Bridgeton pioneer., 1916-06-15
HANDFUL HELD
FORT VAUXAWEEK
A Thousand FrenChmen Tried to
Hold Off Horde of Germans.
HAND TO HAND FIGHTING.

to Give Way Before Tremendous
Odds-Few Survivors Who Surren.
dered Were In Desperate Condition.
Fort Vaux, which was taken by the
Germans in their advance toward Yer
dun, France, had been practically be-
sieged for ninety days before it fell
Paris newspapers estimate that it cost
the Germans 100000 men to capture
the fort
When the situation at last became
critical the commandant, Chief of
Battalion Raynal, a tried soldier, who
had risen from the ranks, had hardly
more than 1000 men with whom to
hold the half ruined fort against over
whelming masses of infantry, support
ed by more than 100 batteries of heavy
guns. Re-enforcements could not reach
him owing to the terrible efficacy of
the German fire.
For a week, alone and unaided, he
and his men held out against very
great odds. Two companies of Ger
mans We're already installed in ditch
of the northern bastion, and after three
days that position had to be abandoned
by the French.
Raynal then withdrew to the central
redoubt He was still able to commu-
nicate at night with the main body,
and one of the last messages sent was
that whatever happened he would new
er surrender. He kept his word. Step
by step the Germans advanced from
the west and south, gradually narrow
ing the circle surrounding the fort.
Messengers Volunteer.
Every night Raynal dispatched vol
unteer messengers to General Nivelle
to inform LIN Of the progress of
events. Not one in five of these mes
sengers got through.
At $50 O'Clock one morning an
officer from the French lines managed
! in the darkness to crawl through the
German Gordon and reach the redGubt
where Raynal WAS holding out The
German artillery was still pounding in
/ ceSsantly at the roofs of the vaults.
where the garrison had taken refuge
| The officer succeeded in returning to
the French lines and reported the des-
/ perate condition of the survivors.
The fighting of the two previous days
| had been awful. Whole German regi-
! ments at one stage tried to advance
against the western bastion, where two
batteries of fieldpieces We're posted
They were met with a point blank fire
and annihilated. One company climb
| ed to within sixty yards of the guns,
but could get no farther. Several Ger
man assaults were repulsed only after
| violent hand to hand fighting.
When at last the assailants reached
the principal entry they were met by
| a counterattack, the garrison making
| use of their rifle butts, knives and fists
| and even their steel helmets, which
they held by the strap and swung like
| maces. The Germans employed lacb
rymosal shells, bombs and liquid fit,A
throwers in great numbers.
Gave Way Inch by Inch.
receded, and when at last, Worn out by
seven days watching and fighting, they
were incapable of further effort, fresh
enemy troops rushed the fort and cap
tured the handful of heroes who re-
manned.
Nothing is known yet of the fate of
Chief of Battalion Raynal, who was
gazetted on Tuesday a commander of
the Legion of Honor for his gallant de-
fense. He has been wounded several
times in the present war.
Seven days of terrific bombardment,
added to many previous periods of
bombardment of less intensity, had re-
duced the fort to little more than a
ruin. Its possession is still a matter
of Importance to the Nerdun opera
tions, however, because of the height
which it crowns and from which it
had been able to sweep the ravine to
the north as well as the slopes of the
MeuSe heights to the east.
Although the position, so far as nat
ural defenses were concerned, was one
of the most difficult to attack on this
bank of the river, it was selected by
the Germans in preference to other
points of less natural strength because
from its position ON the extreme east
of the line it received the least support
from the fianking batteries on the 9th
er bank.
Facing the Germans on the right
Bank of the river is the line from
Froide Terre to the forts of Souville
and TavanneS. both situated on heights
of great natural strength
Bible often Translated.