Webster City freeman. [volume] (Webster City, Hamilton County, Iowa) 1884-1946, 1915-05-25
FRENCH VIC
T0R|0US AFTER
LONG BATTLE
Heights of Great Importance to Ger.
mans is Taken By
Assault.
MANY THOUSANDS ARE KILLED
Eyewitness With Army of Tricolor
Tells Of Desperateness of
Battle.
MANY THOUSANDS ARE KILLED

Paris, May 25.-"The capture by
French troops of the German works
at Blanche Vote (the white way)
the evening Of May 81, marked the
victorious conclusion of our often.
sive on the Massif de Lorette," says
the report Of the French semi-offic-
ial eye witness of conditions at the
front as given out in Paris yester-
day.
The Imperial general staff attach
ed very great Importance to the pos
session of these heights" the eye
witness continues. ITO conquer, de-
fend and retake them, the German
soldiers have received a formal or
der which was so expressed as to
make it operative until the last man
was killed.
"In spite of the unusual difficult
ties of ground and the desperate re-
sistance of the enemy, we triumph
ed. The battle of Lorette was a
great battle and ended in complete
victory. In this part of the front
fighting has been going on uninter-
ruptedly since October, 1914"
Continuing, the eyewitness refers
among other things to the French
withdrawal March 8, 1915, after an
heroic defense. Finally, on March
Is, the French began to get the up
per hand in their offensive move
ments.
Thousands of dead testified to
the desperate nature of the contest"
the eyewitness says.
"The division charged with the
attack on Lorette comprised three
regiments of infantry and three bat
talions of chasseurs.
cat 10 o'clock in the morning of
May 9, along the entire attacking
front, detachments of the first line
jumped from the trenches. Two
hours later three Of the enemy's
lines were in our hands, but we
found ourselves face to face with a
small German force, and this check
ed our attack. Our losses were SER
ious. Progress was by leaps and
bounds, from one shell hole to an
other. Thus we held our ground.
Some detachments pushed further
forward, but the main attack STOP
ped at the fourth German line. Night
set in without any decisive result.
"May 10 and May II the situation
was unchanged.
ION May IL decisive effort was
made at night. The Germans re-
sisted obstinately behind their de-
lenses, but at daybreak we had cap
tured the small fort. Complete sue
cess had not yet been gained, but the
continuous fighting from May - to
May 20 had resulted in our mastery
of the plateau of Notre Dame de Lor-
cite.
"May 21 we attacked the trenches
of the Vote from three sides stimuli
taneously. Thirteen days of intense,
uninterrupted fighting resulted at
o'clock in the morning of May % in
a splendid tactical victory. The enc
my attached the greatest Importance
to the holding of the Lorette
height. On the plateau alone over
5000 German corpes were counted.
One thousand prisoners were taken
as we'll as a great quantity of ma
terial including machine guns, bomb
throwers and rifles. The French
losses were heavy.
"By this capture of the Massif de
Lorette one of the principal objects
of the operations north of Arras was
attained and a severe check was in
flicted on the enemy. 'This is one
of the most important tactical VIC
tories" the eye witness says in con-
clusion, "won by the French army
in northern France"