Middletown transcript., 1916-04-22
GREATEST OF
ALL BATTLES
Ninth Week Of Conflict at
Verdun.
COSTLY GERMAN DRIVE
A Review OF operations-In Many
Respects Without Precedent-4o0,-
600 Men Killed, Wounded
Or Missing.

The most gigantic conflict in the his.
tory of the world, the battle of Yer
dun, has entered upon it's ninth week.
1t is in many respects without pre-
cedent. The enormous scale of the
German preparations and execution of
the attack, the unparalleled concentra-
tion of artillery and the sustained
ferocity of the fighting mark the battle
as one Of the greatest efforts of the
war.
Verdun has been rated as one of the
strongest fortresses of Europe, a cor
nerstone of the French defenses
against Germany. The evolution of
military tactics during the war, how
ever, and particularly the employment
by the Germans of long-range howitz-
ers, capable Of reducing the greatest
forts, have done much to change the
character of the Verdun campaign, as
compared with the earlier conceptions
Of what such struggle might be. Be-
fore the battle opened the French part
ly dismantled their forts around Yer
dun, and here, as elsewhere on the
va:iOus fronts, chief reliance for re-
sisl ance was placed on an elaborate
system Of trenches.
In no previous battle were the losses
so high as those which have been esti-
mated in the fighting around Verdun.
These estimates, however, cannot be
regarded as conclusive evidence, for
neither Germany nor France has an
nounced it's casualties.
Nearly 100000 Eliminated.
The French War Office has declared
the Germans have lost 100000 in kill
ed, wounded and captured. The Ger
mans state semi-of1cially that the
French casualties number 10000 kill
ell and wounded and that $4,000 un-
wounded French prisoners have been
taken. If these estimates are approx
imately correct, nearly 100000 men
have been eliminated as fighting units.
The ground occupied by the Ger
mans after Sc days of offensive opera
ti0ns may be roughly calculated as 100
square miles.
The Verdun drive was begun on Feb
ruary q by the German Army, under
Crown Prince Frederick William. The
Germans are reported to have brought
up seven army corps, or about 100000
men, to reinforce the troops which had
been in service there, and subsequent
ly, according to French accounts. other
large bodies of reserves were called in.
Within the first 10 days of the bat
tie the French lost Haumont, Samog-
neux, Brabant, Ornes, Beaumont.
Chambrettes, Marmont, CotelIate,
ChampneuviFe and numerous other
outer positions, including villages,
woods, heights and fortified farms. to-
gether with the fortified works of
HardarmOnt, and Dieppe, Fromezey.
Abauccurt and, most important of all
Fort Douaumont. These positions lie
east of the Meuse and north, northeast
and eact of Verdun.
Fighting continued intermittentlv
northeast of Verdun during the third
week, centering in the struggle for the
possession of Fort Vaux. In this week
the GArmans captured Fresnes, 12
miles southeast of Verdun, making a
three-niile advance in this sector.
Meanwhile, a new phase of the bat |
tie had developed west of the Meuse.
With batteries spaced, according to
German correspondents, scarcely 100 |
yards apart, violent artillery attacks |
were made against Dead Mans Hill |
preceding the long expected offensive
from the northwest. Forges. near
Dead Mans Hill, was captured early
in the third week, after an infantry |
assault along a front less than three
miles long. Positions south of FORCES
changed hands frequently during the
following days.
On Sunday of last week the Germans
undertook general onslaught along
13-mile front, both west and east of
the Meuse, from the Eaucourt- -Bethin-
court sector to Douaumont. A high
French military official alluded to this
movement as IAN attack on the largest
scale since the beginning of the Of
fensive." The Germans announced
that within a few hours after it was
begun Bethincourt and two fortified
positions to the southwest were iso-
lated. Trenches IN the region of Dead
Mans Hill were carried, but at no
point was the French line broken
through. Toward the end of last week
this attack sutsidsd, and there came
another pause, followed by French
over small sections of
the line.