The story of the great war . ce. Meantime while Russia was being successfully revolutionized,while the submarine was bringing Great Britain to terms, the linesshould be held in France with the least possible effort. They shouldmaintain the defensive as cheaply as possible. Hindenburg kaewwell that the British and French had made extraordinary prepara-tions throughout the fall and winter for an assault upon theGerman lines. Special railroads had been built all along the frontto make easy the movement of troops, of ammunition, and of foodso that men could be massed readily at any point, transfer
The story of the great war . ce. Meantime while Russia was being successfully revolutionized,while the submarine was bringing Great Britain to terms, the linesshould be held in France with the least possible effort. They shouldmaintain the defensive as cheaply as possible. Hindenburg kaewwell that the British and French had made extraordinary prepara-tions throughout the fall and winter for an assault upon theGerman lines. Special railroads had been built all along the frontto make easy the movement of troops, of ammunition, and of foodso that men could be massed readily at any point, transferred else-where with rapidity, fed there, and supplied with ammunition. 216 THE STORY OF THE GREAT WAR In February and March, therefore, to render all these prepara-tions useless, Hindenburg withdrew the German lines to the famousHindenburg line, a new line of defense elaborately prepared, milesenough in the rear of the old line to prevent any assault upon it bythe British and French from the positions which they had prepared. Review of Reviews West Front in 1917 and Total Gain in that Year SO carefully during the winter. Moreover, the Germans destroyedevery living thing, every building, every tree, every possible shelterin the entire zone, which they thus abandoned; it was laid wastewith a thoroughness which only Germans can attain. The Alliesmust therefore attack them over a waste ground where everything THE CAMPAIGN OF 1917 217 would impede their progress to the maximum and where therewould be nothing to aid them. The results were not exactly what the Germans had United States promptly entered the w^ar on April 6, 1917,and undertook with equal promptitude an extent of preparationswhich paralyzed the German statesmen and generals. Conscrip-tion was voted almost immediately and an army of millions wasput at once into training. The United States government tookover factories and railroads and began to build ships to transportthe new troops to Prance. Indeed, we b
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