Imperial Valley press., 1916-03-14
German Grown Prince
Awaits Reinforcements

New York, March 14.-Why the
comparative hull in the fighting at
Verdun during the last two days?
That question has been asked in all
the Allied countries, and the answer
is believed to be that the Crown
Prince is awaiting still further rein
: forcements. The Kaiser has beer
quoted as declaring that he would give
100000 men to take Verdun, and it
is being pointed out that it has now
cost him that many men and he is
as far from taking the stronghold as
ever.
But the Allies freely admit that they
do not see how he can quit the battle
| at any time, for to stop the fighting
there could only be construed by the
world as confession of defeat, not
only in this battle, but in the war
itself, for the political effect of
. withdraway of the German forces
would be disastrous to their cause.
Even now it is claimed that the
checking of the Germans at Verdun has
caused the Roumanians to throw
themselves on the side of the Allies,
and actual fighting has been begun
= between the Roumanians and the Bull
garians, thus compelling the latter to
j.. withdraw their support from the Cen
trail powers around Salonika and
opening the way for an offensive from
that city against the Austro- German
= force.
Because of the situation that has
developed, it is thought possible the
/. war will be fought out at Verdun,
where hundreds Of thousands more
r lives may be sacrificed before the end
comes. Thus far Germany has been able
e to concentrate her entire force at that
! point, with such massed artillery work
$ as the world never before witnessed
s But when the Allied drive comes from
the South and the Russian drive from
: the Fast, the Allies expect to make
4 comparatively quick work Of the war,
S compelling a removal of the force
from Verdun.
Now, just as at the beginning of
the Battle of Verdun, desperate neces-
sity demands that the Germans break
through the French lines, but the evil
|. dence seems to justify the claim of
the Allies that the Germans are no
nearer accomplishing this purpose
e than they were a: the beginning of
e the worlds greatest battle.
An Amsterdam dispatch says that
I eighty-one more hospital trains, with
] wounded Germans from Verdun, have
o passed through Luxembourg.
o German losses in the fighting
Il around Fort VauX last Friday and
+ Saturday surpassed all previous rec
ords in this war, according to officers
who have returned from Verdun.
Time and time again and with ex-
traordinary courage the Germans in
columns four deep rushed from their
trenches, only to melt away under the
fire of the French Is, $50 and 210-
millimeter guns.
When the smoke and dust cleared
nothing was to be seen but heaps Of
bodies.
The spur on which the fort is sit
uated is almost perpendicular in
places The German lines were
forced to halt, but many Bavarian re-
servists climbed upon one another's
shoulders and struggle up the slope,
clinging to angles of rock and grasp
ing tufts of grass.
Again and again these human pyra-
mds collapse into shapeless gray
masses. At the lowest estimate the
attackers lost two thirds of their eff.
fectives.
The fighing was extremely desper.
ate when regiments from the Fiji
teenth and Eighteenth German corps
attacked the village of Vaux on Fri
day.
Dawn was breaking and over tn,
country hung a heavy white mist
making everything invisible beyond ;
hundred yards.
l This enabled the Germans to ge
within rushing distance of the Frencl
front trenches, but, although the.
outnumbered the defenders six t.
one, it took four distinct assaults be
fore the first column of Germans wol
the shelter of small group of house
beyond the church of Vaux.
III They then organized an assault