The Wallace miner. [volume] (Wallace, Idaho) 1907-current, 1918-04-25
Geology, Geography and Topography
of the Somme Battlefields

April 20 contains a carefully prepared
article on the geology. geography and
of the great battlefelds of
the Somme, frequently designated as
the plains of Picardy. by Bailey Will
lis. professor Of geology in Stanford
and head Of the mining de-
partment of that institution. BY re-
ferring to a map In conjunction with
this article, the reader will gain a
very definite idea of the scene Of this
gigantic conflict and the strategic
reasons that control the movements Of
the opposing forces. Mr.. Bailey's
contribution follows:
Look at the map Of the battlefields
of the Somme. In 1916 the British
fought from July to November to
drive the Germans from the ridge that
extends from Combles to Thiepval.
No one can disparage the fight they
put up, nor the German resistance.
The British won because they were
better men, better equipped, better
generated.
In 1918. Is months later. the Ger
mans drove the British and French
from the greatly larger area between
the widely separated positions of
March % and March 81. In 10 days
they accomplished, apparently. far
more than did the British in four
months, including the conquest of the
heights that cost the British so dearly
in 1916.
Are we to conclude that the allies
have weakened or the Germans be-
tcme superior? There is nothing to
support the suggestion except the bare
fact of the change Of position. We
can dismiss it. for it is not true.
May we infer that Germany is des-
operate, and, like the Morse berserker
of old, who relied upon brute strength
and ferocity, has thrown herself upon
the foe with irresistible violence to
crush or be crushed? There is much
Iof the brute courage In the German
masses. They fight like the berserker.
But German generals do not. They
have planned far ahead. Desperate
they may be. but mad they are not.
Rather may we say that the allies
have retreated with a purpose. The
German attack was anticipated. The
empowering offensive was met with
THAT degree of resistance which wears
1T out, but does not wear out the OPP
ponents. The retiring allies sacrificed
TERRITORY, towns, battalions, guns, so
far as was necessary to accomplish
their pre- arranged plan. Then the
retirement stopped. The counter
stroke is due.
The man on the street feels that he
Is watching expert players in game
of chess in which checkmate means
death to nations-and they move mys-
|teriously planning far ahead te
achieve victory through what seems
Nto be desperate gambit. What is the
next move?
In war, as in chess, the players ma.
Inoeuver for positions and the lay Of
the ground may decide the issue. The
Withdrawal of the allies is apparently
lsuch a vancouver. and it is worth
lwhile to study the ground better tt
understand the aim of the players II
Ethis fearful game of the people agains
the last of the empires.
To, hA al, nlfnr or
Landscape of northern France, a plair
and hill land. formerly Of fields ant
orchards, now a desolate waste thrice
swept by armies in retreat Roads
bridges, houses and towns have beer
blown up and the very ground is pit
tied with shell holes beyond number
Hell is not more desolate nor more
agonized.
Two rivers. the Somme and the Disc
seven miles apart, now parallel from
the German line into the battlefield
and there separate The Disc run.
straight on southwest toward Paris
the Somme winds in a great inverted
s. northwest to Amiens and beyond
l'At Amiens the Somme is joined by thu
IArve, flowing northwest, and little
east of Amiens 1t receives from thu
northeast the bloody" Ancre, which
rises near Bapaume. The flat rive
valleys are swamps. passable by con
structed roads. but otherwise Difficult
to cross with vehicles of any weight
Their general level is about 200 fee
above the sea-
The uplsnds also are flat, but ex.
'tensive. They are low plateaus ant
the valleys are branching trenches
Fsunk in them. Let us, for instance, fiji
four attention for the moment on Ba-
paume, the railway and highway cen.
ter that the English took from the
Germans and surrendered to them In
gretreating before this last offensive
The town lies on broad plain, with a
general elevation of $50 feet above the
sea level Near 1t rise four little
streams, which flow north and north
Feast and are part of the headwaters
of the Escault or Scheldt, one of the
principal rivers Of Belgium. They are
the Exuette. Agache, the Sensee and
the Cojeul. Just east Of Arras these
streams are connected by canals with
the Scarpe in a plain whose general