigantic and expensive venture. There was always.
however a school in both countries who still believed,
despite the failure Nivee April. 1917. that
attack given adequate artillery preparation LACKING
a: time. made sufficiently wide front
'isnt produce the great result so often sought
Hitherto in all great ofensives in the west. allied
German alike. the break-through where there has
been one. has N s. narrow a permit
army. whose position pierced destroy the
spearhead the advancing by concentrated
artillery from all adjoining points in the line and
behind
In the great offensive venture of the OF
positions that OF Champagne in 1915. brigade
French troops got clear through the line
after its initial The conclusion
drawn from this experience which thereafter.
that attack narrow front inevitably results
a steady construction of the assaiants advancins
forces, so that take the Champagne example.
attack IS miles front ended in the penetration
by a small force front Of less than mile.
After Champagne two ideas are found in major
onensives. The had been expressed by the Ger
"a the Dunajev, before Champagne where it
,eeded verdun after Champagne where it
failed This was the idea Of concentration of guns
and narrow front but with such a weight Of
artillery as TO destroy completely all the positions Of
the enemy in the bombarded sector The
was expressed by the British and French the somme
where failed and again in the Asne often
sives the following year. where again failed
o a upon a sufficiently wide
to give promise IN the break if there we're one
would wide be covered by ire
of artillery.
At Dunajec German artillery preparation was
concentrated OF a oil hardly more than seven
miles the Russian defenses were destroyed and the
poured through the gap began their
amazing invasion. which did end for months and
covered hundred a verdun.
an even heavier artillery concentration the advance
was checked in less than miles by the
ton Of French artillery fire from the batteries and
positions thanking seven front, which had
been broken in. After a week the Germans had
give the attack this front and under
take to widen their zap by reducing aanking lie
lenses on Dead Mans hill and de Vaux and
while they were doing this the French had
recover from the first shock of the onset
Influenced by the verdun experience the British and
tho French at Somme. 1915. planned attack
on a front OF % miles But the artillery prepa-
ration or the British was insufficient more than
half of front on which British attacked they
held I'D before the first German line while on the
balance Of front they only penetrated the hrst
line The French OF the Somme made a long
cap forward, but they we're checked because their
wedge narrow and was further blocked by the
Sonme river. before Peronne.
apply their own and the German experiences. They
selected two widely separated about Arras
along the Aisne with the idea that the German re-
serves would be held before each point there
would be no concentration of all reserves upon one
danger point as had happened a the and in
Champagne But this time although the French at
lacked upon a very WIDE front and the French attaek
vyassthe main their artillery preparation
Inadequate and they halted by their terrihe