El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1918-10-19

WITH the American Army. Oct 10.
w Increased element OF surprise
in attack. greater elasticity in de-
fence and development in barbed wire
cutting appliances are responsible FOR
the shifting bac and forth for great
distances Of the battle line IN the
campaign OF 1913.
Local attacks this year penetrate
deeper than CAREFUL yplanned Of
fensives were carried IN 1915 and
1917. and the great German and al
lied drives have swept forward to a
depth that one would have dared be-
lieve impossible heretofore.
During the first three years OF the
war both sides alike regarded the
western front as unbreakable. and
accepting that theory did not try to
develop means OF attack which. while
not capturing the front. might at
least so strain It that wholesale re-
treats on both sides OF the salient
thus formed would be imperative.
The BOmbardmeut.
Gen Francis Nivelle. who sue
ceeded marchal Joffre in command Of
the French armies, believed he could
smash through the German center
and he tried TO do il in April. 1917
But while he adopted the new Idea
OF brea king through. he tried TO carry
II out with the old practice OF sus-
tanned preliminary artillery prepare
ton, battering the SOissons-Rei
and Champagne fronts with guns Of
all calibers for eight days before
sending the infantry TO the attack
Those eight days Of warning gave the
crown prince time TO rush Up reserves
10 the bomharded sectors and TO pre-
pare new defence lines behind those
In front which were being battered to
piece
In october. 1917. Gen. Julian Byng
obtained permission 10 try out his
plan 10 test the possibility OF smash
ing through He formulated the new
er process OF passing 10 the attack
practically without artillery prep
aration, a four hours bombardment
instead OF one lasting a week. and he
relied on tanks to crush lanes through
the barbed wire entanglements that
the infantry might follow and come
10 grips with the enemy. His plan
was tried out at Cambria and reaped
astonishing results which. II ex-
plotted. might have changed the
course OF the whole war. But the
successes were not fOreseen and so
the fruits OF the victory were lost
Enemy Adopts Tactics.
The enemy was quick to adopt the
two principles proven by the allies
in 1917-that OF Nivelle which showed
that deep advance could be driven
through the most deliberately de-
Tended system OF intrenchments, pro-
vided il were made over large front.
and that OF Byng which demonstrated
a n
aration outweighed the longer bat
tering tactics. which Mackensen had
introduced on the Dunaiec against the
Russians in the spring Of 1915.
So when Won der MzrWitZ and Won
Hutier launched the first great Ger
the first phase OF the kaiser battle
which was to win the war in this
campaign. they passed TO the attack
after a three hour artillery prapara-
ton The enemy was loath TO adopt
the British system OF opening up
barbed wire for the infantry by using
tanks. Instead they relied on thou
sands Of minenWerfer throwing high
" perfected contact exploding shells.
which burst on touching a strang OF
wire or a post They preached the
British wire defences in half a dozen
though they also used some British
tanks captured and repaired at Cam
brai the autumn before and few OF
their own manufacture.
The initial German drive bit As
miles dee pin allied terrain before II
was finally arrested before Amines. {
more through the fact that il had
lost its impetus and momentum
though outstripping its communica-
tions and supplies than for anything
else.
But in three Of these attacks Hin
denburg realized important progress. I
whereas AT Verdun. in the first half
Of 1916. the crown prince had been
unable to achieve more than three Z
kiIometers advance on his most sue !
cessful day. During the remainder Of /
the battle he bit off a small trench I
system here and there, usually los !
ing IL back again within a few hours
and advancing only step bv step at /
heavy cost
FOtch's Blows
On July IS Gen. Foch attacked be-
n1EEo-1&