there was little
infantry warfare in France, although the heavy guns kept up their
cannonades. In the spring of 1917 the Allies planned a great drive on
the enemy positions in the valley of the Somme. But in March the Germans
began a general retirement to a more easily defended line--the so-called
Hindenburg line--on a front of one hundred miles, from Arras (ar-rahss')
to Soissons (swah-sawn')[3]. Completely destroying the villages,
churches, castles, vineyards, and orchards, they left a desolate waste
behind them. In this retreat the Germans gave up French territory to the
extent of thirteen hundred square miles.

The German retirement was closely followed by British and French troops.
Great courage was shown by Canadian troops in the taking of Vimy Ridge
on April 9. In the following month many attacks were made by the British
and French, which resulted in the taking of nearly 50,000 prisoners and
large quantities of munitions, and the breaking through the Hindenburg
line in one place. During the summer and fall the Allied attacks
continued to win small territorial gains. The artillery fire was very
heavy during all this time. During a period of three weeks the French
city of Rheims (reemz or r[)a]nss) alone, with its magnificent cathedral
almost in ruins, was bombarded with 65,000 large caliber German shells.

Two very important ridges, from which artillery could reach German
positions, were taken during the heavy fighting in November. The French
forced a retreat of the Germans over a thirteen-mile front and occupied
the ridge known as Chemin des Dames (shm[)a]n d[=a] dahm); while the Canadians
secured Passchendaele (pahss-ken-d[)e]l'[=a]) Ridge.

Late in the year the British introduced a new method of warfare. Instead
of beginning their attack with a great bombardment lasting many hours
and thus indicating to the enemy the approximate time and place of
attack, they sent over the front a large number of "tanks" which broke
through the barbed wire entanglements and opened the way for the
infantry. By this means the British successfully surprised the enemy in
the battle of Cambrai (cahn-br[)e]'; November 20 to December 13).
Unfortunately they could not hold most of the land occupied,--which was
lost later in the battle,--but they did show the possibility of breaking
the old deadlock of trench righting. The new method was to be used by
both sides during the campaigns of the following year.

THE WAR IN THE AIR.--Durin