El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1920-12-17


II Is suggested that readers clip these
articles each day and paste them On scrap
Z books; they viii not be reprinted and back
numbers cannot be supplied.
| NOTWITHSTANDING contemptuous
Y attitude Of most Of our officers
and men towards the French (ssNo
wonder the war lasted four years
they are always saying, much of
what we have here is inherited from
the French and it is surprisingly com
/ plete. Our artillery and planes are
I French material and largely manned
I by French Most Of the supply rail
4 roads in the forward areas are French
with the exception of the standard
] gage extensions. The roads are French
and their highways are superb. The
I defensive lines and accessories are
/ French We have contributed huge
( forces in men and quantities Of ma
! terial Of many kinds, vet we have
I only French ammunition for our ar
I tillery.
( Preparation for The general often
( sive here would have been 4 different
I thing If it had had 10 be done all from
I the raw; it has been a matter Of i'm
I proving and adding, rather than ere
/ atlng. The French ways are not Our
ways, but it is foolish TO condemn in
7 the gross. tt Is something 70 have
merely held on Tor four years. As late
as last June the French were holding
three-Quarters Of the entire battle line
from Switzerland to the North sea. and
they still hold nearly 60 percent Of
the line, the remainder being held by
British, American. and Belgian troops.
Q September l9lS-Iuteresting man
ner in which the French have devised
railway carriage for heavy guns, ar
ranged to run equally well on narrow
gage or standard gage tracks BY eleyat-
ing or lowering one set Of tracks and
wheels.
French csmouflage material still
coming in by the acre and the carload,
By the yard. roll. sheet, and bale;
thrown over everything ike tarpaulin;
M le Of chicken wire ingeniouslv
t'Sined with pine needles, leaves, twigs,
E raw, flowers, burlap, etc; Americans
s ;orn to use such things and constant
y expose themselves unnecessarily in
the open in spite Of all rules and the
warnings of Our own airmen.
Whatever else may be said about the
French in the war, It is certain that
in these latest stages they had de-
velOped wonderfully the art of taking
care Of Themselves trait that has its
drawbacks in fighting a war 20 an
end. Pretty general conviction among
our people that the French had lost
the power of the offensive; net to be
wondered at either Their resources
were not ineXlaustibie, as ours are
supposed 20 be.
Exceedingly heavy bombardment last
night and this morning. Shells Of ev-
cry caliber. and gas, but none within
a couple OF miles Of us at this point.
Heavier guns than any heretofore
noticed are in action now.
Constant roar of traffic al night
both ways, starting as soon as night
falls, roads all cleared by dawn
10 September l9lS-Quiet day. much
traffic on roads; rain and mud, cold
wind Last preparations; several hun
dred tanks arrive and move TO the
front. The freedom of daylight traffic
indicates early action. but the storm
prevents air observation anyhow.
In afternoon 90 forward and visit
outlying units. Everywhere signal
corps men are stringing telephone wires
to the advance command posts and
completing the artillery net" OF com
municatng system between the bat
teries and the advance commands. z
Many Of these lines are strung in dup
hcate by different routes, in some .
cases as many as 20 lines are run 4
parallel on same short poles across open
fields and through woods and in con-
duIts under roads; little attempt now /
to conceal any Of this last-minute 1
work, object is to get it in place and 1
H1la.a' rs -H.
there VIII be other ways around OF the
signal men will replace them. A busy .
scene all along I'm rear of the front line
positions. We do not vet know the F.
precise dav OF hour of the projected
attack but feel that it is near.
IL September l9lS-Rainv morning.
Heavy continuous bombardment last /
night on both sides, locator shots, wire
smashing and trying each other out.
Our division in the offensive viii Oc-
supy the right flank, at the pivot of
the movement, and the 9TH and ID
divisions win adioin us on the left.
In front Of the Goth division Is the
Bots le Pretre, reputed among the
French troops TO be one Of the worst
places on the entire line across France;
French say they have lost 100000 men
IN this area irving TO take that forest
away from the Germans; il is i'm
Dortaut to the Germans defending
Metz and the lines Of communication
IN this section All this part Of the
inc has been held by the Germans for
four years practically unchanged and
hey have powerfully fortified It all
along and TO great depth.
] spend afternoon and evening study
ng the operations field orders and
heir various aunexes making quite a
stable book. Am struck especially by
The terse and forceful language Of
Paragraph Pts finality, thus:
General object Of the offensive; our
'irst army VIII cut off the Saint Mihiel
Salient" The entire order Is a model
If construction after the best standard
Military practice and Is refreshing and
inspiring 70 read. The entire opera !
ION viii be under Pershing's direct per
.onal command.
The H-hour OF hour Of taking effect
# the order is out giving at P. m. this I
light and ] hear it at 9:45. The at
ack Is TO begin all along the line at
a. IA. tomorrow with four hours Of ar
illery preparation and the iump-off at
a. m. for this division
II is hoped and expected TO take the
Germans by surprise. 1t is a fearful
right. torrents Of rain, deep mud and
.lOp everywhere. The roads are full Of
moving objects. uncOuth black shapes
roing by endlessly vet one hears
.carcelv a sound. Ny place is here,
i've miles from the German lines, but
HnH n