The herald-advance. (Milbank, S.D.) 1890-1922, 1919-01-31
Thrifty French Already Cleaning
Up Battle Ground to
Plant Grain.
TASK MOST DIFFICULT ONE
Removing Of Barbed Wire Entangle-
ments Is NJ Easy Matter-Nar-
row Gauge Railways Being
Torn Up and Trenches
Filled In.

Decentralization of all traces OF
the 50 months war has already begun
everywhere along the old stationary
front which marked the line of the OPP
p0sing armies since the inception of a
war of position.
Rarbed wire entanglementS are be-
tsg torn up, trenches are being filled
In, camoutlage is being taken down.
narrOw-gauge railways removed. and
shell dumps and other depOts for ma
Serial being transported away.
This Is the first time that any field
Notifications have been permitted to
be touched by the civilian population.
Even after the Germans had been
sAGAve0 from the Chateau Thierry re-
g1Da south of the Marine to north Of
the vesle. the military authorities re-
xRsed. to permit barbed wire to be
taaen up OF earthworks filled in.
In most cases this work is being
done BY civilians, but everywhere with
zhe release Of the older classes Of
Hcronch soldiers and the numerous re-
SorInes-wounded discharged from the
army-there are enough men familiar
with Geld works to supervise the re-
aasval Of them,
Difficult Work.
+ Is no easy matter for the novice
r. pull up barbed wire. and In places,
particularly in the Juvigny region
north Of the Aisne, where the Thirty
second division fought with General
Aangin's superb Tenth army and won
for themselves the sobriQuet OF "The
Tigers" the entanglements cover hun
Aareds Of acres: the belts being hun
s3reds Of yards in depth. This wire
dates back from September. 1914. and
Iis rusty and dangerous to handle,
ewing to the presence Of tetanus mi
,crObes. The newer. "giant German
swtre." the strands Of which are a
quarter Of IN inch thick and which
Arstle with barbs, is equally hard to
Remove.
The old wide trenches which were
- vogue earlier in the wal before the
development OF the minenwerfer as an
accurate piece Of ordnance, are hard
to fill In. as their pnrnpets have been
washed away by rains and blasted to
Az Of shellfire. They are like great
AkbChes, furrOwing the earth in every
NrectiOn. The newer.
Ueaehes, shored with timber and pro-
v11ed with blackboard floors are easier
No Gil in. The thrifty French first pull
smf the snoring and let the rain act
- the trenches for a couple of weeks
10 which time they invariably fall in.
bAea they shovel over the top, smooth
sag 4 OF.
No attempts are made to fill in the
sAlgOuts, the entrances merely being
boarded up and covered ' In
maay Of these German dugouts there
ARE infernal machines and man traps
1Ansly to explode when the first per-
kem caters. Loose boards on the stairs
W bits Of string stretched across the
~a1rance set or explosives. In many
l>aher dugouts there are cOrpses Of
f.iends or foes. killed underground by
bembs hurled Gown the exits.
An roads In the 0 n where the op-
posing armies have swayed back and
tferth are lined with fox holes, as the
American d%Oughboys call the tiny
shelter caves they nre taught to dig
with bayonets and mess kits and
which provide such wonderful shelter
against shrapnel. Everywhere In the
belt Of terrain marking the extreme
limits Of the passage of the fighting
D there are endless rows Of these
rox holes dug into the bitches beside