Show Hindenburg Kept on Jump w. w w. w w. w w. w w. w Rob T of Initiative Wo i i W. W W. W W. W s Quentin Fall m By C. C F. F Bertelli Staff Correspondent of of the International News Service ARTS July 25 The The apparent PARIS P stagnation which Judging from official bulletins seem to have descended upon the I tench 1 front since early in May has i io iio no existence in reality 2 Along Al ng more than a hundred miles ti T ei French 1 heavies havo have been thunderIng thunder- thunder I Ing lay day and Land Might In several sectors without cessation It Is t the e policy of the French Anglo command to keep HIndenburg on the tho Jump to too rob him of the Initiative for effective f operations p to pin his reserves to given points to wear down his ar armies armies armies ar- ar mies materially and morally by an ever ever cannonade 1 While the British have been hammering hammering hammering ham ham- mering at the enemy from Arras to the North sea Petain has been keeping keeping keep keep- ing hig him more than moderately busy fr from m St. St Quentin to Champagne The French rench line northward was recently e extended tended slightly so as to enable the French troops to work out the encirclement encirclement o clement of St. St Quentin north as well as south of the town and thus to leave entirely within their trust the capture of this important place X The fall faU of St. St Quentin is confidently expected for this summer and Halg Haig mountains of ot work In hand further further fur tur- ther lher north has conceded that It Is right ight and Just that the honor of reentering reentering re- re entering the town should fall tall to the French army the busiest busiest busiest busi busi- But at the time of ot writing est sector of the French front remains at t t Chemin des Dames the highly important imi important im- im i ridge which Nivelle won In his pring offensive Here a remorseless battle h has s been aged raged for tor six weeks which has figured In the official communications as keen artillery struggles The imperial kron prinz commands the Germans beaten in this region and while there is no reason to suppose suppose suppose sup sup- pose that dynastic reasons alone are responsible for the furious counter counterattacks counterattacks counterattacks attacks that have been delivered with the view of ot winning back the the Chemin des Dames it Is certain ertain that the Ho- Ho heir after his crushing failure failure failure fail fail- ure at Verdun last year Is anxious to retrieve his disaster this year for the I sake of his own military record But so far he has not Been able to dent the French position to any noteworthy noteworthy noteworthy note note- worthy extent and the upshot of ot a desperate give and take battle In which millions of shells have been expended expended expended ex ex- Is that Petain holds on his new newline newline I line which commands the German trenches on lower ground and forms an admirable Jumping off position for the next t big drive When the summer offensive will come or whether there be any big of offensive offensive offensive of- of at all on the front held by the tho French troops are secrets that remain locked in the minds of Petain and Haig But this much I am in a position position poss poss- tion to state that If it and when It does come Petain will hold all the trump cards in iris his hand Not again will t there ere be any quest question n of t an an offensive whose success is debatable as was th the case case with Nivelles Nivelle's drive April last Parliament and the people are de demanding demanding de- de manding that when the French army oves forward again It must be for a positive and complete and beyond be- be yond all suspicion of ot doubtful success as as s t to any anyone one of Its alms aims even minor It U Is no hackneyed compliment to the theman theman theman man man who happens to be on top to say sav that Pet Petain in has the tho complete conti- conti confidence dence f t the army and the tho nation lie lieIs lieis Is Just the man above all bt produced pro pro- produced produced by this war to see sea that nothing nothing noth noth- ing Ingis Is left to to t chance He it was that first insisted that troops arc are wasted It preparedness for tor an advance advance Is not ab absolutely absolutely absolutely ab- ab thorough Falling Failing a general sweep forward sledgehammer blows at selected points may be expected to continue along the lines initiated by Haig But Dut whatever whatever whatever what what- ever form the French offensive takes Its triumph has been enormously enhanced en enhanced enhanced en- en by the lightning speed with which Americas America's aid Is being brought I here Nobody imagines that the first American contingent of combatant I troops Is going N to to turn the scales I definitely and decide the Issue Issue- this summer Marvelous though the effect of this factor has been In stimulating the spirit of ot all entente armies on this front it is not that which has already proved and will Increasingly continue to prove of vast help to the French army It is the early American contribution contribution contri contri- to what is called the auxilIary auxiliary auxiliary iary services of ot a modern army Leaving aside the tho factor of the fifth arm the arm the aviation service which servIce which cannot cannot cannot can can- not d develop Into a formidable force for several months to come the French recognize the tremendous value to them of the cooperating of American engineers already on this side It Is no secret that the French have not supplied sufficient railroad for the feeding of ot their lines with the Countless countless Count count- less requirements of moderns armies Throughout the long months of the fu furious furious furious fu- fu rious Verdun battle their front was fed by one line only compared with fifteen fifteen fit fit- teen laid down by the Germans An endless chain of automobile trucks made good the French transport delivery delivery ery deficiency and with the absence of ot railroads no nation could havo extricated ex extricated extricated ex- ex itself better from the difficulties difficulties difficulties of transport than did the tho French In great crisis But it was only a 0 successful expedient and It has become recognized that the preponderating preponderating bulk of supplies must be taken right up to the lines by railroads which are more dependable i quicker cheaper and altogether more efficient I than automobile tracks for military I transport work The British have achieved wonders backof of their front in this direction and very soon with American aid the French will not be far tal behind What an enormous factor this Is in present day military operations willbe will willbe willbe be realized if It emphasis be laid on the recent statements of ot Robertson British Brit Brit- ish chief of ot staff that modern warfare is 75 5 per cent industrial and only 25 per cent military Another fact that is not generally realized is that the seventy-five seventy caliber caliber caliber cali cali- ber guns are of little use against the trenches and that even the five five- I Inch gun is s little better than a 0 peashooter ag against the underground Germany The heavier the artillery has become the deeper has the German army sunk until now nothing smaller than a caliber say inch eight-inch weapon can trouble It and the French are getting the best results with about 9 inches and inch eleven-inch guns Of course the 76 75 and are not obsolete On the contrary the former quick quick- will come into their own own again as soon as the weight of the allies' allies heavies finally defeat the Germans' Germans land and drives their army into the open There is no question of discarding discarding dis dis- carding the finest field pieces In this war But the allies' allies officers are not concealing from the Americans the fact tact that guns of ot a caliber not less than eight inches are what is needed so long Qs as trench warfare continues |