New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1915-04-19
100000 MEN LOST
in DAYS FIGHTING
Les Eparges, WhereFrench
Lost Captured Trenches,
Heaped with Slain.
RESULT MAY HALT
DRIVE OF ALLIES
Joffre Considers Limiting Sum-
mer Campaign to SkirmisheS
for Sanitary Reasons.
From The Tribune Correspondent

From The Tribune Correspondent
Paris, April 7.-Unless the drive on
the German lines. which is expected to
be made within a few weeks, is sue
cessful, the fighting at the middle OF
the long battle front will be limited
for sanitary reasons, to skirmshes the
rest of the summer. This statement
was made by General Joffre yesterday
to military surgeon who was inspect,
ing the territory east Of Rheims, and
was repeated 70 the correspondent OF
The Tribune by French-Canadian at
tached to the surgeons staff.
The French public does not realize
that the necessity for sanitary precau-
lions is so great as TO make possible q
halt in the offensive operations. This
change in the generally anticipated
programme, it is said might follow a
particularly great loss in killed, such
as the one when the French were re-
pulsed not far from Rheims several
days ago. II has been felt throughout
the spring that the summer campaign
would be a series of persistent at
tempts to break the German defence,
especially in the vicinity Of Rheims
and SCISSORS. On investigation it was
found that the decision of the French
generalissimo is well known TO linn
tied number of persons here in Paris.
French Lose 10000.
The battle at Les Eparges was one
Of the most terrific engagements fought
this spring, and it was because of the
fearful condition of the field between
the trenches afterward that the new
plan of campaign was adopted. The
battle was barely referred TO in the
communicates, and the only manifesto
tion Of il in Paris has been large in
crease in the number Of wounded
brought here from the evacuation hos
pitfalls back Of the line.
81 am not allowed to tell exactly
where the battle was fought" said the
attach6, "but ! will say that nearly
10000 of our men were put out of bust
ness-either killed or wounded. The
official estimate Of the German losses
is put at 10000, which, from what | saw
and have seen since the battle, does
not seem an eXaggeration. Many OF
those bodies still remain between the
two lines.
"The battle began in the early morn
ing with q sudden attack by the French
on the German trenches. The enemy
was forced TO fall back to the second
line, and was rapidly losing its hold
there when reinforcements were sent
in. Shortly after that the German ar
tillery, which had been scattering shells
all morning, found itself. The fight
ing from then on was simply terrific
! was working at a distance varying
from three to six kilometres behinC
the line, and from there the sound OF
the big guns made q constant roar.
Detachment Wiped Out.
"An effort TO advance Dy means Of 9
charge at one point where the artillery
had not found the range resulted in thu
absolute wiping out of one of our de
tachments. The first we knew of tn,
almost complete rout of our troop!
from the trenches captured earlier II
the day was at about o'clock in the
afternoon, when the evacuation of tn,
wounded suddenly ceased. When tn,
battle ended late in the evening tn,
relative position Of the two forces wa,
/ exactly the same as when the fgh
/ started
How many prisoners were taken by
both sides?"
81 don't know and wouldn't be al
lowed TO tell you If did, but you car
draw your own conclusions. I've tolC
you that the evacuation of the wounde,
ceased very suddenly"
"What was the general character o
the fight put up by the Germans ,"
They simply fought like the devil,
replied the attache. 1T was eviden
that their forces outnumbered our.
after their reinforcemeuts wer
brought in, and that they were willing
to sacrifice many thousands more t,
keep us from penetrating that frs
/ line. When our troops had beer
pushed back to the original position
. the fight stopped. The Germans know
/ by experience that our line at tina
/ point is absolutely impregnable. an,
consequently their fight was entirel!
one of defence Il would be useless
sacrifice for them 20 make any often
sive attempt there.
THE large number of German killet
and wounded is accounted for by tn,
fact that our attack did not begin unit
our artillery was sure Of the range
That was our advantage IN taking tn,
offensive