The Auckland Star: WITH WHICH ARE INCORPORATED The Evening News, Morning News and The Echo. FRIDAY OCTOBER 30, 1914. FORTRESSES AND GUNS.

Auckland Star, Volume XLV, Issue 259, 30 October 1914, Page 4

The Auckland Star: WITH WHICH ARE INCORPORATED The Evening News, Morning News and The Echo.

FRIDAY OCTOBER 30, 1914. FORTRESSES AND GUNS.

For the cause that lacks ottistanot, For the wrong that need* reiMWM*, for the future in the dUtatce. AjM i/mj aooA that we ow> to.

There are rumours just now of a German movement in Alsace in the direction of Belfort, and preparations are being made on the French side to meet any sudden attack at this extremity of the ■Allies' line. It must be remembered. tha,t Belfort is the southernmost of the great strongholds by which 'Fr-ance'e eastern frontier is defended against themenace of invasion. Xorth of Belfort the fortified positions of Spinal, Toul, and Verdun follow in order, with defensive outwork* 'prolonged between them, so as. to cover practically tine whole French border line from. Switzerland to Luxembourg, Between the Belgian, frontier and Verdun there is a"gap" of 20" miles, and between Toul and Epiaal thereie another "gap" of 30 miles, open spacee deliberately left unfortified toallow the French armies, if. necessary, to operate between the forts.. But with these exceptions it can be said that.the. whole eastern frontier of France is strongly fortified against attack, and that 'before this -war broke out it was regarded' as practically impregnable. At ail events, rather than risk the delay inseparable from an advance tiirough country obstructed by carefuDy designed, fortifications, the Germans decided to take all the risks involved in the violation of Belgium's neutrality. There were signs, however, that if it had been practicable the German* would have made an effective demonstration against the frontier forts as wpII. The proliminary operations in Southern Alsace were evidently due to *■ -German '"reconnaissance" in. strong force to discover if the line of defences could in any way be

"turned" at the southern end. For the moment it was expected that the Germans would ignore the neutrality of Switzerland, and by marching an army through. Swiss territory to the south- of. Beliort, would outflank the (Allies. Happily in Switzerland every man is a. trained soldier, and the extremely rapid mobilisation of the Swiss army rendered such an operation impossible. But now that the- direct advance Upon Paris from the Belgian frontier has failed, it is quite probable that the Germans are inclined to make a tentative movement against tie-eastern bord£r. .again.

Assuming always that the Germans can provide the men, and that their stridors, are still unbroken, in spirit by tho terrible., they •_.. bare sustained, there is nothing incredible about a renewal of the invasion through Alsace and Lorraine. For the experience of the last three months has taught military experts one important lesson that the Germans are not likely to overtook—the comparative uselessneis of even the- strongest and best designed fortifications against heavy siege artillery. The collapse of such great fortresses as Liege, Xamur, Maubeuge, and Antwerp, after a few days' or hours' bombardment, indicates that attack has definitely got the better of defence so far as land fortifications aje concerned. All the theories of Briajmonl, ithe- greatest of modern military engineers and the school that he founded, must now be cast aside in view of the enormous devastation caused by the great siege guns which Kxupp has supplied to the" German, armies:

The rapid fall of the great Belgian fortresses gives Brialtnont's career an almost pathetic interest just now. He was a; Belgian - , the son of an officer who fought in >Ta.po!eon's wars, and he devoted the whole of his long life to the task, of devising a. system, of fortification that would withstand the assaults of any known type of artillery. In 1855 he was authorised by thef Bel l gian Government to tour Europe for the purpose of investigating all the greatest fortified strongholds, and on his return in. IS6O he was employed for seven years in reconstructing the defences of Antwerp. Twenty-Sve yeare later, when it became clear that France might at any time be exposed to an attack from Germany, delivered through Luxemburg and Belgium, the Bfclgian Government decided to fortify Liege and Xainur in the same The work wae caxjied out on the linw that Brialniont had followed first at Antwerp and then on the great Roumanian stronghold of Bucharest, where the forts are practically buried in the earth. "The typical fort of Brialmont's design," we are told, "is a low mound surrounded by a deep ditch, the top of the mound hardly showing above its margin. The mound is. cased in concrete and maeonry, androofed with concrete covered with earth and green cods. ' This top is broken by circular pits, in which, working like, pistons, the cupolas or gun-turrets slide up and down with just enough movement to bring the gun muzzles... above the level of the. ground" in' the . firing position." Internally, the ground is hollowed out like a huge mole-hill into subterranean cells and galleries, where the small body of defenders have their quarters, and work the ammunition hoists and other machinery. "The-fort is like a low freeboard turret ship,.no± afloat on the sea, but fixed; in the ground. Except that it is thus anchored to one spot and cannot sink, it is fought much as the barbettee of a battleship are fought in action." This description, o; course, gives no idea of the colossal-size and thickness of. the masses of ' concrete and *teel filed up

at Liege' and Xamur, and the alnwet"iaacces6ible character of the outlying- defences. But the ' skill and ingenuity oi the defenders were lavished on them. in. vain, for they simply crumbled away, beneath, the terrific impact of the] huge German, shells. To do Brialinont justice, it must be remembered thi-t he had no experience' of guns, throwing projectiles weighing a- ton. Also, he always insisted on. the necessity for defending detached forts by a- "safety-circle" of outworks that would prevent the enemy from "rushing" the barriers; and the Liege was due to the failure oi; the Belgians to- take this precaution in time. Further, he - always insisted that the great line of- fortifications on the 'Meuse was intended.''merely to delay the operations of an invader violating the ■neutrality 6t Belgium:'" S6-. far as this purpose -went, Liege did its work nobly; for the world at large does not teem yet to- have realised how muck France andEngland owe to the- Belgians for their gallant resistance during the first week, of the war. But the fact remains that the defence works at Liege and Namur, designed by the greatest military engineer of the age, were ground to powder by the German artillery, and it seems a reasonable inference that Verdun and Taul or, Belfort might . experience a similar fate if: the Germans were able to attack- them in the same way.