My War Memories, 1914-1918
to fortify these frontier lines. The Governor-General in Brussels was asked to hurry on, as much as available labour permitted, the construction of fortified lines on the Belgian frontier, with which a beginning had already been made.
II
On the Western Front the Verdun battle was dying down, and in the early days of July the battle on the Somme had not brought the Entente the break-through they hoped for.
The second battle of attrition of the year 1916 had since then been in full swing on both banks of the Somme, and was raging with unprecedented fury and without a moment's respite.
Verdun had exacted a very great price in blood. The position of our attacking troops grew more and more unfavourable. The more ground they gained the deeper they plunged into the wilderness of shell-holes, and apart from actual losses in action, they suffered heavy wastage merely through having to stay in such a spot, not to mention the difficulty of getting up supplies over a wide, desolate area. The French enjoyed a great advantage here, as the proximity of the fortress gave them a certain amount of support. Our attacks dragged on, sapping our strength. The very men who had fought so heroically at Verdun were terrified of this shell-ravaged region. The Command had not their hearts in their work. The Crown Prince had very early declared himself in favour of breaking off the attack.
When the Battle of the Somme began the Entente had a tremendous superiority, both on land and in the air. G.H.Q. was surprised at first. Reinforcements were quickly thrown in, but it had never succeeded in wiping out the enemy's superiority in artillery, munitions and aircraft, even to a limited extent.
The Entente troops had worked their way further and further into the German lines. We had heavy losses in men and material. At that time the front lines were still strongly held. The men took refuge in dug-outs and cellars from the enemy's artillery fire. The enemy infantry, coming up behind their barrage, got into