Show i GERMANS BUILD i STRONG LINES BEHIND FRONT I Elaborate System at All Parts Is Related to Whole hole New ew York Oct 20 By O.-By By the Asso- Asso Press Events Events of at the past pest three months Involving the ebb of oC the German German Ger Ger- man n tide of ot Invasion in France and Belgium haxo havo emphasized the importance Importance importance tance of or the tho German defensive systems systems terns which have o been prepared by the foe for tor just tho the emergency which now confronts them The German defensive e lines resemble resemble ble blo a tree with three main m branches The Thc trunk of or this tree has its root at atthe atthe atthe the Swiss frontier and continues north as far tar as ns Metz where it divides into two branches Tho The westerly branch runs to the northwest as far as the Meuse river where here It separates one limb crossing the Meuse Ieuse and running westward after which it sweeps to the north on a long curve The Tha other follows follows fol fol- fol lows the Meuse down as far tar as ns Namur Namur Namur Na- Na mur whence it runs puns to Brussels and Antwerp and thence to the Dutch fron Iron tier The branch that crosses the Meu e U is Continued on Pa Page o 5 I I I I GERMANS BUILD NEW BULWARKS Of DEfENSE I Continued From Pas Page 1 1 tho first that must bo be broken by the tIle allies In Ill fact tact recent British and Belgian Bel Bet I gian victories In Belgian Flanders seem to have rendered tendered a a. largo large part of oC this ne i line untenable ris as a permanent defensive sive ste position This line crosses crosses the Mouse t Ie e at Dun goes through tho the Ar onno forest and anU I Ithen then follows the Aisne river as far tar as where It turns north nn and passes near Guise and Solesmes It continues northward past Valenciennes and reaches the tho at al Conde It runs run along tho the pst past and Ghent where It turns to the eastward and anil reaches Antwerp This Tills Is the Hunding line stroll Line on The Tue second line known as tile the th line of or the Meuse Ieuse Is established on the east st bank of oC the tile Meuse river northward north north- ward vard from Dun Duet It passes Se Sedan an and nd and arid enters Belgium just to the southwest of oC Dinant At t Namur it and to Brussels leaves lea the tho river ll runs continuing on to Antwerp where thero it Joins tho the lino line and continues on to the Dutch border The Tho third line la Is the original orle-inal defense zone along llone- tho thio German frontier South of oC Mets It Is centered around the tile thir thuir- seven ty-seven perman permanent nt forts about Strassburg Strass- Strass burg It runs over tho high and precipitous precipitous pre pre- hills on tho the mountains and is several miles deep At Metz the Germans have constructed construct construct- ed twenty eight great grent forts which arc aro so EO located as a- ato to command all approaches approaches ap ap- ap- ap an and at the tho some time capable of or concentrating their fire on ott any nn one fort which happens to be entered by bythe bytho bytho tho the allies rOn Iron r n PI IN l Vital Northwest of or Mets Iet Is la the great Iron Ironfield Ironfield field of oC Bricy The Importance of or this iron deposit depo lt has compelled com polled the tile Germans to convert the whole countr country Into a veritable fortress This lino runs along tho the boundary between Franco France and Germany German Germany Ger Ger- man many bending to tile the northeast until it reaches tho the Luxemburg Luxemburg- line If H this bolt bell should be pierced tho the Germans ma may fall fail back to tho the and Kalser lautern regions which arc are In Interspersed Interspersed interspersed In- In b by rivers and high wooded hills which lend themselves admirably admirably admira admira- bl bly to defensive e operations East of Luxemburg It Is said the tue Germans have devoted dc a great t deal of ot time and ancl labor to the tho construction of or permanent fortifications rue Tho country along the Belgian frontier Iron fron ron ron- tier lier between Luxemburg and Holland is IR dominated by Coblenz which Marshal Mar Mar- sinaI Foch Foeh considers the tho key oy oy to Ger Ocr many In this area Is Bonn Donn a fortress of or the tho first class Cologne which is protected by b a broad belt of or entrenchments entrenchments entrench entrench- ments and a series s of ot strongholds running running run run- ning fling along alone the western side ot of tho tile Rhino until that li er iver passes Into HolI Hol HoI I land an 1 Should the three lines mentioned be bo boI I broken or if iC the allies should breakthrough break through between en Metz and the tho Swiss frontier the Germans would be cumI cum corn I polled to fall back into Germany German proper prop prop- er or to the south to cross the Rhine j This historic river liver Is la really the tho western western west vest ern moat of the tIle Teutonic castle Shorter r Ihie line of ot Value Its whole eastern bank banic is strongly llone fortified and would be he capable or a n protracted defense This line hue of ot re reI resistance resistance re- re I begins at Lahr and runs down the Rhine through Ortenburg Offenburg Ra tatt Karlsruhe Mannheim Darmstadt Wiesbaden Wiesbaden Wies VIes I ba baden en Bendorf Kalk lalk and Wesel In tI lr retirement from their present present pres pros ent eat positions the Germans will be Le able ablo to shorten their lines materially and thus Increase the number of oC men available avail avail- a able ablo lo for resistance along their new fronts The Hunding ing- ing line tine Is about seventy shorter than the burg system tem The Tho line of ot tho would shorten tho the front by twenty miles more while the Germans if It they thie the I should retire to their own frontier would be able to still shorten their miles front by b thirty five tho This shortening of ot the tho line will bo ho boot hoof of ot tremendous importance in future operations operations operations op op- op- op by b the the allies It would make makeup mal G Gup up to a largo large degree for the heavy losses i inflicted upon the lie Germans dueing dur due during ing the campaign of ot the past summer Hummer and ancl give them manpower that would I be a n formidable barrier to an allied advance adva tic C. C The Mouse Meuse euse the Abuse Alane and the tile ScheIdt rivers and the canals in Belgium Dole InI Inthe in inthe the vicinity of or Brussels and Antwerp I will also be valuable adjuncts to the conduct of or defensive b by the I Germans With tho development c of or orI tho the tank a as an nn offensive orten weapon n a I river as a first defense line Une adds tremendously tre tre- to the strength of ot a 1051 I t tion I 0 U. U |