Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1916-02-29
GERMANS PIERCE LINES
SOUTHEAST OF VERDUN

Continued from Page One
/ court and Blancee, clearing the enemy
| from the wooded region north and east of
] Watronville and Haudimont, and taking
Manheulles and Champion.
up to last night we had counted these
unwounded prisoners as 22S officers and
| l6,575 men We have also taken IS can
non and S6 machine guns, and war mate
rial that cannot yet be counted.
AT the foresters house at Thiavlle,
northeast of Badonviller. a projecting por.
ton of a French position was taken by us,
together with a large number of prison.
ers.
PARIS, Feb 20.
German troops have captured Man.
heules, strongly fortified village in the
Woevre plains, southeast of Vcrdun, and
two miles northeast of Fresnes according
to today's official Communique from the
French War Office. The communique also
admits a temporary success for the Ger.
mans in Lorraine.
In the region to the north Of verdun
the Kaiser's forces last night renewed
their attack ON the village of Douaumont
These were repulsed after hand-to-hand
fighting.
RBPULSE TEUTON ATTACKS.
The text of the communique follows:
ITO the north of Verdun the lombard
ment has continued very violently. In the
sector to the east of the Meuse violent
local attacks, renewed during the night at
various times in the region of the village
of Douaumont and developing into hand
to-hand conflicts, were repulsed by our
troops.
'1n the woevre, the Germans succeeded,
after violent artillery preparation, in
capturing the village of Manhuelles A
counter-attaclS Immediately carried our
troops back to the west border of the viii
lage. which we now have under our fire.
"In Lorraine the enemy penetrated some
small trench sections in the advance line,
from which he was almost Immediately
driven.
There is nothing to report on the rest
of the front"
While violent fighting RACES around the
heights of Douaumont, the Germans are
trying to drive home fresh attacks at
two widely separated points, in order to
encircle Verdun and cut the lines of COM
muncation of the French. The German
attack in Champagne, in the sector of
Navarin farm, was evidently an attempt
to gain control of the Rheims-Verdun rail-
way. one of the chief supply lines feed
ing and arming the French forces in the
garrison. The assault was made at a
point where the German lines are near.
est the railway, and by the capture of
Navarin farm the Teutons are now only
six miles from the railway line.
Huge masses of men are being thrown |
against the French lines along the rail-
way in the Woevre plain between Elk. |
Manheulles and Fresnes.
BELIEVE FOE EXHAUSTED.
French military experts. who hold that |
the battle of Verdun Is drawing to a close, |
base their belief upon the fact that the |
Germans have nearly exhausted the i'm |
mense supplies of men and munitions that !
rpf tod nf fArt
for the drive.
The fact that the artillery fire on both |
fanks of the German front north of Ver-
dun was slackened was held to be the re-
suit of necessary economy of shells, In
stead of attacking on an extended front,
the Germans concentrated their fire over
4 front of approximately two miles from
4 point west of Douaumont to a point east
IF VauX They evidently hoped to blast
heir way through the French defensive
works at that point to open the way for
infantry attacks against the inner French
inc
Standing on hill four miles north of
Fort Douaumont, Kaiser Wilhelm watched
'or six hours the bloody struggle for pos
session of the fort, according to German
prisoners whose stories were telegraphed |
lere today.
a raw wind blew sheets of rain and
now across the eminence and staff officers
ecent Illness, not to expose himself. De-
pite their entreatie5 he held to his post.
ield glass in hand and protected by a
;reat storm proof coat, until the Brand
nburgers charged into the French posi-
ions.
The Douaumont guns did frightful eN-
cution before they were slenced by
ierman howitzers. Battalion after bat.
alion of German troops almost disap-
eared from sight as big shells tore their
ronts.
The slaughter north of Pepper Heights
quals that around Douaumont. Every
oot of fiat land approaching the ridge is
by French guns Steady
heets of shrapnel and shells are break
ng over this plain. Not even by de-
ending themselves behind parapets of
cad bodies could the Germans hope TO
dvance through infantry actions.
WOMANLESS HAT CAPTURED