The Hawaiian gazette. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1865-1918, 1916-03-17
. .- = -.
Set TO Rake corbeaux Woods
Famous Seyenty-Five Throw
Tons Of High Explosives Into
Columns Staying Hundreds
GALLO SOLDIERS HOLDING
AT lie HoMME MORT HILL
sf T ..
Fresh offensives Hurled At
Heights Dominating Douau-
mont Fort and Plateau Sent
Keeling Backward BY Cannon
fAscocia.ed Press b. rsdsral wlr,l,,,, .

ou rresS ~ FEDERAL Wtroleaa)
I'd ARIS, March 17.---Fresh German
offensives, directed against the
French positions on lie Homme
Mort, the heights which dominate the
'Douaumount hill and plateau, which
Were launched yesterday, have been
again disastronsly repulsed, the Ger
man infantry being thrown back in the
direction Of the Corbeaux woods. the
retiring regiments losing very heavily.
Fan Into Trap a V
The Germans, even In. their retreat.
fell into another French trap. the
French artillery having been conccn
trated so as to rake the Corbeaux woods
from end to end. When the Teuton
columns had Withdrawn into the ann.
posed shelter of the woods, the seven
ty-hyes came into action and the des
trnetIon OF German lives from the thou
SANDS OF high explosive shells pour ed
into their exposed ranks was horrible.
The various battles for possession of
lje Homme Mort, regarded as one Of
the most important straget'e positions
before Eerdpn by the French for the
holdiag 80 fl,e 1inR- have 'Oesn ,ha,sf
fought and the Germans, who have
thrice attempted TO storm the crest.
have lost at this point very many Of
the thousands the whole Verdun often.
siVe has cost them. t;s ~ 4 =
The French military critics, while ne.
knowledeing the value of the heights
to the French, staie that its loss would
not bring any corresponding advantage
to the Germans, inasmileh as Il wouLl
rot be easy for the Germans to haul mn
the steep hillside, their heavy guns, in.
n"Spensahle to the crushing of the
French defenses,
French Posts Secure
The French have their guns in posi-
tion and these positions would have to
be rendered useless before the French
can be driven Eout, while defenses and
gun emplacemehts useless to the French
would be equally useless to the Germans.
That the Germans, even If they
should succeed in throwing enough, mer
against lie Homme Mort TO enable a
surviving force to seize the heights,
would be able to hold them is regarded
as improbable, while the driving back
Of the French SO long as they continue
to hold the high ground is impossible
Yesterdays claim from Berlin that the
Germans had seized the main heights
were apparently based upon the fact
that the German charges were made
with such 6erceness and such disregard
of life that for "a time they occupied
portion of the. French positions, from
which they were later expelled
Blow Up Trench y. w, .:a+
Infantry patrols of the French yes
teriay discovered the positions Of Ger
man artillery at 'LaPlage, in the yiein.
ity of Nieunot, near the Belgian bord.
er. Well-directed gun fre completely
destroyed the German Communicating
trenches. Numbers of Germans were
killed at Haudremont and at Damloup.
In these sections the enemy is en1
gagged in perfecting the defenses while |
being heavily cannonadcd.
In a surprise attack in the forest Of |
Apremont, the French inflicted losses
on the Germans. In the Vosges Ger. |
man attacks were repulsed,