El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1919-10-27

/ prudence OF the Fifth army amounted
to the presentation OF the enemy
with the French plans Three days
before the battle a sergeant, carrying
I orders Of operation indicating in de-
Z tail the dispositions for the attack by
three CORDS and the Russians upon
8 Fort Brimont was killed ana his dis
Z patch bag captured Thus warned
( the enemy reinforced the threatened
J points and subsequent French attack
did not result in the gain OF a foot
while the loss of the Seventh corps
: alone was II 900 men in four days.
] This blunder was duly reported TO
Z the French commander. and it should
I have led to the abandonment OF the
enterprise.
Finally. the artillery preparation
was done very badly, 10 days Il
hombardment resulted in insufficient
reduction Of enemy works Weather
I conditions contributed 70 fhis TAI ure,
I but the chief cause vas lack OF NUM-
/ tons for so vast frnlt, itself based
iron strong natural obstacles mute
Pile b. skilful angl leefs-
In the face OF all these circum-
| stances and confronting an almost
I unbelievable anarchy existing IN the
high command-but with an army
fired by the recent German retreats,
E knowing that their commander ex-
I petced TO break the German line
Nivelle, still ulshakenf announced
that he expected to succeed on the
Craonne plateau This announce
ment was made to the government
after the first attack-that on ST.
Quentin-had been made on April II
and had completely failed. thus doom
ing the whole enterprise. Neverthe-
less, fixing his attack for the morn
ing Of the 18th. NiveIle repeated his
familiar forecast that he would ar
rive in Laon at dawn on the 18th.
and that his cavalry would reach
Ia Fere by sunset on tie same day.
Brlmont vas to be taken in five
hours By that enVelopmenr from the
north Of which the Germans had been
so completely forewarned.
Air Work Impossible.
Therefore, just one week after the
British had brilliantly launched their
precise moment when their advance
had been pinned down NiveIls
launched his waiting armies The
armies OF Mangin Mazel left their
IN the midst OF tempest OF snow.
rain, and wind The aviation could
not function. the artillery was de-
pendent entirely upon ground obser-
walton Il was in vain that the trench
morrars destroyed practically every
where the first enemy line An actual
relescoping occurred with the mass
OF the German army which had re-
ceived and executed the order to die
on the first line rather than yield
mans had no less than four lines,
with a depth OF eight miles These
lines were literally stuffed with light
machine guns, hidden in the in
Vulnerable grottos and caTerns OF the
porous cliffs The French artillery
did not completely dominate the
situation IS all the Instructions
OF the high command hac de-
handed The tanks, in a gallant
attack near Pontavert. which was de-
g q iaTa 49,
Craonne plateau and Brimont, no.
where reached the third line. which
had been their objective The French
armies were compelled TO halt after
the first hours and the Unforeseen
pause 1ammed and blocked every
thing behind-organizs for q great
forward leap. This congestion and
confusion Of every sort stiIl further
aggravated the disappointment and
disillusionment consequent upon a
sharp check All official records Of
the operations Of the 18th and 18th
OF April IN both French armies. re-
veal with truly tragic monotony the
essential fact that the complete check
were due 70 the multiplied use OF
enemy machine guns which had sur
Vived inadequate bombardment
Machine Guns Cheek Advance.
The machine guns had not been I
completely destroyed anywhere By I
this machine gun fire, after the first ]
hours, stopped the advance and broke I
the spirit OF the best fighting forces ]
Of the French army Some thousands 4
OF these guns, well used and wen 1
placed thus proved sufficient 70 I
check in 1uu cry the forward sweep !
Of many thousands Of veteran In I
fantry soldiers confident Of victory,
and Americans VIII find food for re-
Election when they recall that, q 1T
fla than later IN Hrn ]
great battle OF the Meuse ArEonue,
their own soldiers. with even less
adequate artillery support. Wrestled
with these same machine gun prob
excess OF those which sufficed to de-
stroy the French offensive.
On the morning OF april 18th, when
Nlvele's victorious troops should
have arrived at dawn under the walls
Of Laon, they were actually only a i
few hundred yards from their start
ing place, holding with difficulty the
second line Of the Germans All the
plan Tor later intensive exploitation
BY Duchesne's army pressing through
mont had crumbled into dust. Gains
had bean made, certainly not negliEi-
Dle1 yet given the glowing forecasts
Of the commanderinchief, Il is easy
q understand the extent OF the dis
iluslonment alike OF the government
and OF the French people. And pub
lie opinion held responsible for this
1islllusionment that commander who
aad produced It by the grandeur Of
his conception
As 10 the offensive itself. having
failed TO attain the expected rup-
-ure. NiVelle on the 18th. although
he subsequently, declared that he had .
stopped IL absolutely at noon,
directed Mangin and Alazei to shift
heir attack tc the northeast and so
on and IN accordance with the
original plan Anthoine's Sixth army
was launched against Moronvillers.
severe fighting continued over the =.
next four days. fighting which in
creased the casualties, already great,
md resulted only in small rectfica-
ions Of the line, the most considera-
bic OF which was the reduction Of
The Nailly salient and the elimina-
ion both OF the German brldgehead
Iouth OF the Aisne and the position
bout the dismantled fort OF Condo, z
he valley OF the Aisne east and vest Z
md enfilading fire.
Necessary TO Abandon Fight.
On April q Micheler informed
Yivelle that It was now necessary TO ,
live up the fight In this letter
Iicheler pointed out that there we're
only four divisions Of infantry avafla-
Die in the reserves OF the three
armies combined. TO deliver the at
ack which would achieve that pros
jective rupture which Nivele stin ex-
)ected- This letter is an interesting
document in view Of the later state ,
nenc OF NlVelle's champions that new
french armies were ready TO enter ?