South Bend news-times. (South Bend, Ind.) 1913-1938, 1915-11-01
TAHURE HILL IS
LOST BY FRENCH
Germans ReCapture Position,
But Fail to Take City.
Many Assaults Stopped.

LONDON. Nov. As a net result
OF two days Of the most violent fight
ing yet seen on the Champagne front,
the Germans have recaptured Tahure
hill from which the French batteries
menaced the Challerange- Bazancourt
railway. the main supply line for all
the German troops in the scissors
salient The Germans attacked on a
five-mile front with strong reinforce
ments Of veterans from the Russian
front fighting in the first line.
Following this success the Germans
Sunday made four successive assaults
on the French dcfenses in an effort
20 enlarge their gains and take the
village Of Tahure, a mile south Of the
hill. Despite minute artillery prepa-
rations and heavily massed attacks,
the Germans were thrown back in
each Of these assaults According &C
papers they suffered heavy losses.
French reports detail the capture OF
356 unWOunded prisoners. But Ber-
lin states that ia the capture Of Ia
hill 1900 French remained in Ger
man hands.
Attack Opens Saturday.
The German attack opened early
Saturday morning. a general bonn
bardment of the entire salient estao-
lished by the French when they cap
tured Tahure hill progressed with Vi
olence. throughout the day, increasing
intensely as night drew near. Every
yard Of the French line from the hill
OF Tahure to the eastern extremity
Of the works known as La Courdne.
including the village Of Tahure and
the heights to the north, northeast and
south Of Il, was hammered with a pull
yerizing fire.
A. no and
bursting Of shrapnel reached its high
est pitch, the German infantry drove
forward against the whole line
Heavily massed forces advancing in
wave upon wave, rushed forward be-
hind gas clouds and thick pillows Of
heavy smoke ThR were met by a
decimating fire from the French bat
teries and musketry Bodies of dead
and wounded formed before the
French trenches.
Germans sweep Over.
Everywhere the French line held ex-
cept at Tahure hill. where the Ger
mans concentrated their heaviest in
fantry forces Here the French ma
chine guns and rifles poured steady
stream OF bullets into the Onrushtng
German ranks and as they drew near
er, bombs and grenades were used
and finally the bayOnet, only to no
tier upon tier of trenches until finally
they reached the summit with it's COW
eted command of the valley to the
north.
Sunday. elated by their recapture of
Tahure hill and undismayed by their
losses on the remainder Of the five
mile front, the Germans renewed with
ever increasing violence their artillery
BON bardment, throwing vast quanu-
ties OF poisonous gas shells of huge
calibre into the French trenches. Aft
or a cannonade lasting from before
dawn until about 6 o'clock they made
their first assault This was directed
against the eastern extremity of La
COurtine. a highly organized work.
Here as in the succeeding attacks, the
French artillery employed their cur
tains of fire" streams of exploding
shells dropped behind advancing coll
ums, TO prevent machine guns moving
them down. The German attack broke
down and the attackers were driven In
disorder TO seek refuge in their
trenches.
Attack on Village Fails.
Tahure. the village itself, was the