Evening star., 1925-06-07
FRENCH FACE FORMIDABLE FOE
IN ABD-EL-KRIM'S RIFF FORCES
20 900 Native Rifsn,en Form Fighting Unit DeUoid
of Fear-Are Ably Generated and Veil
Trained-Are Financed by MOscO,U

the French lines, arm and direct the
mutinous tribe. cut off French detach-
nlents, surround and besiege French
outposts, harry French camps and
columns, and organize defenses against
an offensive return of the French.
Propaganda Effective.
OF course this method can scarcely
succeed, now that the French have
received reinforcements, but 1t sue
ceeded partially at first Propagan-
dizing is easy. for infiltration through
the French lines at night is not diff
cult, since the country is rough and
there is no continuous frost. If the
tribe thus worked upon, or any frac-
tion of it, refuses to accept Riffian
leadership, the Riffians watch their
chance, invade it by night burn its
villages, carry off it's f1ocks and it's
women. and so endeavor to convince
it's leaders. II it submits, the Riffians
arm it's warriors and lead them against
the French. Isolated French detach-
ments are surrounded and sniped at
from ambush. Blockhouses are
methodically beseiged. The beseigers
hide in trenches or other cover by day.
II cannon are available, they are turn
ed against the blockhouse. BY night
the beseigerS steal closer and call to
the French Moslem garrison to murder
their officers and come over to the
Riffians in the name of Islam, promis-
ing forgiveness and welcome.
They throw grenades, they dig saps
under the blockhouses, from which ul.
timately an incursion can be made or
mine exploded. In several cases
they. have employed the ruse of dis
hg themselves in French uni
foas, of showing a white flag in or
der to approach safely within striking
distance of the too credulous defend
ers. If the blockhouse is captured the
survivors are mutilated, whether be.
fore or after a massacre is not known,
and their bodies are burned.
Loot Sleeping Camps.
BY night, also, they close around the
open camps Of the French col
umns operating against them, and fire
into the clustered tents from the dark
ness, or steal upon sentries and kill
them. More than once after killing
a sentry they have stealthily entered
the camp itself and escaped with q
few rifles. Whenever a column moves
they hang upon its flank and rear,
harrying it with deadly rife fire, some
times from as close as 40 or so yards
If the column deploys and moves
against them. they retreat. leaving a
few skirmishers to oppose it, who
dodge from rock to rock, never firing
twice from the same place. If the
French continue to advance, they come
at last to skillfully prepared Riffian
trenches, shelters and rife pits, from
which dense rife and machine gun
fire is opened. Sometimes they can be
dislodged by artillery fire.
If the French column charges, the
trenches sometimes are defended to
the last man, who dies at the bayonet
point. Most often, however, after in
f1icting such losses as they can, the
Riffians disperse before the attack and
disappear with that surprising agility
which characterizes them, only to re-
new the combat little farther on.
Fight Best in Hills.
The Riffians army is at a disadvan-
tage in the plains, where the horizons
are broad and cover is sparse and the
French have the full effect of their
artillery, airplanes, armored cars,
tanks and machine guns. But in the
mountains, where the fighting now is
taking place, and where, if the French
should advance the ground becomes
more and more broken, the French
heavy armament is much less effec.
tive.
1t is, indeed, counterbaIanced bv
certain advantages enjoyed by the
Riffians. The latter are crack shots
and are not tied to cumbersome
camps and supply tanks. All their
men are actual combatants. They
know the ground and they know how
to utilize it,
The French officers and soldiers who
are actually in the field have learned
all these things from hard experience.
The more they learn of Riffian tactics,
the better they are able to meet these
tactics. They are confident in them
selves, confident of victory-but they
don't make the mistake of underesti-
mating their foe.
Copyright 1925. by Chicago Daily News Co