The Birmingham age-herald., 1918-07-14
CONCENTRATION OF
 TROOPS FOR BATTLE
 NO EASY PROBLEM
Watchfulness of Allied Air men Making It Hard for Germans to Carry
 Out Plans

Behind the British Lines in France, June 15.-(Correspondence of the Asso- ciated Press).-The task of concen- trating divisions for modern battle on the western front is by no means an easy one. for it is naturally the enemy's chief concern to prevent such move ment from being successfully and easi- ly accomplished.
 Rapid concentrations are essetial, or else the all-important element of sur prise is lost, and rapidity depends large ly upon the skillful use of railways al- ready overburdened with the normal demands of the troops in the assault area. For this reason the enemy's long range fire. as we'll as considerable proportion of his bombing airplanes, are concentrated upon the railroads in the back areas.
 Under normal conditions, the ordi- nary straight railway line is not par ticularly vulnerable. Being so narrow it is difficult target to hit. The curves of a railroad are, however, much more important The destruction of section of rail on curve means more trouble than the destruction of half dozen sections on the straight.
 Sidings, railway stations, and places where there is network of rails, and where there are points, functions, and other special types of rail, are even more important than curves, for dam age done at a vital center may com pletely delay traffic for many hours. Such rail centers behind the German Z lines are subjected by the British to a form of time bombardment' so devised that all repairs have to be carried out 1n. xs..r- T < %s~x. and not an hour passes without shells or bombs bursting in the affected area.
 An important result of this concen- tration against the rail centers is that troops cannot be massed for an attack without undergoing certain amount of morale shaking experiences first There is no peace for them by day or by night. Under these conditions the troops are stale before the attack is launched.
 As this 1ong-range bombardment is controlled chiefly by airplane obser- vation, an enormous advantage lies with that side which is predominant in the air. By the superiority of their airmen the allied armies are able to sweep all roads and railways in the enemy's rear with concentrated artillery fire by day and night; whilst large squadrons of bombing airplanes keep the German rest areas and billets perpetually un- der fire.
 Thus the German soldiers are kept in a state of nervous tension, the cas- ualties are heavy and the extra work involved by the ever increasing diff faculties leads to the concentration be~ ing continuously delayed and hung up. Divisions suffer and lose their fight ing value without ever being launched against the enemy.
 All these things together conspire to make the German concentrations difficult of accomplishment and more and more dependent upon the weather, which alone can suspend the British and French aerial activity and hamper observation. Every days delay in pre- venting a German concentration is of the utmost value to the allies, who can prepare and strengthen positions, bring up endorsements, construct roads and light railways, and genetally make valuable use of the time thus gained.
 When the delay occurs between the phases of big battle it is even more important; for experience goes to show that an arrested offensive that fails to attain it's objects is little better than a real defeat