DIGGING-IN ON THE WESTERN FRONT

Dominion, Volume 11, Issue 15, 12 October 1917, Page 6

DIGGING-IN ON THE WESTERN FRONT

'IHE DIFFICULT ART OF TAKING COVER

IRKSOME TO AMERICANS AND

COLONIALS

One-of-the greatest problems American officers-have before them is impressing > upon their men the absolute importance of, learning the best ways of keeping under cover (writes the special correspondent of the American Associated Press irom the "United States Base in France;. Tho American eoldiei is Jiot a natural "digger-in." He is muck like his Canadian brother in arms in that respect, for ' it is ah 1 old''saying on the British iront that Canadians will die in the last ditch, but never dig-in. It is the American, spirit, as it was that of the Canadians, to np-stake and fight, but the world war has passed that stage, and now in the long wear and worry of a struggle of attrition the best commander is the one -■who best conserves his men by keeping them under cover. One of the great reasons 'why the 'Germans still are in France and Belgium is their wonderful facility for digging themselves in. They . -have a passion for it and an incentive . also, for the Allied artillery never ceases to pound them day and night. The German belief that they can dig faster than a modern army can advance, is one of the principles of their defensive • tactics. Notwithstanding all that has been told along this line, notwithstanding the heroic efforts to rouse his en- • thusiasjn over the pick and shovel, the American soldier has remained decidedly luke-warm. Hβ came to France to fight the Germans, he says, and not to dig a hole and look at them through a spyglass. • The French, Canadian, and Aus-; tralian soldiers all resent the idea of dig-ging-in, and would not admit the neces6ity of doing so until bitter losses taught them a dearly-bought lesson.

A Matter of Temperament. It is purely a matter of temperament, and there seems to be little doubt now that only actual battle experience will . convince American soldiers that the ability to take advantage of any bit of cover is one of the greatest assets the modern man-at-arms can have. "It seems a shame to have to curb the first fine fighting spirit of our troops," said an American training officer, "but the men must be made to understand as far as possible that impetuosity must be subordinated to steadiness. This has become a time-clock war. The men must edvanoe in given time, and go no further. Every step' of infantry advance must-first be worked out with tho artillery, and when the plan is arranged it must be strictly adhered to. "We realise that it will be difficult to hold our men to this plan. If they see a battle going on, their favourite impulse will be to push on as fast as they can; and some are bound to do so, just ' as the Canadians did in the earlier stages. We will undoubtedly havo big losses in .this way, but the men who come through , our first battles will be worth their ■weight in gold thereafter. They will learn quickly the value of steadiness and absolute discipline under fire, and they will be the steadying-influence we can distribute through the newer units of our ■great Army as they get their final preparation for trial by fire." The fighting man has. a natural antipathy to' digging-in. Even, in these late months of war British "Tommies" would muoh rather 'remain above ground and stand chances of getting killed by shells than to dig deep dug-oute like the Ger>mans. In planning the Battle of Messines Ridge, which was a model of cleancut victory, the British Army commander took -into account the fighting men's point of view, and when the advance had reached a stage where it gave the •British covered high ground, the fighting men were directed to take a rest, while specially organised labour battalions were rushed.up from the rear to do the necess'ary"digging and consolidating of new trenches, so as to make them thoroughly proof against counter-attack. The result ■was that the fighting men were •unhain- ■ pered, and, tinworried by necessity of dlg- ' ging, went forward later in the day and look objectives that were rather hoped for than actually expected.

A Course of pigging, s ■ Those me the tactics tlie American fighting-man would like to see. They ' appeal to him, but just now he is being put through a pretty stiff course of digging. This does not apply to digging trenches- alone, he is beins taught howto dig himself in individually, while lying flat on the giound in face of enemy fire, thus getting temporary shelter and protection of a sort of grave-liko excavation. It is not so often nowadays, however, ;that a man has aotually to dig himself •in on solid ground, for there is seldom an infantry advance made over anytmng -■but ground all pitted and torn with shell craters; V ' . .;. .-..Fighting from shell holes is an art in itself, and one that Americans must ■learn before taking their place in the Allied line. .- German prisoners declare they, would rather fight from shell holes on an-active part of the front than from a- regularly organised trench system. The latter offordß the artillery ton good is target, while isolated shell holes are difficult for the enemy guns to deal jvith. The Germans even conceal some of their shell holes by 'putting brown water-proof sheets over them whenever an Allied irirplane-is seen approaching. The pas•sion.for disringrin is so strong with the Germans thnt they have bepn known desperately l to claw holes in the ground -with rt theif'hands till the ends of their fingers'"were practically worn off. Thus some were found dend, and others taken prisoners nnd had to be seiyt to the hospital with all their finger-nails gone.