New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1915-11-01
Seize Important Height in
Champagne After
Heavy Losses.
GAIN IN ARTOIS
MENACES HILL 140
Kaiser's Troops Drive French
from Trenches North of
Melville.
fRy OBI. n M Trihnne I


London, Oct 3l.-In a furious battle,
which ragged throughout last night
along five-mile front. the Germans
stormed the Butte de Tahure. in Cham
payne. from which the French artillery
threatened the Challerange- Bazancourt
railway.
For the last month the sector around
Tahure and the salient which the Ger
mans held TO the southeast have been
the scenes of fierce fighting. Despite
occasional repulses Joffre's troops have
pushed steadily forward, Strengthening
out their line and preparing for a new
advance
In this same dstrict the Germans
chose their ground for an effort to re-
deem their failure IN Russia and 10
prove apparently that the Allied of
fensive had passed and that new one
could not succeed. All last night their
artillery poured forth she'll on the
French positions from the woods along
the Butte de Tahure. northwest of the
village, to LA Courtine," an important
work on Hill 1876. north of lie Mesnil.
VI lHe t0lllt HUM, tANtHulliH dlOHb
the salient. the Kaiser's forces then
attacked. From the trenches around
Tahure and in the salient TO the south
the assauting forces we're hurled back,
but at the northernmost point of at
tack the Germans succeeded in reach
ing the summit of the Butte de Ia
hure, thereby regainng one OF the most
important advanced posts held by the
French in Champagne.
The infantry engaged in this attack,
says Paris. were chiefly troops recently
transferred from the Russian front.
Moving on in long waves, they were
moved down by the French guns, and,
according TO the French account. left on
the field many dead. The attackers.
says Paris, "were decimated by our fire
upon the entire 'front.'" and in the fight.
ing around Tahure village, where the
fighting was particularly stubborn, the
losses were very heavy.
With the Butte de Tahure in their
possession, the Germans renewed the
attack this morning, and the battle con-
tinued late into the afternoon. Four
more assaults were made during the
day, concentrating at the salient north
of lie Mesnil, and covered, Paris says,
by a mbardment of suffocating shells
Of large calibre. All these attacks the
French claim to have repulsed with
heavy losses.
Berlin, describing the capture of the
Tahure hill. says that more than 1000
French were taken prisoners. But the
Germans admit the loss of projecting
trench section north of Mesnil, lying in
the salient of which "La Courtine' is
the apex.
In Artois the Germans also claim a
success. Northeast of Neuville, in the
neighborhood of Hill 40, the French
advanced post n this sector. they re-
mort the capture of positions extending
1900 yards. The weakening of Joffre's
line here would endanger the French
hold on the hill, which dominates the
Vimy ridge and is pivotal point If
French advance on the railway to Lens
is launched. Along the rest OF the
front there have been no important ac-
tions.
GERMAN OFFICIAL.
The statement issued by German
Army Headquarters says:
Northeast of Melville Bavarian
troops took French position extend
ing LOO metres. Two hundred pris-
oners, four machine guns and three
mine throwers were captured. An
enemy counter attack in the evening
was repulsed. =.
In the Champagne on the night OF
October $3.50 a projecting German