SECRET SESSIONS OF THE WAR

Dominion, Volume 13, Issue 71, 17 December 1919, Page 7

SECRET SESSIONS OF THE WAR

REVELATIONS IN CHAMBER OF DEPUTIES BRIAND AND JOFFRE . Paris, October 24. Tho "Journal Officio!," in accordance wjlli the demand of I lie Chamber last week, begins the publication 10-day of Ihe complete official text of the siiorlhand nol.es taken during the sittings of llie various secret sessions of the Chamber of Deputies which look place during Ihe war. To-day's instalment, which fills .17 pages of the "Journal Official," gives Iho report of the sitting on June ill, lOtil, which was devoted to tho discussion of the battle of Verdun. The debate opened with an important speech by Jf. Maginot. the report of which reveals for the first time statistics of tho .French losses in tho conflict down to March 31, 191G, when Prance had been at war twenty-one months. Tho figures cited by Maginot: were quoted from confidential official records, and were as follows: , Dead. Wounded. Missing. Officers ... 16,961 28,H0 5,467 Men 597,915 973,555 392,G5J To these., must be added the losses of the Salonika army; , . ' Dead. •-Wounded.. Missing. Officers ... 339 514 70 Men 11,145 1 6,053 5,909 or a total of 2,048,992. cl whom 625,323 were returned as killed. To thin number of killed should be added, according to the official computation, one-third of tho men returned as mis,sing, bringing Ihe grand total of killed to close on 760,000. ' ' jr. Maginot .stated, further, that in the Note addressed to the French Jlilitary Attache in London on April 5, 1016, Joti're estimated the losses of tho French Armv to that date at two million men, of whenr between 700,000 and 800,000 wcro killed. Maginot contrasted these tigures with what he alleged to bo thoso of the German losses, which he suggested had not exceeded 900,000 on the wliolo of the enemy's fronts-put.together. Tho Defonce of Verdun. Dealing with the defence of Verdun, J[. Jtaginot read.a-copy of a-letter troiu General Gallieni, tho then War Jlinis-. ter, sent to General Jotfre, then Com-mander-in-Chief, on December 16, 1915, cailing his attention to certain parts ot the front where-defences were in his opinion inadequate, notably in Mourtho and in tho neighbourhood of Toul and Verdun. tn his reply, General Joftro expressed tho opinion that there was no ground for such . criticisms, , and complained of politicians and others who tcok up such a question direct with the Government in Paris instead of communicating through tho proper channel ot the General Staff. . . Jf. Briand, then Premier, m his reply to a veritable indictment drawn up by M. Jlaginot against thoso responsible for the conduct ol; the war, stated that the existence of letters which had passed between General Gallieni and General J°ni' e was unknown to him. The Premier sub-, seouently cited u letter from General Gallieni to General Jofire, dated December 22 1915, a week after the communication' just referred to, in which' tho War Minister said: "The Government, has full confidence in you. It has recently given you striking proof of this by realising in your person the -unity of command of 'tlio French armies on al fronts. Its desiro to bo kept informed on iiio situation of our armies from overv point of view cannot be consider-, ed as a manifestation of distrust in you." To Abandon Verdun, M. Margaine, who followed,- justified the part played at the French G.11.Q. of those officers who were known as the "Young Turks who masked and surrounded tho Commander-in-Chief," and who "ever since Charleroi con-.-tantly made the army fall back;' The speaker revealed to the Chamber tne text of an order issued from the French (! H.Q on September 2 1914. immediately IH'orc' the Battle of the Mar.ne, which ordered tho army to fail back to the south of the Seine and abandon Verdun. The text of this order was as follows:— (a) Withdraw armies from pressure ol enemy and cause I hem to'fortify positions in the /.one where they will establish themselves for rest. (b) Establish the whole of our forces on a general line, marked by Ponl-sur-Yonne, Nogonl-sur-Seine, Arois-snr-Aiibe. Brieimo-le-Chal.cau, Joinvillc, where they /will recuperate their losses by drafts from tho depots. (c) Reinforce the right army with two corps .drawn from Nancy army at Epinal. . td) Al this moment paw to offensive along tho whole front. The armies are in line Cover our lct'f wing with all cavalry'available. Ask JSriiisli Army to participate in manoeuvre. First by holding the Seine from Meluu lo and simultaneously the. garrison of Paris will act' in the direction ol Meaux. ...

A second order is given to the garrison of Verdun to take back i.lie troops which had been borrowed lrom ii and fall luielf on Joinville.

Crown Prince's Order, M. Uenazel, wlui spoke stdiseiiueiilly. called lor disciplinary measure-; against the oliicer.s who had failed In organise adequately 1 lie lieh-ncc- ot \er.lun. lie asserted that General llerr had asked vainly day alter day from January Hi onwards for additional means to i:',eet the Herman attack, the imminence of which lie foresaw by reason of tliclact Unit lie hail secured on February l.i the le.\t of til" Cruv. ii I'rincr's order iinnoinieing I lie coir/n;; ul'i'ctisive against the luilri"s.'-"li,iilv Mail" *« i{ -

For lliree years bees have made a h'Ve in tlin porch ruof ot I'litwiek (Beds) Parish Church.