The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1916-1920, 1918-09-07
NEW LINE OFFERS
STRONG DEFENCE
Formidable But Not Insur-
mountablc, Says British goo
Military Critic. :,
MADE FAMOUS BY vAUBAN
Canal, Marshes and Stag Heaps
Form Basis Of Front North
of the SOmme.
ny II. sIDEBOTHAM.

ny II, suDEBOTHAM.
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WV '"0 49, N''c' W
''s''a' 'oo,e Oespote" 70 TINE Sun ''o" me
c.,, ,.,s ~, go,
i'" -" ,'S'
A"SpoN' sep'' o'-ihere WAS No 10
ve!opmeHt yesterday In the strategic
situation. Our ovoeress vaa nj the tvso
sx,r.. "a. -, an. H.. =, ,Iuu q, "a
''e '"'e' ' 20 "'''
f'oessteert Village ana IN the south near
Noyon, where the French continue to
make progress to the southeast and
u a.
'ou'""ese Vi inc sro"' ""'f'e' VI INC a.
CONAN Forest.
No new light has been thrown yet
upon the German plans. and although
there are signs Of n German rally on the
line of the Canal du Nord similar rallles
have taken place before and have been
followed by a retreat when a determined
attack was made or an attack from an
unex pected quarter which found them
Off guard.
Geography Is the larger half Of war,
and as the British advance in the north
has gone beyond the region where every
name was familiar 1t may be helpful to
take a general view Of the news. The
new front falls naturally into three we'll
marked divisions. each with distinctive
physical features.
thsracser OF Fsansers Defence.
Tho northern division. which extends
from the neighborhood OF Ypres TO the
banks of the Scarpe, is Flanders, The
stronghold Of the German defensive sys-
TEN in Flanders Ii the quadriiateral
as its four corners. All the German DO
sitions outside of this quadriIateral-the
hills east OF Ypres. the valley OF the Lys.
Messipes Ridge, Pioegstcert Wood, Au-
bers Ridge and so on are outworks for
the defence OF this central stronghold
this spring the enemy made sorties He
" now withdrnwing behind his original
deiences
me general character OF the country
10 nat ana marshy. although some OF the
hardest hGht'ng OK the war has taken
place on It's low ridges. like Auoers,
Messines and Parherdaeie. or on fso-
lated hiils ike Mont KENNEL 1t Is a
typfcai enclosed country, wen adapted
i9r defence. ana was the scene OF Nau-
pans greatest triumphs. Formal fortih-
cations nave disappeared. but they
asted INTO the Industrial era In this part
OF france and were responsible Tor the
curious desperation ana straegihs char-
acter OF these industrial ana mining VII
ages
sag heaps, mine heads. factories and
cottages nave made more formidable de-
fences than anything that Vauban built.
In Flanders the German retirement has
been voluntary: We have contented our
selves with following the retreat. with
occasional assaults like that which gave
us Pioegsteert and Hill 50 yesterday.
Flanders was until the end Of last year
the magnet for the orthodox British Of
fensive plans, but 1t may be questioned
IL 1t will ever recover its old powers Of
attraction
Canal du Sord the switch Line.
South NJ thu sc.rne Wa uet ;r,o n
countr1, ~ ro,,,,~ a.. $1,000 ter
donpas or cIorgh.~r,o,. a. az 10,
E-,anch f,r ,ha,, a. a. 49, g.,
ara ca,,.d -. IT. -. e,
,hn.. H. e., -, .ss.e s,nsn
ana prr,,I,,. u,h,oh 80 - 80 go. 80
-, ..., "eu Wy ~, ris". III
a,S.r 80 - y, WI. - ' uo~n an
49,, VI ~ VIC C~a, uu Noiu'
=. -, ene oe"see WIN u'o o'se
No'on' ~ no pom. on me stretch
~he'e We crossed me ninoehDure line
mas tne lanai ou Noru peen crosses.
where mas Deen crossed, as AT
ifermies' east OF Bapaume. the Hinder
ourg i'he stui Is intact