Battlefields of the World War, western and southern fronts; a study in military geography (1921) (14770886365)

Identifier: battlefieldsofwo00john (find matches)
Title: Battlefields of the World War, western and southern fronts; a study in military geography
Year: 1921 (1920s)
Authors: Johnson, Douglas Wilson, 1878-1944
Subjects: World War, 1914-1918 Military geography
Publisher: New York (etc.) Oxford University Press
Contributing Library: The Library of Congress
Digitizing Sponsor: Sloan Foundation



Text Appearing Before Image:
wooded plateau remnants played throughoutthe war. Again and again the battle line on the plain, imperiledby major operations in the open country, anchored itself fastat the southern end to the unshakable buttress formed by one oranother of the wooded tablelands. The valleys between the mesa remnants are well watered,although the short streams are not large. So humid have theybecome in some cases that canals are necessary to drain themarshy land. It was the Russians skillful defense of a defilebetween the marshes southwest of Laon which in 1814 stoppedrepeated attacks by Ney and destroyed the French hope ofgetting possession of the strategic stronghold of Laon withouta battle. When Napoleon with his 35,000 men finally attackedthe formidable plateau of Laon, defended by Bliicher withnearly 100,000, it was with these marshes and the narrow defilein his rear. The whole operation was so dangerous that Bliicher ./oAraon : Baltlefieldt of the World Wat Amtr. Ceogr. Soc Research Series No. 3
Text Appearing After Image:
Fig. 64 - Block diagram of the Chemin des Dames region, showing the salient features of the terrain. MARNE PLATEAU 235 in his astonishment could see in it only the indication of somehidden maneuver by the great master of strategy.3 ThatNapoleons impossible undertaking was defeated gives less sur-prise than does his utter disregard of the topographic difficultiesagainst which he hurled his little army. It was but one signamong many of the decadence of his remarkable powers. A survey of the several belts of topography characterizing thecentral plateau (Fig. 56) has revealed to us a transition from thelittle dissected Brie plateau on the south, through a moderatelydissected Valois-Tardenois belt in the center, to the much dis-sected upland of the Soissonnais next north, and finally to theextreme fragmentation of the northernmost margin in the Laon-nois. From the military point of view the terrain becomes in-creasingly difficult from south to north. An army capable ofbeating an enemy in t