The Hawaiian gazette., 1918-10-01
Wonder sl


II Il. Y =, " t5PtV-- \
y NEW RK,~SsPtember 30--(Asso.
lciatSd IPress5 SReports- from the West,
ern front indicate either the collapse
Of the German defense or a decison
10 abandon the HindenbBrg line and
to take up a secondary line Of de-
, Tense, which has been prepared for
this ,emergency during the sfour year 3
Occupation of Belgium aud France by
the Huns. "A ~
! The celebrated Hindenburg line or
| Siegfried line, which has been barring
| the Allies road to Berlin, has been
compared by the German leaders to the
great wall of China. Until the British
broke it in the spring of l9l7Lthey be.
T heved it impregnable to assault as was
! once the Chinese wall and regarded IL
| as the eighth wonder of the world.
/ End Protected
The Hindenbnrg line as generally de-
, fined is about sixty miles long running
| in a general north and south direction
across the Picardy Plains in France.
! Its northern extremity was guarded
by the heavily fortified bastion Of Vimy
Ridge and by the mining city Of Lens
whose underground corridors and cham
bers long barred the British. The
7 southern end Of the Hindeuburg line,
| rroper, is in the vicinity Of La Fere, or
Laon. That end is protected in part
| by the forest Of st. Gobain and bAe
fortifcations around Laon.
Between Vimy Ridge on the north
and La Fere on the south the line
passes west of Cambria and St. Quen.
49,
tant industrial and railway centers
which are routes for bringing up sup
plies for the German army.
Lines Extension
Some war correspondents describe the
German line as continuing southeast
ward from La Fere TO the Aisne River
and Rheims following the line of the
Chemis des Danes. They call that
part of the line southeast of La Fere
the Albeeich line. This would add
about forty five miles, making a total
length of more than 100 miles. Gen
orally, however, the Hindenburg linz
has been described as running only
from Vimy Ridge to La Fene.
Switch" Line
Fearing that the northern end Of th'
line might be turned the Germans es
tablished "switch" line connecting
with the Hindenburg line at Quean
and running north about 25 miles Il
Drocourt. They called this switch thu
I Wotan line.
The northern end of the Hindenburl
line aud the WOtan Line both have beel
broken more than once by the BTitiSl
armies and both are now in posssssi0I
of the British. Long ago the German
lost Yimy Ridge and have failed to re
take it. ,. nI'J - ;sttt-
The Hindenburg line 10 not trencl
but system Of field Notifications. II
places it IL said to be ten miles deep
consisting not only of the trench ,sys
tenn but of multiple lines Of barbe'
wire entanglements, concrete position
for artillery, deep dugOnts capable D
housing = battalion Of troops, pumeI
Gus pill ll-boxes for machine guns and, i
fact every device the Germans haV
been able to assemble to block tn
way to Germany.
Underground, Defense
Near BuIlecourt was a formidabl
underground fortiRcation known as tn
"Tunnel Trench" which the German
believed to be impregnable. This tuI
|
than a mile long and was .mined for i
whole length, lighted with eiectrieit
and had entrances at short intervai
D 1t was reinforced by concrete pill
boxe and suppSTt treRebes, The RriI
ish captured it in November, l9H.-'
e9 Below iGEaineourt, the british troop
b found great cantacombs along the Hill
: denburs line. These were elaborated
fitted up as battalion Sheadquarter
electrically lighted and protected b
1 concrete trenches. In front Of Can
y brai, the villages, behind the line ha
4 beneath them great chambers which
would be a slander to call dpgollt
They were more like hotels, fitted wit
e electricity, water, sewer, drying room
T. and Kitchens. They were shell proc
e and bomb proof. The treuehes ther
were built along the banks OF .tb
- Canal Du Nord which runs north an
+ south near Havrincourt.
4 InnOTtant German strong holds pfI