Imperial Valley press., 1918-09-20
Of
H|NDENBURG LINE
GIVEN BY WRITER
CBy Associated Press)

German leaders to the great wall ol
China. Until the British broke it IN
the spring of 1917 they believed t
impregnable to assault, as was once
the Chinese wall, and regarded it as
the eighth wonder of the world.
The Hindenburg line, as generally
defined, is about 60 miles long, run
ming in a general north and south dl-
rection across the Picary plains IN
Frarnrce. Its northern extremity
was guarded by the heavily fortified
bastion of Vimy ridge and by the MN
ing city of Lens whose underground
corridors ana chambers long have
barred the British The southern END
of the Hindenburg line proper is IN
the vicinity of La Fere or Laon. That
end is protected in part by the For
est of ST. Gobain and the fortitlca-
tons around Laon.
Between Vimy Ridge on the north
nd La Fere on the south the line
passes west of Cambria and st. Quen-
4 so as to protect those two I'M
portant industrial and railway centers,
which are routes for bringing up sup
les for the German army.
Some war correspondents describe
.e German line as continuing south
as;ward from La Fere to the Aisne
! fn1l ho
O the Chemin des DANES. They call
at part of the line southeast of La
I ere the Alberich line. This would
& Id about As miles, making total
length of more than 100 miles. Gen
e-ally, however, the Hindenburg line
has been described as running only
i 'orm Vimy Ridge to La Fere.
Fearig that the northern end of the
ne might be turned. the Germans
established a Switch" line connect
ig. with the Hindenburg line at
Queant and running north about )
niles to Drocourt. They called this
witch the Wotan line.
The northern end of the Hindenburg
Inc and the Wotan lie both have been
lroken more than once by the Brit
i;h armies and both are now in pos
session of the British armies. Long
ago the Germans lost Vimy Ridge and
Lave failed to retaek it.
The Hindenburg line is not a
ench, but system of fled fortifi-
cations. In places it is said to be ten
miles deep, consisting not only of the
tench system, but of multiple lines of
barber wire entanglements, concrete
positions for artillery, deep dugouts
capable of housing battalion of
',oops, numerous pill boxes for ma
cline guns and, in fact, every decise
tie Germans have been able to as
semble to block the way to Germany
Near Bullecourt was a formidable
underground fortification known as
Tunnel Trench" which the Ger
mans believed to be impregnable. This
tunnel connecting the treches was
more tina mile long and was mined
fr its whole length, lighted with elec-
tricity and had entrances at short in
t2rva.s. 1t was reinforced by con-
concrete pill-boxes and support
trenches. The British captured it in
November, 1917.
Below Graincourt the British troops
found great catacombs along the Hin.
cenburg line. These were elaborately
fitted up as battalion headquarters
ectrically lighted and protected by
Concrete trenches. IN front Of aCm-
brai, the villages behind the line hac
t.neath the line had beneath then
eat chambers which it would be a
SANDER to call dougouts. They wer,
more like hotels, fitted with electrici.
ty, water, sewers, drying rooms anc
kitchens. They were shellproof and
bombprof. The trenches there were
built along the banks of the Canal Du
Nord, which runs north and south near
Havrincourt.
Important German strongholds pro-
tect the southern section of the line
near La Fere. The Forest of st. Go
lain presents an almost .insuperable
obstacle in attacking this end of the
line.
loan, lying within the "big corner
where the line turns eastward along
the Chemin des Danes, is regarded as
the keystone of the whole German
system. Hundreds of German battr-
les were installed in the screened ra-
vines around that city and in the for
, ests of st. Gobain.
Southwest of Loan the town was
protected by Massif of Morampteui,
: behind whose crest are huge under
, ground ravines and shelters, some big
enough to hold whole regiment. The