The daily telegram. [volume] (Clarksburg, W. Va.) 1901-1926, 1916-05-22
TRENCH TROOPS OCCUPY
BLOCK HOUSES IN WOOD
German Infantry Attacks on
Dead Man AlIl Repulsed
by the French.
GERMAN LOSSES ARE HEAVY
FKaiser's Forces Succeed in
Gaining a Footing in the
French First Line.

I 81
%, AssocArso p.s..,
PARIS. May 22-French grena-
d1ers occupied several block houses
IN Avocourt wood on the yerdun
front In the COURSE Of severe fight
ting last night.
Tho struggle west of Dead Man
NIL was terrific, The war ollco
statement Of today says that the at
tooks OF German infantry wcro re-
pulsed.
Houses Abandoned.
The block houses In Ayocorrt
1ood wero abandoned By tho Cor
East Of tho Mouse ,7eantry fight
ing occurred ct the lnudremont
quarries, captured yesterday by the
French. Tho Germans attacked these
post. ons and the statement asserts
were repulsed with heavy losses.
The battle Of Verdun, tho longest
and most bitterly contested struggle
OF the war, entered on its fourth
I'm 1th today. The Germans are
lhammerlng at Dead Man hill, where
the most furious and bloody fighting
of the three months conflict has
taken place. Cllnging desperately to
the trenches that they have wrested
from the French on the lower slope
of tho hill the Tcutons have hurled
10000 men backed by sixty batter
les Of guns Of all calibers forward
along a seven mile front from .tvo-
court wood TO the Mouse in desper-
ate effort to seize tho coveted sum-
NIT.
Germans Got Foothold.
AS has been usual in this war
when either sido lost a we'll prepared
and strongly delivered offonsive at
lacking forces have won initial ad-
vantages. Tho Germans havo sue
ceeded In gaining footing in Tie
French first line ut cost Of severe
losses. However. Judging from the
experience of the past 1t will not be
difficult task for the French to dis
lodge them before they are able to
follow up their advantage. Both
sides will then return to their former
posts to await another Offensive.
That the Germans must continue
their tremendous onslaught on Dead
Man hill or abandon the idea OF
taking Verdun seems obvious. This
blood-soaked summit and its sister
emtnence, Hill No. 3O4, form the key
the whole system Of Verdun's de-
fenses.
The fire from their batteries tanks
the Douaumont plateau across the
river. Without the undisputed po-
sitions OF this plateau military critics
agree that no attack on verdun has
any chance OF success,
Official Statement.
The official statemouT continues:
South Of Berry-au-Bac French
forces exploded two mines with sue
cess at hill 10S.
In the Champagne district a gas
attack by the Germans was without
results. This emission Of gas was in
the zone between the road from Souain
to Somme-Py and the road from San
te Hilaire to st. Souplet. No sooner
had the cloud OF gas started than an
unexpected turn in the direction Of
the wind drove It back on the trench
es Of the enemy,
Balloons Sent Down.
I'm the region of Verdun French
aviators have attacked number Of
captive German balloons. Six OF these
boiiOoho Wcl0 otut uOWu vi ulc. III III
aerial engagement one Of our pilots
brought down German aeroplane. In
the vicinity of Eparges two other ma
chimes Of the enemy attacked by
French aeroplanes were brought to
earth, one behind the enemy lines at a
point near Liancourt and the other be-
hind our lines at Fontcnoy.
'This morning aeroplanes OF the
enemy threw down bombs on Dunkirk.
"On the nights OF May 20 and 81
several operations were conducted by
groups of French aviators. Shells
were successfully thrown on the rail-
road station at Metz-sablons, Avrf-
court and Roye; upon munition de-
pots at Biaches and Chappelote: on
ibivouacks in the vicinity OF Azanncs
and on the village of 5imietz where
there had been installed the head
quarters OF the commandments OF an
Important division. Furthermore
two OF our diriglbles have rained
down bombs on the railroad station
and the railroad line at Brfeulles and
Dun"