The sun., 1916-03-13
Spec'a, Cab'e Despd,ch 10 TnE srS.


LONDON, March I3 (Monday).-rhe
faris correspondent Of the Daily Mai,
telesraphng yesterday, says:
However frightful the German losses
may have been at liaumont. Iierbebois
and Douaumont In the first phase OF the
battle. they pale into insignificance when
compared with the awful hecatomb In
the lighting last week. II is hardly an
exaggeration to say that for every three
Germans in Crows wood (Lc Bots dcs
Corbeaux) there was a German corpse,
and that the slopes of Bethincourt. even
more than those of Naux, arc now
covered with the grim shapes Of
massacted humanity.
1T would be Idle TO deny that the
French in the past three sangunary
weeks have suffered, but when one
knows beyond question that for every
man Gen. Petain has lost five are miss
ing from the kaiscr'e army one cannot
but have confidence In the final result
Iron Discipline Rcmains.
THAT the Germans have fought we'll
at verdun the French themselves were
the first to admit. II is obvious that
In the twentieth month OF the war the
iron discipline of tho Teutonic army is
20 effectively maintained that the officers
can lead the men forward in column
Of fours formation for twenty successive
attacks over ground converted into a
shamblee.
when the Crown Prince first dis
cussej the attack on verdun he and his
Generals asserted that they were pre-
pared to lose 200. 900 men In taking the
n rnS elas IL t,,s
paid some say 1t has been exceeded and
the tricolor still proudly floats over the
citadel.
'Naux has now taken the place Of
Douaumont as the rock around which
the German legions rage in impotent
fury. A week ago to-day the enemy
first sent his infantry against Vaux. n
| struggling vxlagc which, only five and
one-half miles from Nerdun. nestles at
the foot Of the Meuse hills. Two spurs
Of the Meuse hills run out either side
of the village. One Of them !s Hill 3t9
on which is the Hardaumon, redoubt
and the other Hill 350. surmoun,ed by
Fort Naux and n chain OF redoubts and
| batteries.
From the bas,ions OF Fort Vaux the
| ground drops 800 feet In zoo yards. a
fact which shows the effort needed by
those who would capture the position.
"On Friday. after repeated costly at
| tacks on the village and fort. the Ger
mans were obliged TO admit defeat and
TO fail back. All that night they COZ.
! cen,rated their batteries on the 2.o0C
yard front from Hardamont to VauN
and at dawn began another despe u;s
attack OH the village.
! Their nine hour night bombardmen,
had searched the ground with deluge
OF steel. their trench mortar dropped
huge land torpedoes amid the houses. bu,
the French. deafencd by the uproar and
choke'i by smoke. gas and dust, still
/ held every position OF value.
| When the attack began there was a
white mist rendering everything invisible
AT "A hundred yards distance. This eu-
a abled the attacking forces TO get within
| rushing distance Of the French from,
| trenches. but though the Germans out
! numbered the defenders more than six
to one I, took four assaults before tho
frst column OF Germans whon shelter In
a small group OF ruined houses beyond
the church.
Organize New Attack.
During half hours respite the
Germans organized an assault agains,
the French positions.
tho church i,salf tho Erppr' cow,