The evening Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1918-1920, 1918-10-11
THE FAMOUS
HINDENBURG
Line DENIED
Ran Sixty Miles North and
South Across the Picardy
Plains
TUNNEL TRENCH
MINED AND LIGHTED
Three Other Lines of De.
fense Beyond This Fa-
nous One

AAeOSAO OAA%
The celebrated Hindenburg line or
Siegfried line, 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 1917 they believed
it 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 an dsouth
direction across the Picardy Plains
in France It's northern extremity
was guarded by the heavily fortified
bastion of Vimy Ridge and by the
city Of Lens, whose underground
corridors and chambers long
have barred the British. The south
ern end of the Hindenburg line, pro-
per, is in the vicinity of La Fere OF
Laon. That end is protected in part
by the forest of st. Gobain and the
fortification around Laon.
Between Vimy Ridge on the north
and La Fcre on the south the line
passes west of Cambrai and St. Quen-
'ttin so as to protect those two I'M
portant industrial and railway centers
which are routes for bringing up sup
plies for the German army.
Some war correspondents describe
the German line as continuing south
eastward from La Fere to the Ainse
River and Rheims following the Ii
of the Chemin des Danes. They cal
that part of the line southeast of La
Fere the Albreich line. This woult
add about 45 miles, making a totaI
length of more than 100 miles. Gen,
orally, however, the Hindenburg line
has been described as running only
from Vimy Ridge to La Fere
Fearing that the northern end oil
the line might be turned the Germans
established a "switch" line connect
ing with the Hindenburg line al
Queant running north about Is miles
to Drocou1't. They called this switch
the Wotan line
iAN AAOl CIlI VI GIlS 1I1IlOcI
burg line and the Wotan line botl
have been broken more than once b!
the British armies and both are now
in possession of the British armies
Long ago the Germans lost Vimy
Ridge and have failed to retake it.
The Hindenburg line is not F;
trench, but. system of field fortif
cations. In places it is said to be tel
miles deep, consisting not only Of th'
trench system but of multiple line
of barbed wire entanglements, con
crete positions for artillery, deep dug
outs capable of housing a battalion
of troops, numerous pill-boxes fo
machineguns and, in fact, every de
vice the Germans have been able t,
. assemble to block the way to Ger
many.
Near Bullecourt was a formidable
underground fortifcation known a
the "Tunnel Trench" which the Ger
mans believed to be impregnable
This tunnel connecting the trenche
was more than mile long and wa
mined for it's whole length, hghte,
with electricity and had entrances a
short intervals. 1t was reinforced b,
concrete pill-boxes and support tren
ches. The British captured it il
November, 1917.
Below Graincourt the Britisl
troops found great catacombs alonl
the Hindenburg line. These wer
deliberately fitted up as battalio
headquarters, electrically lighted an
protected by concrete trenches. I
front of Cambria, the villages, behin
the line and beneath them grea
chambers which it would be slande
to call dugouts. They were more lik
hotels, fitted with electricity, watel
sewers, drying rooms and kitchen:
They were shell proof and bonn
prhof. The trenches there were buil
along the banks of the canal Du Nor
which runs north and south nea
Havrincourt.
Important German stronghold
protect the southern section of t.
line near La Fere The front of S
Gobain presents an almost insupel
able obstacle in attacking this end c
the line.
Laon, lying within the "Big Coz
ncr" where the line turns eastwar
along the Chemin des Danes is re
garded as the keystone of the whol
German system. Hundreds of Gel
man batteries were installed in tn
screened ravines around that cit
and in the forests of St. Gobain.
Southwest of -Laon the town wa
protected by Massif of Monampteu
behind whose crest are huge unde
ground ravines and shelters some bi
enough to hold a whole regimen
The forest west of Laon was cram
med with a vast store of munitiol
and materials. Divisions of trooI
could be concentrated in it unseen.
Recently the Germans discovere