CAMPAIGN IN FRANCE

Star (Christchurch), Issue 11360, 12 April 1915, Page 8

CAMPAIGN IN FRANCE

FIVE HUNDRED MILE BATTLE. A REMARKABLE SURVEY. AUTHORISED ACCOUNT BY BRITISH OBSERVER. A British "Observer" with tho French forces has the permission of General JoftVe to tend communications homo from time to time which will be of interest to the British reader. Following is a survey prepared at the end of February :

Tho Allied armies have been stationary on tho western front for so long that their line, as given in tho maps issued by tho newspapers, is drawn with considerable accuracy. We know that the western front is something over 500 miles in length. From the right of the British lino, not far from La Bassec, the remaining 450 milos aro held by the French troops alone. In that part which extends—from La Bassee, past Noyon, Soissons, Rheims, Verdun and St Mihiel, to the Moselle at Pont-a-Mousson—for 270 miles the trenches are, practically speaking, continuous. STRONGHOLD BEHIND STRONGHOLD. At very few points arc the lines more than 300 yards from each other: the closeness of tho combatants in most of the trenches is shown by tho large use of hand-grenades, which cannot be thrown more than forty or fifty yards. One is npt to think that these trenches are really a line which is broken once the trench is captured. In reality the trench which one sees is only the front face of a work resembling a small fort, a regular nest of bomb-proof shelters, machine-gun emplacements and deep communicating trenches; it is this system of forts with the trenches connecting them which is known as the enemy's front line of defence. Tins line is succeeded by others of similar construction, although possibly less highly developed.

AIMS OF ISOLATED ATTACKS. During the last two months our Allies have made a number of attacks at different points in this first line of defence. But these attacks have not been of the same nature as those that the Germans made in November in their endeavour to capture Ypres. In that case it was the- concentration of a largo number of army corps whose force was hurled against the Allied forces, with the intention of pushing through by sheer weight of numbers. Thes? are email local attacks, launched with a view to seizing some particular piece of front trench, and of holding it and fortifying it against the enemy's counter-attacks.

The piece of trench attacked may be chosen because the fire from it is particularly annoying to our own line, because its capture will make it difficult for the enemy to hold on to some other bit, or merely because it is the easiest to a.ssault. But the advantage gained by taking a trench is that you make the enemy come out of their trenches and fight to get it back. KEEPING THE FOE ON THE MOVE.

Nothing would suit them better than to be able to sit quiot in then* trenches, while they collect all the reserves they can for use in some other part of the line; and this is just what they must be prevented from doing. And—to their credit be it said—they have never failed to put in oounter-attacks. sometimes for several

days in succession, to regain lost trenches. Sometimes our Allies have in the end been forced back to their original line, occasionally even behind it: but this does not lessen the satisfaction of having given the enemy a good shaking, up, brought them out into the open and inflicted heavy losses. ACTIVITY IN THE CENTRE SECTOR.

Tho districts where these small attacks have been most frequent are' those north of Arras, between the Somme and the Oise, along the Aisne. and between Rheims and Yerdtui. In the course of three weeks between December 20 and January 10, fifteen separate attacks were made against different portions of trench in the las>tuamed urea; of these ten were successful, in that the atts-cung troops managed not only to tnke the trenches, but also to bold them against counterattacks and turn them into a part of their own first line.

In the Argonne Forest, north-west of Verdun, the lighting has also been very severe; here it has heeu the Germans who have generally taken the offensive, perhaps owing to the fact that iu this broken and heavily wooded district they are less liable to suffer from tho French artillery tire. ALSACE-LORK AINE LINE. Turning now to the rcrnainder of the. line from the Moselle at Pont-a-Mousson to the Franco-Swiss frontier, this may be conveniently divided into three parts. These are : From the Moselle at Pont-a-Mousson to the Marne-Ivhino Canal, north of Luneville. In this the French hold a series of works known as the "' Couronne de Nancy.'" with advanced posts roughly along what are really the outer defences of Metz. Beyond artillery due-Is and small infantry reconnais.sanc.es. not much takes place. ; From the Mnnie-Rhine Canal to a! point east of St Die. where .the ' French frontier reaches the cre-st of j the Yosges. Tt was some j miles west oi tin's line that file battle) of La. Mo.rtagno took place in October, j The (Germans were- Ix'-atou and wen'! driven over the Meurthe and across i

' tho frontier, breaking tho bridges and also treating tho inhabitants of the frontier district* very badly in their retirement. The line now held by tho French is some ton miles this side of the frontier. The inhabitant in tho intervening space have been evacuated, and all supplies taken. Tho district is therefore practically deserted; and oxept for reconnaissances and other cavalry work the linos of the opposing troops are nob inclose eontact. From tho frontier on tho crest ot tho Vosgcs to the Swiss frontier. In • this last" faction the contact with th" | nicinv onco moro becomes close. The i line held is beyond tho frontier. Tho | French troops hold the heads of tho ' valleys naming down between the wooded spins of tho Vosgcs Mountains, the Germans having been gradually 'pushed back till they now hold the lower fcpurs only; at some points, such as round about Cernay (Sonnholiu) and to the south of it, the French hold the lower spurs, tho enemy occupying villages and othor. tactical points in the plain. A question which is in the minds I of most people, whether they put U ' into words or not, is, " What advantages have tho French army gamed during tho last few months?" Since the repulse of the Germans by tho Allied forces in Flanders, no_ battle of great importance has been fought. If the gain in the smaller engagements that have taken place is only; to be measured by the amount of ground won. the results arc indeed; small. A few hundred yards north of Arras, a village or two between Arras and the corner of tho line nearest to Paris, a belt varying from a milo and a half to two hundred yards in breadth, to tho east of Rheims and a, few miles of what waa German territory in Alsace. Those acres are all that; have been regained, and the enemy's hold oa ! Belgium and tho north-eastern corner of France remains as strong as ever. Yet the success of the French army though not apparent, is very re ,; vl, and its work deserves the gratitude and admiration of the Allied Powers in th* ! highest degree. i HOLDING THE ENEMY'S STRENGTH.

To appreciate this, one must, tf'ka a. broad view of the situation. Quo must remember that- the battle now being fought in Europe is one only; that the fighting in Poland, in Galicia, in Serbia, in Franco, is all part of the same battle; that to beat the German powers we shall need more serves than we have available at present; and that, until these reserves can make their weight felt, the duty of the Allied armies is to prevent; the enemy from bringing about a decision favourable to himself. | It is in her full conception of this ( duty and in the vigour which she has put into its execution that Franco and her .army have deserved our admiration. By hor operations during the last two months, she has kept the euemy fully occupied in holding his ground, prevented him from weakening his army on this side in order to deal a decisive blow elsewhere, and maintained' his rate of casualties by forcing him to fight, sometimes for days together, under circumstances i which were not to his advantage. That is her first achievement. IMPROVED WARFARE. Her second is that during these .months her army ha» steadily improved both in personnel and materiel. It is generally held that long periods of trench work have a deleterious effect on infantry, that they lose their activity, their elan., and require a little j time for getting this back if they aje | to bo used for offensive operations. This is not the case in the French army. Attacks are executed' with great vigour; reserve divisions have nearly, if' not quite, the same value as active divisions, which was not the case earlier in the war; and Territorial troops, composed of men between thirty-five and forty years of age. are taking a] far more considerable share in the ao i five work than they have done hither- | to. | This siege warfare was at first new j to everyone, and the success of the i many small attacks recently made has been largely due to the care with which each effort has been studied and its ktisons communicated to all. so that the whole army might benefit by the experience of one commander and his men. NEW HEAVY ARTILLERY. i

As regards material, perhaps the greatest stride that has been made is in the provision of heavy artillery. The superiority of the - French field gun lias long been admitted'. But against, an euemy strongly entrenched, supported by long-ranging heavy batteries, the field gun is not sufficient, and the want of heavier metal has been deeply felt. This 'has now been provided, and each week the co-operation between artillery and infantry becomes more perfect. It may be confidently asserted that without this progress the operations, even if. successful, could only have been carried out at the cost of losses entirely out of proportion to the results obtained. This is only one of the improvements that have been made; there are many other*. And the result is that the morale of the army has never stood higher than it now does; the truth of this being plain to the eyes of anyont who sees tile French soldier, ivhc-thej in the trenches or tramping along the roads in the rain and the mud'.