Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1916-04-24
f. EASTER BATTLE
DASHES HOPES Of
. CROWN PRINCE
Shows Once for All That
Germans Never Can Cap
ture Verdun.
ITS STUPENDOUS FURY
Is WITHOUT PRECEDENT
But Terrible French Gunfire Has
Succeeded in Attaining
Supremacy.
GERMANS ARE SLAUGHTERED
For More Than Thirty Hours Slopes
OF Mort Homine Have Been
DrencI,ed in Blood.
ITS STUPENDOUS FURY
Is WITHOUT PRECEDENT
GERMANS ARE SLAUGHTERED
For More Than Thirty Hours Slopes
OF Mort HonIne Have Been
Drencl,ed In Blood.
by {. F.. BERTEI.LI.

PARIS, April os--NothinE I'm this
war so FAR is comparable TO the stu
rcndous fury of the Mort Hommc bat
Tie. which has hccn raging fcrcc)y
for tho past thirty hours.
The German Crown Prince is pil.aG
M regiment after regiment OH the
blood -drcnchcd slopes OF that sininter
hill. which Is liksly to prove tho
graveyard OF the German hopes Of cap
turing Ncrdun.
To-day the clear account of The
course OF the battle during the past
week reached nc y: the beginning
uf the week the French held the crest
OF Dcndman but tho crown princes
batteries swcp; IL with such y hellish
rre that General rctain withdrew his
front line to the southwest. south and
southeas. slopes.
The Gcrmana ;.t this time had tn
north and northwest slopes aud y
position similar TO that at Hartmarus
wnilcrkopf was cst:.n.'ehcd with :..,l
sides unable 70 occupy the summit.
SURPRISE ATTACK
STRUNG BI GENERAL PETAIS
ON Thursday. howevc-. General Pe
tain sprung surprise attack an the
northern slopes. which gave h..a the
German trenches, his troops holding
them against several sharp counter
attacks.
The crown prince refused to acccp
f. the result of Thursday as final are
on Friday night he delivered "A series
or staccato blows. which lasted until
dawn. During this fighting some OF
The Saxons gained possession of Gen
cral Petain's trench OH the northern
slopes but speedy countcrattack
threw them out.
After this repulsc 10 his infantry IN
crown prince ordered his guns intc
action. All Of yesterday morning a
furious fire covered every inch OF tho
Bcthincourt brook
At 2. NJ. the shellinE ceased and
brigade OF hardy Silesians was or
dered 10 regain the north slopes
Mort Honmc.
Ono regiment lcancd from it's
trenches and dashed across the in
tervening srece between the trenches,
but SO completely did the French can
non and machine guns cover tho
ground that the attack was doomed 10
instant failure.
A second regiment of Silesians was
then ordered to advance !, got no
further than the first from, to suffer
severe loss. The Silesians fell thick
snd fast. the survivors dropped to
their knees and fell back 10 their
trenches.
This brigade's losses arc estimated AT
40 per cent, or <,0JO men. And General
Petain still holds Mort Homrne in a
Arm grip.
GERMANS ARE POWERLESS
TO QUELL FHESCH GUSrIUE
Tho lesson OF ALL the fighting In tho
latter part OF the week is that the
Germans are now powerless 10 queil
tho French gunflre, and probably it is
not an cxaEgeration to say that GEN.
eral Petain now has a decisive SUI
periority in this vital respect. In other
words. the Easter battle has shown
once for all that the crown prince cam
not take Verdun.
bloody episode before Fort Vaux
on the eve OF Good Friday demon
strated as clearly as the Mort Homme
battle the deadly work OF the French
batteries.
The Prussian general commanding
there packed his trenches with TO-
600 men in readiness for great at.
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