ed.

[Illustration: These Belgian soldiers are weary and covered with mud
from the trenches, but they are rallying for a fresh resistance to
German attacks.]

PART IV--THE WESTERN FRONT

CHAPTER XIII

PREPARATIONS FOR AN OFFENSIVE

During the greater part of the winter of 1914-15, the fighting along
the western front had been almost constant, but had resulted in little
that either side could justly assert to be a success. The rigors
inevitable in such a mode of warfare had become almost beyond human
endurance, and commanders on both sides looked forward to a more
active campaign.

An immense amount of ammunition had been stored by the French in and
around Perthes in anticipation of a forward movement; and, by the
second week of February, a quarter of a million men of the French army
had been assembled near that place. They were opposite a section of
the German trenches which was about twelve miles long, extending from
Ville-sur-Tourbe in the Argonne to the village of Souain. Early in the
year this section had been held by only two divisions of Rhinelanders.
These two divisions had suffered severely from the heavy gun fire
which the French had directed against them by means of the successful
work of the French aviators. The French infantry also had done
effective work in the short rush which they had been making, gaining
on an average about twelve yards a day. Following the concentration of
French troops, the German commanders brought up reenforcements to the
number of 80,000. Some of these were taken from La Bassee, and others
from a contingent which had been intended for a northern offensive
movement.

Because of the chalk formation of the soil in this section of the
front, the excessive moisture of this season of the year drained
rapidly, leaving exposed an undulating section on which were small
forests of fir trees. The nature of the ground made it an easy matter
to move troops even in winter. General Joffre took advantage of this
fact, and assembled a quarter of a million men against the German
lines in Champagne. This caused the German commanders to mass troops
just in front of Perthes. The concentration continued until there were
220,000 German soldiers packed there in close formation. The French
attacked, and quickly a rain of more than a hundred thousand shells
fell upon the Germans.

The Germans sought to reply by bringing up twenty-two batteries of
heavy guns and sixty-four field batt