KEEPING GERMANS ON TENDER-HOOKS.

Taranaki Daily News, 28 March 1916, Page 2

KEEPING GERMANS ON TENDER-HOOKS.

ALONG WEST FRONT. CANADIAN LINES BUZZ WITH ACTIVITY. '' - London, February 12. Returning to the British eastern front after an absence of nearly five months (writes a correspondent), one cannot fail to notice the enormous changes and the new methods of war that have been evolved during the winter. Some were undreamed of before, while others are adaptations of methods and weapons employed by Homeric heroes and Caesar's legions. Experience has enabled us to eliminate altogether problem* which robbed us of many men a year ago. Sanitation has so far advanced that the army is far healthier than any civil community. The sick average only three per thousand. Diseases like trencli foot which, last year, thinned our ranks, have been conquered. One brigade had, in throe day 9 a year ago, more cases of trencli foot than the whole army all this winter. ' Typhoid is now unknown. Our entire front buzzes with activity. People who 'believe that because there have been no big battles the army has been quiet, make a tremendous mistake. Work is hard and unceasing. Work, under every condition of weather, goes on day and night, endlessly. Every week fresh methods are evolved for keeping the enemy on tenterhooks. Tlieroi are raids, bombing parties and mines. Every day witnesses a fight and every night something attempted along the front. The Germans are cutting down their nightly patrols of the neutral ground, having lost so many men. One section along the Canadian front is no longer called "No Man's Land," but "The Great North-West." "It is ours," says the Edmonton boya who face it, "and any Boehe who shows his nose there dies." Gerjnan bodies lying among the wireg show how they have kept their threat. The morale of the men is finer than ever. They joke while trench- digging, sing when marching out to fatigue work or when leaving the rest camp for a turn in the trenches. I stood, two night ago, in an advanced dressing station immediately behind the front line, while one newly-wound-ed man was being dressed. Ho grinned all the time, with a stiff-jawed grin, never flinching through it all. "Bad luck, mate," said a comrade who brought him in, "your wound won't take you back to Blighty." The wounded man broke out laughing. Another lad was caught badly by a shell and wounded by innumerable splinters. He had to be stripped before he could be dressed, and when the bandaging was finished there was dressing all over him. Then with a supreme effort he raised himself to his feet and gazed round half defiantly. "I'm some soldier," he said, thickly, smiling proudly. Five hours later he died. A young officer, going home on leave next day to be married, was badly wounded by a shell. On being lifted on a stretcher he raised himself on his elbow, his face white as death.

"There go my matrimonial chances," ] he joked. These are but casual examples of , hundreds of similar incidents. Our t men throughout the entire western front .never once failed to immediately re- , spond to any order given them, and , never hesitated to rush on what they knew to be almost certain death. One famous general told me yesterday, and he spoke truly, that losses intensify this spirit. The most daring battalions today are those which have suffered most. This confidence- does not mean, however, under-rating the enemy. There is no delusion here about the German army having lost strength, keennesk or military efficiency. There arc, indeed, indications that the Germans are preparing for a great blow, the greatest they have yet made, upon our lines, For months they have exercised strict economy in heavy gun fire, except occasionally, as when, recently, ten thousands shells sprayed upon the Ypres salient. They have almost certainly accumulated a tremendous quantity of shells, quantities surpassing anything I known before in the history of war. The belief is general here that they mean within a short time to attempt to blow their way through some point on the western lines, employing new and heavy naval guns upon our rear, while raining shells, for many days together, upon our front. While, naturally, it is impossible to hint at the nature of the British reply. I can say those best acquainted with the situation here regard such a possibility as quite provided for. Our supplies continue adequate. They admit that it will be a battle of giants, but declare we cannot only repel it, but can follow it with smashing counter-blows. Never before, however, was an overwhelming supply of shells so vital as now. When in England I heard many tales of broken, starving German deserters coming in by the score and surrendering, begging for food and shelter. Soldiers here laugh at such tales, which they dismiss as dope for fools at home. The Germans captured after raids arc well clothed, well fed, well equipped, and apparently lack for nothing. They arc ovi-rwiieiiiiingly, offensively confident. Ollicers who have penetrated the German trenches describe them as in excellent condition despite the winter rains, with the vital points in the line and tin- main machine-gun positions so guarded by, sometimes five-fold lines of steel mid tremendously heavy roofs that they arc like fortresses. The Germans arc steadily strengthening their •front with new contrivances, much thicker netting, stouter steel plates and more guns. Their soldiers have been buoyed up with a series of fanciful tales about Germany's position and her coming knock-out blow. Several German prisoners, when told recently that they would be taken to England, laughed incredulously. "You cannot take us across the Channel," they replied; "England is isolated by our submarines. No English ships dare set out." Last week one German was captured wounded during a raid. He bitterly lamented his position, declaring he was distracted because he had been taken prisoner. A British general visited Mm. When the general approached the German jumped smartly to his feet, de- ' spite his wound, and clicked his heels ' together. ' "I'm sorry f»r you, Herr General," lie said in answer to questions. "We ' can take Paris when we please. Lon- ■ don is already in ruins. All is nearly ready and the war will soon he over." The Germans, however, show many signs of uneasiness about oiir next possible move. They evidently believe < some big attack is imminent, for they I constantly; turn flam alone their linns i