LAND AND WATEE 
OctoLcr 3, 1914 
,VERDUW 
German Lin* 
Allied Vxn* 
Mew German 
Offensive 
ri.AX saowixa nkw okrman ofkknsive i.\" thk east, against 
THK LIXB VEKUUX-TODL. 
as would tlic success of the turning' movement round 
by the Oise be vital in its ill-consequence to the 
tJermans. In the regrettable necessity of retiring 
the wliole eastern or right end of the main 
Allied line before the serious threat of a German 
advance across the U]>pcr Meuse, the French 
and their Allies would lose much countrj^ which 
the enemy would ravage; they would suffer a 
dispiriting check after the general sxiccess of the 
last three weeks ; they would be retreating where 
they had hoped confidently to advance. The tide 
Avhich had seemed to set in with a strong flood would 
have appeared to ebb again. But nothing essential 
would have gone. No line of communication serving 
the Allies would have been cut, and though new and 
much better lines of communication for the Germans 
would have been opened, a success of this kind could 
not }K>ssibly be decisive. The corresponding success 
of the Allies upon the west wing, upon the other 
hand, would be necessarily decisive. Supposing the 
nivUkely and bizan-e coincidence of a successful 
German advance in force across the Upper Meuse, 
coming at the same time with a successful French 
advance reaching to the Upper Oise, ihe farmer would 
have no decisive effect upon the direction of the 
campaign. The latter woidd compel an immediate 
and rapid evacuation by the German Army of all 
positions in France. 
Important, therefore, as this German demonstra- 
tion upon the Upper Meuse to the east is, if it is 
Ijeing made in force, we must not lose sight of the 
fact that it is secondary only in importance compared 
with the primary and capital business of that fighting 
in front of Noyon and St. Quentin, where the German 
Army is defending its verj existence, and the Allies 
attempting no less than the decision of the campaign. 
With this warning we can turn to examination in 
greater detail of the new German movement which 
tlireatens the extreme French right. 
During the last few days, then, the enemy has 
advanced from the east against the Toul- Verdun line, 
the ban-ier of forts on the Upper Meuse, and has 
pierced it. 
The district as a whole can be best appreciated by 
some such sketch map as that on the following page. 
The River Meuse nms in a trench a little north 
of north-east; on either side of this trench rise 
wooded heights, funning upon the east a plateau, 
knoATO as the Heights of the Meuse. This plateau 
falls sharply on its eastern side on to the plain called 
"the Woeuvre Country." In the midst of this 
stands Thiaucourt, the headquar-tcrs of the late 
German advance to the river. The heights of the 
Meuse have opposite them, beyond tlie river, a 
distnct ncariy comsponding and about the same 
iieight with themsehes, also falling steeply down 
some 300 feet upon the tiench through which the 
]\Icuse runs. This stretch of the river is protected 
as follows : 
It has been made into a barrier first by the great 
forti-osses of Verdun and Toul to the north and to 
the south, and next by a chain of works dominating 
the river vallev, the larger of which are called in order 
from north to south : Genicourt, Troyon, Parodies, 
Camp des Eomains, Liouville, and Girouville. Two 
towns of some size stand upon the river between 
Verdun and Toul ; these are St. Mihiel and Com- 
mercy, of which St. Mihiel is the most central, lying 
almost exactly half-way between Verdun and Toul. 
The German advance first got a footing on the 
plateau at the salient height of Hatton-Chatel, and 
then advanced to St. Mihiel, Avhere the river was 
crossed after the guns within the w'ork at Les 
Parodies and the work at Camp des Eomains had 
been silenced. 
"With St. Mihiel and its bridge thus in possession 
of the enemy, the French line ran as the dotted line 
does u2-)on the map. Its formation has been officially 
communicated through the French Government to the 
Press, and may therefore be printed here. 
(Passage deleted by Censor.) 
It will be seen from the above and from 
the map on the foUoAving page that the total 
effect of the new German offensi\'e in this region 
so far has been to occiipy a projection or salient, 
the base of which is the dotted line marking 
the old French front of more than a week ago, the 
outer boundary of which passes tlu'ough Apremont 
round to the west of the Avork of Parodies, and then 
to a jioint betAveen Sj)ada village and the Fort of 
Troyon. This salient giA-es the Germans their cross- 
ing over the Meuse. It is liere that they have driven 
a breach through the barrier Toul- Verdun. 
In order to seize the nature and importance of 
the ncAvly undertaken German operations upon the 
Ujiper !Meuse Ave have to consider four points. 
(«) First and most important, the object Avith 
A\hicli this new offensiA-e has been under- 
taken on the part of the enemy. 
(/j) The numbers iiiA'olA'ed. 
(c) The distances iuA^olved and the disposition 
of the advancing troops, French and 
Gei-man, so far as those dispositions are 
made knoAvn by the official dispatches Avliidi 
may be examined and exiilained Avithout 
indiscretion. 
(d) The actual results achieved by the 
Germans during the past Aveek in this 
effort of theirs to cross the Meuse as giA^en 
us b}^ these same dispatches. 
It Avill be seen that of these four points the last 
two are concerned Avith established facts and can be 
dealt Avith accurately AA'hile the first two are matters 
our conjectures on Avhich Avill depend upon our judg- 
ment as well as upon official record, and that judgment 
cannot be final. 
Yet it is in the first tw^o points — and particularly 
in the first— that the whole interest of the matter lies. 
For our one concern in this very grave subject is 
the purpose the German commanders had in mind and 
their power Avhen they at last attacked the Toul- 
\''erdun line to achicA-e that purpose. 
NoAV, whatcA-er their purpose be their power to 
to achieA-e it Avill depend upon numbers ; as, indeed, 
other things being equal, does everything in Avar. 
4,» 
