Show e eQ HOv Q T AMERICAN u RICA 0 TROOPS j I FOUGHT OFF HUNS S r IX rN TRE TRENCHES IN FRANCE CE The The American troops used what Is sometimes known as the tit new y French r s system stem of defense t 1 and null sometimes ns as the new German Ger man mUD system At the beginning i J the war ar the fro front nt trenches were held very ery thick especially espe espe- by the British Later the Idea was to have only a n handful hand hand- ful rUI of or men In the first line one man to a hundred feet teet perhaps for tor the the second second line Hn there were m many n more men and man many more machine guns for tor the third line linemen f men were vere much more heavily hea massed and ond reserves kept available available avail all able Lucian Swift Kirtland lI writes In This theory of ot defense against raids was based hosed on the fact that the enemy can concentrate hi his itts men In his front lines lines' for a sudden sudden sud den over oer the top top then then lay down n a hen heavy y barrage When the attacking troops come come over o I they strike the first line with their maximum Impact They are likely to overwhelm any ordinary ordinary or or- i defense and ond thus It Is a waste of men to tr try to to def defend nd the first line obstinately But the human b bod body gets tired and when the m machine guns and rifles of the second line have e lied had their Innings at the attackers attack ers the enem enemy Is beginning to slow up from natural ex ex- On a counter attack then the third line being fresh reh t meets the enem enemy tired from exertion ex ex- I and proceeds ds to drive him out t Thus as ns we waded through the mud sometimes well over o our knees as we visited some of or the half demolished demolished lines JInes which the Germans had tried to flatten fiat flat t ten n with their artillery In their 1 last raid we did not find much society but the snipers sniper c whom we did find at their posts seemed seems seem seem- s ed to have been born to the thes s Job They were men who knew i their rifles and It was a It statement state state- stater r ment meat of fact and not boasting wh when n the they declared that the they had the German sharpshooters I. I buffaloed 11 We Ye a carne came upon one lanky cowpuncher ex-cowpuncher who had been having a hour four duel with a bush as he called him He didn't know I was taking his picture but Just as the camera clicked so also did the hammer of ot his gun This time Mr German German Ger Ger- man had taken one too many chances The fact was proved through the periscope w |