Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1916-06-02
GERMAN ASSAULTS !
MAY Be DECISIVE
Utilizing Military Powers to
Fullest, Crown Prince :
Strikes Verdun Defenses. !
REPORTS THE CAPTURE '
OF CAlLLETTE WOOD
French Claim to Have Made Prog.
ress South of Caurettes Wood
Near Cumieres.

LONDON. June with all the
weight and power of tremendous
masses of men and metal the Germans
have been delivering what may prove
to be their decisive stroke against the
main defenses at Nerdun.
The German attack of yesterday
northeast of the fortress which gained
them first line French trenches in the
crucial sector between Fort Douau-
mont and Vaux has been followed by
fighting of extreme violence. This aft
ernoon's official bulletin from Paris re-
ports the continuance of the struggle
throughout the night. but fails to res
cord the outcome. the implication being
that the result so far is indecisive.
Drive on Two-Mile Front.
The crown princes drive is being
pressed along a front little more than
two miles in width between the Thiau-
mont farm and Vaux.
The capture of Caillette wood. south
Of Fort Douaumont on the verdun front.
and of adjoining trenches was announced
today by the war office.
The recent pushing back OF the French
lines on the west bank of the Mouse is
claimed to have stopped the French
Ranking Are from that bank. which
hitherto had handicapped German at
tempts to advance on the opposite side
of the river.
West of the Meuse the French have
been endeavoring to regain some of
ward drive of the Germans there. and
they claim to have made progress last
night south of Caurettes wood in the
vicinity Of Cumieres.
French Statement.
The text OF the French statement
follows:
In the Argonne there has been
fighting with hand grenades in the
Vauqois sector at Courtes Chaussees
and File Morte. We caused the ex-
plosion of several small mines, which
inflicted damage upon the subterranean
works of the enemy.
ION the left bank of the River Mouse
a counter attack delivered by our
troops made it possible for US to pro-
gress for 100 yards into the communt-
eating trenches of the enemy south OF
the wood of Caurettes. Between this
wood and the village of Cumieres an
attack on the part of the enemy was
checked by our curtain of fire, and the
ION the right bank of the river the
battle continued yesterday and last
night with extreme violence along the
entire front between the Thiaumont
east of the Vaux fort as far as DAM
loup. In the region of Thiaumont and
Douaumont the assaults OF the enemy
were repulsed by our fire and our
counter attacks
south of the Douaumont fort the
Germans were successful in penetrat-
ing the southern portion of the Call
lette wood as well as the southern
shores of the Faux pond On our rlghe
all the attacks directed upon the sector
between Vaux and Damloup were brok-
en- by the counter resistance of our
troops, who inflicted very heavy losses
upon the enemy.
Artillery Fire Heavy.
I'm the course of this fighting the ar
tillery fire reached an exceptional de-
gree of violence and continued along
all the front attacked.
The night passed relatively quietly
on the remainder of the front.
Yesterday French air squadrons en-
gagged in combat the group of aviators
who came to BON bard Bar lie Due and
compelled second group of enemy
machines to disperse. A German ma
chine was brought to the ground near
Etain, and in the course OF TINS pur-
suit a Fokker machine, attacked by
two French machines, came down near
Bouconville.'
British Communication.
The British official statement issued
at midnight reads:
our aeroplanes yesterday had a long
running fight with three hostile ma
ri
down. One of ours is missing.
During the night hostile aircraft
dropped eight bombs on foperihsHe
without damage
throughout the day there was con-
tinuous and heavy shelling by the
British and German guns or an eau-
hers in the neighborhood OF Nimy
ridge the fire at times becoming m
tense The artillery activity extended
to a minor degree in the direction OF
Loos. Ypres and the River Sofhihe.
There was some mining In the VI
cinity of Loos, at the rentrant or our
trench line about Fricourt ana JUST
north of the Somme
EXCEPT for ordinary trench actiV-
itv there was no infantry engagement
In the past twenty-four hours.
French Bring Down Two Aeros.
SQUADRON of French aeroplaneA
n,rsutnr a group of German machines
which had Just bombarded Bar le DUO,
brought down two machines. one OF
which was a Fokker.
The raid referred to probably is the
ona mentioned in last nights French
ofRcial statement, which said that
aigbteen civilians in Bar lie Due were
killed by German bombs.
Austrians in Battle.
Several Thousand Austrian troops
have been observed among recent REIN
,orcements brought to the vicinity of
Douaumont.
Among military observers this is be-
ieved to indicate that Germany has
insisted that Austria divide her efec-
ives in aid of the Germans, in spite of
he fact that an Austrian offensive is
,eing pressed against Italy.
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