With the enemy all is disorder, the batteries flee at a gallop before
the tide which has carried away all the obstacles prepared long ago and
judged impregnable; all confidence disappears; the adversary, feeling
his resistance giving way around him, no longer dares to hold out
desperately, from now on the least thing induces him to turn tail.
However, at some points reserves have come up, have manned their
positions of the second line, and have attempted some timid offensive
returns. Machine guns, rapidly brought up, are installed and fire with
utmost rapidity to prevent access to the undefended zones and to gain
time. The tottering resistance tries to hold on; now, one more great
brutal push along the whole front like the attack of the first line, and
then will come a total rout.
It is then that the second line appears; starting out in its turn from
the parallel, it advances by immense and successive waves of thin lines,
calm and unshakable among the rafales of shells and random bullets.
Already numerous detachments of machine guns and light cannon have
preceded it. Creeping through, following up the first line, they have
been able to unravel the situation and to discern the points where the
resistance tries to hold out and which must be immediately swept. The
light cannon orient themselves directly on the rattling of the machine
guns, which they endeavor to overwhelm with a shower of their small
shells.
The “accompanying batteries” have started as soon as the first trenches
are taken and are soon oriented by the signals of the special _agents de
liaison_, artillerists who follow the infantry. The remainder of the
artillery cuts off the approaches by a barrier of asphyxiating shells
and carries its fire on to the second line, marked out according to the
directing plan.
Thus the second line arrives close up to the advanced elements of the
first line under cover of sufficient fire. The second line pushes
straight to the front on the objectives fixed long before and which
should claim its whole attention.
Certain of the units have a mission to blind the centers of resistance
by finishing up the conquest of their exterior borders, while the great
majority are absorbed in the intervals, instead of halting and
exhausting themselves by playing the enemy’s game in his inextricable
points of support.
To quote an expression of “A Midsummer Night’s Dream,” modifying it
slightly: a center of resistance is a filter into which one can pour
battalions and regiments, and it will yield only a few drops.
The organizations passing through the intervals arrive in front of the
second line of defense, which is not generally occupied continuously.
They run against lively and sudden resistances, or _else encounter empty
spaces through which they boldly penetrate_, pushing straight on always
to the front without being intimidated by the silence or distracted by
the resistance on the right or left. The units stopped rapidly organize
the assault and attack by main force like the first waves of the attack
without trying to maneuver, a temptation of weakness and indecision.
Here again there is hesitation: units held up by only a semblance of
resistance or trying to avoid it; others, having approached to
assaulting distance, dig in and dare not go forward openly into a
supreme charge; others are turned away from their objective to get into
another combat, which absorbs them.
However, the second line of hostile defense finds itself in its turn
disabled; broken in and considerably passed by in certain localities,
vigorously assailed on all points where a resistance is hastily
improvized, it is soon split up into islands and surrounded on all
sides.
The points of support, as in the case of the first trench, are left to
one side and merely isolated by the capture of their borders.