REMARKABLE FIELD FORTIFICATIONS

Dominion, Volume 9, Issue 2640, 10 December 1915, Page 5

REMARKABLE FIELD FORTIFICATIONS

THE GERMAN WAY IN THE EAST Bv Telegraph-Press Association-Conyrtelit' Petrogratl, December/ 8. Remarkable German defence measures, enabling the Germans to hold a front with tho scantiest of forces, have been brought to light by the recent Russian successes. At Kemmerii- the field fortifications surpass anything previously eeen. There 'are so\v?n : rows «f trenches; a whole underground city for shelter. A prisoner says the Kaiser,.in October last, declared that the soldiers must dig, t and that men 'who would not dig their comrades' shelters must dig their comrades' graves. The entanglements in places are 200 yds." deep. A portion consists of tough wattle, used in. order to economise wire, ,nnd equally difficult to hack through. fi* e ermalls the Middle Dvina burn ofr the forests and plant sharpened' branches as cheyaus-de-frises, which are sometimes a mile deep and sown with mines, which explode on contact. Equally novel fire the inventions for attack, including a so-called "Devil's wall, 'consisting of a steel' barrier, breast high, and a dozen yards long, on wheels, and equipped with chipping, hacking; and sawing appliances. It Ts Worked by mechanical arms. • Prisoners boast that tho inventions enable small numbers of half-trained troops to/attack where strong forces were previously required.

„ I 1 BRITAIN'S DFBT TO THE * DOMINIONS ]

MOVING speech by lord < LANSDOWNE. ] By Teleirmph—Prpw Association—Conyrlght ' (Rec. December 9, 7 p.m. _ London, December 8. • j ljord Lansdowne delivered a striking speech at a meeting of the Red Cross i and. at. John Ambulance Societies when moving a vote of thanks to the Over- 1 seas Dominions for their splendid help ! in response to the Red Gross appeal, which had resulted in a munificent con- 1 tribution of over £250,000,000 (?)—a vast power for the alleviation of suffering. The generosity of these Dominions had : been tested in the past, and had i again been proved. It was a-re-markable response, remembering their ] many domestic calls. • The lavishness of these contributions showed' that the Dominions had confidence in the man- < ner in which the fund's were administered. ! "Help from the Overseas Dominions," I said Lord Lansdowne! "must not he ; measured by money,' because it is,to i the great hosts who are fighting the | world over that, the Dominions have i made this magnificent contribution. We i used to estimate that a British expedi- 1 tionary force for a European struggle 1 should he about sixty or seventy thousand. The position 'ha-s changed. Aus- i tralia and Canada have eacli sent one i hundred thousand .to ■ the ■ fighting field." < South Africa, having accomplished its i own _ brilliant campaign, has now sent ■ contingents to three other theatres. New i Zealand has given_ twenty-fivo thousand i men. Not only in numbers, but in quality, the trbops of these Dominions have won admiration, and notable dispatches have recorded their services. Nobody reading Sir lan Hamilton's account' of the landing on April 28 will ( forget the conduct of the Australians and New Zealanders. These Dominions have provided a still more valuable as- , sot in their moral strength, by their un- ' stinted support of our cause. More than anything which has been happening during this protracted war has this strengthened our Empire in the estimation of the world. . "President Wilson," added his Lord- n ship, "in bis address, to the "United .® States Congress, lias complained of a } conspiracy of intrigue which is pouring 1 the poison of disloyalty into the arteries of the national life of America, but tlio [ virus of'corruption is innocuous in our great oversea possessions After the war wliat the Dominions have done will ' remain in imperishable letters. I am v convinced that their effect upon the ." destinies of our Empire will be lasting '! and incalculably great." c