Newspapers / Trench and Camp (Charlotte, … / July 2, 1918, edition 1 / Page 9
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| A Sketch Of The C Of Frano J0* s? *Vr RES-ION ^ 4. , "! *? Ml DDI j? S^WESTERN / FRANCE J p3 /aquita^NE . \ Is"? p v Names at " ? i Natural Rejiwij V?. V n'^CAPITALS ?The long and narrow PLAINS OF THE SAOXE AND THE RHONE owe L"7 their importance to the manufactur- ' fffc;. ing center of Lyons, and to the lines Mt< of communication which follow this route from northern France to the Mediterranean. The plains of the I Saone are primarily agricultural, with I. hot summers and f%irly long and cold m: winters. The vine, wheat, corn, cat- | iS*. tie and sheep are the important prodLfi-i _ nnlo t ?Ano at ttio omithurn finH /\f the Saone plains, is an important \ S commercial center, because it is at 1^. the junction of the Saone, the upper Rhone and the lower Rhone routes, Wgl\ and so does business with the north, the east and the south. Lyons also P??<Y'i8 an important manufacturing confer ter, using the silk raised in southern ?-?? >' France and northern Italy to make jjgj; the fabrics for whioh France is noted i?&^**the world over. The valley of the dpV Rhone is a narrow, corridor-like deSfr"-' pression in which flows a stream too ?p':; swift to be of much use for navigation. But though the stream is of Epi '' little value as a highway, the valley has been and still is of the greatest , [jfe". importance as a comparatively easy ! passageway, hemmed in on one side by the Alps and on the other by the ra.' Central Plateau. In the remote past K the Phoenicians penetrated via the Rhone valleV into Gaul. Later, MedX iterranean civilization, and still later. ?r. Christianity, entered France by this jfe:route. Today the northern regions of France have contact with the Mediterranean part of France by way of this valley. The important railway j' from Paris to Lyons and Marseilles -..follows this line. * THE MEDITERRANEAN REGION of France is a unit clearly marked off by the Alps and the Central Plateau B^v on the north and by the sea from which it takes its name on the south. ; Its physical characteristics are different from those of any other part of France, and consequently the eco? nomlc activities of the people are in large part different from those of the people of the rest of France. The |||&. climate is characterized by hot and esBfc dry summers, and by mild winters with a moderate amount of rainfall. This winter rain comes for the most ?&;' part in heavy showers, so that most of the weather is sunny. Strong, hot, soifth winds (sirocco) blow at ! times in the summer, and fn winter there occasionally are boisterous and cold winds (mistral) rrom tne neign y boring mountains. The streams are y' small for most of the year, but at the Kgf. times of heavy rains They become ragwE&V'?Ing torrents. Forests and grass-land ifi&f' are rare. The dominant form of naJV* tive vegetation Is a thicket composed H|a<. of evergreen oaks, cypress, juniper SSl and myrtle. The typical cultivated Kfcfl 8,000 MORE MOTOR TRUCKS ]? Orders for 8,000 motor trucks for jBp the use of the United States Army ft have been placed by the Motor Transfc^T-sl.port Service. These trucks, designa - ted as "Class B Standard," will have ;; a capacity of from three to five tons. V They will be distributed as needed through the various branches of the army. Ten thousand of these Class B 2fer j. trucks had previously been ordered and kre now in process of m^hufac teneral Geography s?Noi 4 Uil i i , . r "W-1*" f or -THE i TLA in.. HOKTH Crv^tN"CS \S r**zio* *,* K-,Us' A/. N??fc .6 LOIRE ^ !>.-/ . o* *T/ c~"t *,aH i. > CENTRAL *. 1 J*** V Em*g '. PLATE AV ? V) r A-, "> ' ""if ' < ^ plants are the vine, orange, olive and lemon, the first deep-rooted, the others with leathery, evergreen leaves, and all well adapted to the long, hot, dry summer. Because of this type of summer and ^)f the consequent poor quality of the pastures, cattle are rare, but sheep are fairly numerous. In general the Mediterranean region of France seems to be an area little favored by nature, except that It borders on that sea which was for so long a time the center of the civilized world, and which today plays an Important part in commerce. As a result of this position, the Mediterranean region of France has played a considerable part In the history of the country. It is here that the Phoenicians, the Greeks and the Romans touched France, founded cities and introduced their civilizations. Marseilles, near the mouth of the Rhone, commands a large commerce between northern France and the countries bordering the Mediterranean, as well as with the Far East. Of especial interest at the present time is the character of the country in eastern and northeastern France, a3 affecting the. campaigns of the war. The forested mountains of the Vosges have proved a barrier to the Germans. The rough country of Lorraine has been scarcely less difficult for them. In this region there are several concentric belts of alternating uplands and lowlands, with a steep slope at the eastern margin of each upland. Thn?o stppn filnnps or seams. each of which overlooks a lowland lying between it and the next upland to the east,' make defense easy for the French and offense difficult for the Germans. The Ardennes Plateau, most of which lies in Germany, Luxemburg and southern Belgium, has blocked any movement of German armies into France except by way of two valley routes, the Moselle and the Meuse, both of which valleys lie well towards the southern and northern borders of the plateau. Across the plains of the northern half of Belgium and of northern France, in contrast to all the country southward as far as the Swiss border, movement of an army is relatively easy, so far as natural obstacles go. Thus it was that the main German invasion of France took place in the north, even though this meant the violation of the neutrality of Belgium. The following books treat various features of the geography of Franco in more detail than is possible here: Schrader & Qallouedec: "Geographle de la France" (Hachette, Paris, 1915). Johnson: "Topography and Strategy In tnc war" (."new iora, nun, i?i i/. Davis: "Handbook of Northern Frunce" (Harvard Press, Cambridge, 1918). Ask for these books at the Camp Library. 100 PER CENT INSURED Company E, 161st Infantry, has a 100 per cent War Risk Insurance record. Every officer and enlisted man in the company carries a $10,000 policy. The total amount of Insurance carried by the company is $238,. 000*000. S. O. sDon't waste. A white chip ma; call the Kaiser's bluff. ND CAMP ONE CENT A MILE The United States Railroad Ad ministration authorizes the fol lowing: Director General McAdoo, realiz in'g that the payment of the ful railroad fare means a seriou hardship to oar soldiers and sail ora who desire to visit their home before going overseas, has ordere that as soon as necessary detail ran he rnninl^rH nnlHlpr? nnd hjiil ors of the United' States force? when furloughed and traveling a their own expense, will be grante a rate of approximately one cen per mile. This fare will be avail able on delivery to ticket agent of certificates signed by command ing officers. Such certificates c standard form will be prepare and distributed with the utmot promptness. "YANKS" FAST ACQUIRING TRENCH VERNACUU According to the stories told Americans recently returned fr< Europe, the "Yanks." as the soldii prefer to style themselves, are rt idly picking up the slang used by t British Tommies in the war zone, a appear to like it. "Fed up" is one of the favorite < pressions. and is used to depict t disgust of the speaker with t world in general or" any subject particular, such as oatmeal porrid for 100 days straight or 100 da continuous rain. Another expression adopted by t American troops abroad is "war ling." To "wangle*Vis to wheet something out of a person which would not voluntarily give. For < ample, a Tommy says to his mates the trench: "I wangled an extra I of qjm today from the canteen s? geant," or "The sergeant major wai ed to give me a fatigue job, but wangled it all right." When a si dier succeeds in wangling somethi out of his superiors he tells his chui that he "clicked." The term "was out," used by the aviators, has be generally adopted by the Tommies describe something that has to done all over again. "A defense bj rage" is to cover a mate in his 2 sence for some fault that he has co mltted, and a "barrage attack" is defend a friend when he is attack in force. The word "Cheeryo," as greeting or a short toast, has be adopted by the American naval o cers and men In Europe. %*TO GET "THE NEEDLE" Soldiers in training'in the cam and cantonments may find soi crumb of comfort in the fact th civilian employees of the governme are to be given "T^e Needle." F the protection of the health of wor ers in shipyards and munition plan the United States Public Health Sei ice has been instructed to give an typhoid innoculations without charj "NO VICTOR Discussing the problem of t soldier and the way to victory, G< eral Ferdinand Foch, commanderchief of the Allies armies, recen wrote follows: "Modern warfare/to arrive at end and to impose its will on t enemy, recognizes only one means destruction of the enemy's organiz forces. "War undertakes and prepai this destruction by battle whi brings about the overthrow of t adversary, disorganizes his commai destroys his discipline and nullif his units as far as their flghti power is concerned. "Our first axiom must be that co pletely to achieve its object a bat must not be purely defensive, purely defensive battle, even w conducted, does not result in a vicl and a vanquished. It is simply "oma rr?iia* h? hpcnn OVPr J1P9 "From this it is an obvious cor lary that an offensive, wheti started at the beginning of an act! or whether it follows the defensi can only give results, and in con qttence must always be adopted at 1 finish. i "To maintain our position is i synonymous with being victoric and even prepares for a defeat, if remain where we are and do not pi < to the offensive. To fix the direct! of attack, to guard against the pis of the e|emy and prevent him fn carrying out the same manoeuvre, must undertake to carry on and s tain numerous combats, each with termined aim. ~ PERSHING URGES SOLDIERS ? TO WRITE HOME OFTEN . , 1 , The War Department has made HbSSbBBK .. public a general order, issued recently II by General Pershing encouraging /v ! a members of the American expedi- / >, |. tionary forces to keep up correspon- v-' w dence with their relatives and friends d at home. The order said: _ s "1. Duty to one's country does { 1^ j_ noi ena on tne parade grouna, nor even on the battlefield, but consists jmP /\ in dbing everything in one's power to /T| jmO d help win the war. To write home /J I it frequently and' regularly, to keep In |. constant touch with family and g friends, is one of the soldier's most I- important duties. Mothers and ,f fathers will suffer if they do not hear J. VI d often from sons fighting in France. it In the present large companies it is J jS not possible for officers to write let- JJ ters for their men* and every man must do it for himself. [J '.'2. When no letters are received p from overseas, the greatest distress /v^r is caused to those at home. They ^ fx^( either feel thht letters have been by written and lost en route, or else they )m imagino all sorts of evils, such as ?J"s sickness, wounds, even death. Both ip- are bad for the active militant spirit he which every true American man and ^ nd woman must possess if our army is to obtain the real victory that all so >x- earnestly desired, he "3. Every one in the United he States who has a son or brother in in th? American expeditionary forces is ge | proud of him, is constantly thinking Letters home will brine many letters he in reply, and the closer nome ties will V~?^=""i1^i$ jg- have potent influence for good, both He in France and the United States. All he officers should realize this fact, and ;x- both by encouraging their men and kf ffl4l??jjC in providing them with the proper fa- I'lA<r tot cilities, do everything in their power A, X ' sr- to interest them in this vital question ffT at- of writing home." The Archbishop of York Pays Jfjl \ ng! High Tribute to United States en I The Most Reverend Cosmo Cordon toi Lang. Archbishop of York and Prihe I mate of England, who recently visited ,r. this country, said in a statement ret5_ garding his American tour: m_ "A word needs to be spoken of disto appointments and delays. Our friends ed across the ocean are far more sens!i a tive to them than we. It is not any en taunt that is needed, but rather in- 8H| fh_ creased appreciation of the greatness B . and skill with which they had planned their help and the increasing measure with which their plans would be ful- Jp ps "That great and generous people mgBjiSSHr ne who received me with a warmth of lat I welcome I shall never forget, are say- | nt ing to you: 'We are coming to stand or ! hv vou till together we have vindica- % k- ted the peace and freedom of the .^1 ts, world and secured it for our children.' x?fsO| v- We say. 'It is hard to hold on. hurry MCfflk ti- up!' They reply: 'It is worth holdY IN DEFENSE" ~~7o\ he "Hut since tTiere remains no doubt . >n. that decisive attack is the very keyln stone of a battle, all other actions J which make up a tattle must be envisaged, considered, organized, provided with forces in the measure in its which they will prepare, facilitate ^ jje and guarantee development of a decisive attack characterized by its Ml mass, its surprise, its speed, and for ed which, in consequence, it is essential ^1 that there shall he the maximum re es serve force possible of troops of '\fjjr irtrI manoeuvre. The reserve?that is to I c" say the prepared bludgeon is orhe ganized and kept carefully instruct* id, to execute the single act of battle jefl from which results are expected, namely, the decisive attack. I ?ii(\ & D "Reserves must be husbanded with f the most extreme parsimony so that 1^ S&ty* /j m- the bludgeon may be strong enough v7^ff tie to make the blow as violent as pos- (ftf A sible. Let loose at the finish without ? /f\ ell any lurking idea of saving theui, with Bk J f I :or a well thought out plan for winning -3 a the battle at a point chosen and de- YtM in. termined. reserves are thrown 111 all oi- together in an action surpassing in ier violence and energy all other phases x on of battle, an action with proper char- I ve, actfcristics?surprise, mass and speed. ,v jaPij89 Be- All our forces really participate. he either by preparing it or by carrying lot "In this, our supreme Aim. we must ?U8 not be deceived by appearances. Alwe though theory fails when applied by j iss feeble bands and when accessories Ion obscure the main principle, History ins and reaso.^ show us that in battle ^j om there is a single argument which is | | ^ | we worm wane, nameiy, decisive auain, U. ,1 I us- which is alone capable of assuring de- the desired result?the overthrow of PraiWlMliiiri the adversary." , t ? -v MB - " ? *jBm! i"> ' NWJM
Trench and Camp (Charlotte, N.C.)
Standardized title groups preceding, succeeding, and alternate titles together.
July 2, 1918, edition 1
9
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