El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1921-01-08


It Is suggested that readers clip these
! articles each day and paste them 90 scrap
I books; they VIII not be reprinted and back
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I IT IS foggy, damp and chilly the 25th
] 1 Of October. At 10 a. m heavy she'll
ing of Verdun resumed by enemy.
I whose artillery and airmen are con-
[ stautly busy in front of US and to our
I right. Our triaga now passing the cas-
uaities Of three divisions. Casualties
I OF 40 to 90 percent reported in various
actions by certain assaulting units At
I noon one Of our field hospitals is
! shelled, several tents destroyed, and
more than % Of the hospital Personnel
killed and wounded.
Last night was comparatively quiet,
very little firing OF air bombing until
or this morning But the night
was one Of the darkest I ever saw.
/ Men coilided in the street, and walked
with hands Outstretched as If blind.
Walking cautiously I nevertheless
bumped into a truck standing BIZ the
road-invisibie. A night like this is un-
believable TO one who has not been in
it; such total darkness Is not possible
in any settled region, where there Is
always a certain slight atmospheric
glimmer OF reflection. but here It is like
being shut up in a box Added TO the
facts that the sky is entirely overcast
and that all lights Of whatsoever kind
are prohibited, there is the dense fog
which blankets everything close to
earth. 1t is so dark a man can't find
his ewes TO rub them and try If he is
awake.
Today a motorized machine gun out
fit from another division showed up
with remarkable compact all-steel
buses. forecasting the mobile troops
of future wars. There is one thing
about the infantry, however: they don't
depend on gasoline. IN future wars
every infantrymaE ought to be pro-
rided with a valet ike the old knights
squire TO carry his 200-pOmd pack, feed
him, do his digging for him, carry his
souvenirs and love letters, brush and
mend his clothes, pick him, rub his feet,
and represent him at early formations
1t is only fair, considering what an
infantrFman is expected to do in his
leisure time.
p October I9ls-Never before in this
var OF any other has such a mass Of
men and material been concentrated
behind a given length of battle line as
this concentration Of Americans on
narrow front for drive down the Aeuse
TO cut the enemF's main lines Of COM
munieation. The term Organizing in
depth which has become common IN
this war takes on new significance
now, all the more remarkable because
it is a "War Of movement" on this part
Of the front and not merely a matter
Of establishing successive lines Of de-
fence.
Without trying to be at an technical
I shall try to give an idea Of how the
work IS being done. The divisions en-
gagged are crowded together on ex-
tremely narrow fronts side by side but
extend back q long way with an their
supports, reserves, supply system, ar
tillery, and attached air units Our
division Just now is holding about two
miles Of the front line, and four OF
i've platoons hold the outposts, each
Of the two or three battalions on the
actual front having some Of its COM
panies IN reserve in q sense, and SINH
larry each front line company having
some OF It's strength in reserve, in a
sense; but the division extends back
a kilOmeters (near 81 niles by road
OF Al kilometers t25 niles IN a bee
line.
Adjacent divisions are similarly dis
posed though Of course in support and
reserve positions and in all rear eche-
Ions several divisions iHtermingIe and
overlap, each station has parts of sew
eral divisions, and an entire army corps
uses one main road.
To rr7rHr r-n 9 Ia form nH i'm fr-rr nT7Hrn
diagram roughly Ike the edges Of a
lot Of roofing states or shingles stand
ing on the short end, the tops incliuing
about 90 degrees to the left Of verti-
cal. all parallel to the Meuse river. All
great roads and bridges are axial, lon
gitudinai with the formation, while the
secondary drainage Of the country is
at right angles 70 the axis, forming
infinite succession Of natural defensive
positions for the enemy, at the woods,
brooks, valleys, and transverse roads.
Divisions in front line positions have
others in rear similarly disposed in
CORPS reserve, and army reserves and
even A. u. T. reserves are still further
back. The mighty wall 60 miles thick
is backed by other troops in rest areas
and replacement camps extending back
NAN AH ANU AaAAaN mum NaAa AAAaar anu
back Of them all the troops in France,
and back Of them all the troops in the
United States, and back Of them an the
man-pOwer Of America not yet mobi-
lied.
The battle began September % on an
is mile front. il is stated that 100000
men are concentrated for the push,
including besides about q combat d.
visions, hundreds Of thousands Of corps
troops, army troops, and A. i. F. troops
and auXiliaries engaged in the infinite
ly complex organization, al directed at
driving ahead on that short front line
which Is as vet only about p miles
n spite Of the Engineering Of our right
flank turning It virtually into a front.
S0me~2 $500 guns are hammering at the
Germans.
The grand tactics is that Of creating
artificial flanks by breaking into the
enemy line at first one point, then an-
other, forcing the euemy's steady with
drawaL There Is always a swift jump
off, then slower progress as enemy con-
eentrates his resistance. The troops
win keep going as long as they can be
kept supplied. Taking that for granted,
the big problem is one Of supply to
the forward echelons Compare an this
with the problem which the Germans
had on their enormously extended front