New Britain herald., 1916-02-26
GERMANS SMASH ON
 IN VERDUN ASSAULT
xSer's Forces Batter Down French, Taking Fort DouauInont
LONDON MAY BE AT STAKE
Battle Now Raging of Momentous Importance to England, Major Gen eraI Lloyd Says. As Its Success May Open Road to Paris

Open Road to Paris
 Berlin, Feb. 26, via London, 11:51 a. mt is officially announced that a@ort Douamont, one of the fortifi-
 cations of Verdun, was taken by storm yesterday afternoon and is now firrn-
 ly held by the Germans
 The official announcement is as fol- lows:
 "The armored. Fort Douaumont, the northeastern corner pillar of the per 1nanent main line Notifications of the stronghold of Verdun was storme yesterday afternoon by the Twenty fourth Regiment of Brandenburg In fantry. and is now firmly in German hahds''
 Fort Douaumont lies four miles northeast of Verdun It is one of nearly a score of forts circling Yer dun, and is situated just to the north of the railroad running east from the city of Metz
 @Douaumont is one of a cluster of seven forts protecting Verdun from the east. Forts De Sauville, De Ia vannes and St. Mihiel lie directly be- tween the position conquered by the Germans and the city of Verdun.
 The conquest of this fort was made by the right wing Of the huge attack ing army, which has scored the great es&s advance in the assault on the French positions. Douaumont is somewhat to the east of what has hitherto been the principal line of progress, being situated four miles east of the Mouse river. ...
 The main force of the German at I,r+ yi0.,e of ficial communications was being exert ed southward along the Mouse.
 Capture Important Achievement.
 The capture of Douaumont is the nam important achievement since the inauguration of the German drive at i Verdun-an onslaught which for fury | and for weight of men and guns has few precedents in the war. The French | war office has expressed confidence that notwithstanding the admitted great strength of the German drive at A5srdun and it's protecting fortressesl would be able to hold out. These po- sitions form what las been regarded as one of the greatest strongholds Of Europe It is the strongest fortress Of France and is of particular import ance from the fact that it offers direct communication with Paris which IS s15o miles west. Verdun marks the 1 .noIsb erly point of the great F'rench | defenses against direct attacks from | German territory, the most southerly being Belfort, as between these two | points lies the stretch of frontier on which Germany touches France.
 Mauburge Last to Fall.
 France has other fortified points further north, though of minor i'm portance as they were along the line | of contact with Belgium and Luxem- borasg The most important, probably | of these later was Mauburge, which 1 was taken by the Germans with sacri- l fices to them estimated at the time, in September, 1914 as between 80,000 and 14eO0O. Since that date no important l fortress has fallen to the Germans on the western front. At the same period a desperate effort was made to reduce Ve1dun and some of the incidents of the fighting which then occurred were of a emorable character.
 During the siege of Fort Troyon, near Verdun, in September, 1914, the commander of the fort ceased to re- <Asy to the bombardment. The Ger
 As, it was said, believing that the | khad been evacuated, approached Ell Aer to destroy a redoubt. The C. nder of the fort then set fire to two carloads of straw inside the structure and the Germans, convinced that their shells had started the fire and that they could easily take the n1ace, advanced in close formation. The French suddenly brought their machine guns to bear with a deadly fire and the bodies of 1000 Germans
 q hon a6 on the slopes below Fort Tryon. Gehzzan Success Threatens London. A despatch from London of yes terday's date says that Major General Sir Francis Lloyd, general officer commanding the London district, in a speech at the opening of a military building declared that the battle before Verdun was of momentous importance to Great Britain as well as to France. Do you realize" he I asked, that a fight is now going on for a passage to Paris? The result will hang in the balance until the Teuton is driven back, as have great S confidence he will be. But if our al lilies line is pierced the way will be &open to the French capital, and if &that capital is reached a new com Mpie-spn would be put the whole
 act1Af the war and on our lives and being German success on the $Freneh front would not merely mean the loss of Paris but would endan ger London"
 German Official Statement. Berlin. Feb. 26, via London. The statement follows:
 'sWestern front: On the night of TzsaE 95 an advance bV the British