The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1916-05-22
vERDUN STARTS
ON 4TH MONTH
FIGHTING TODAY
BIOOdiest and Longest Battle OF
World War.
Still Centers on Dead Man Hill
and Hill 3O4.
GERMAN GAINS AVAIL NOTHING
French Unwavering Hold STRAIT.
egic Verdun Forts.
without These Two, Teutons
Can Not Advance.
Still Centers on Dead Man Hill
and Hill 3O4.
GERMAN GAINS AVAIL NOTHING
French Unwavering Hold STRAIT.
egic Verdun Forts.
Without These Two, Teutons
Can Not Advance.

Paris, May 22.-French grenadiers
occupied several block houses in
Avacourt wood on the Verdun front
In the course of severe fighting last
night The struggle west of Dead
Man Hill was terrific. The war Of
flee statement of this afternoon SAYS
that the attacks of German infantry
were repulsed.
10000 Teutons Battle in Vain.
Paris, May 22-The battle Of Yer
dun, the longest and most bitterly
contested individual struggle of the
war. enters on its fourth month today.
Inc Germans with characteristic pa
uence and stubbornness are hammer
ing at Dead Man Hill, where the most
furious and bloody fighting of the
three months conflict has taken
place; CInging desperately to the
| trenches that they have Wrested from
the French on the lower slopes of the
hill the Teutons have hurled $4,000
men. backed by sixty batteries of guns
or ali caliber forward along seven
| mile front from Avacourt wood to
the Meuse in a desperate effort to
seize the coveted summit.
| Key of Verdun Front
AS has been usual in this war when
either side launched a well prepared
and strongly delivered offensive the
| Germans have succeeded in gaining a
footing in the French first line at a
cost of severe losses. However, judg-
| ing from the experience of the past it
will not be a difficult task for the
French to dislodge them before they
are able to follow up their advantage.
Both sides will then return to their
former positions to await another Of
fensive
| That the Germans must continue
their tremendous onslaught on Dead
Man Hill or abandon the idea of TAX
ing Verdun seems obvious. This blood
soaked summit and its sister emf
hence, Hill 304, form the key of the
whole system of Verdun defenses. The
fire from their batteries flanks the
lDouaumont plateau across the river
Without the undisputed possession OF
this plateau. military critics agree
that no attack on Verdun has any
| chance of success
Austrians Desert Albania?
Paris, May ga neutral diplomat
who has just returned from Albania is
quoted in a dispatch to the Matin
from Athens as saying the Austrians
have withdrawn $4,000 troops from
! Albania in the last three weeks. Ac-
cording to this diplomat the Austrians
have left only small attachments tC
guard the towns they have occupied
leaving a garrison of 800 at Fiera and
500 at Berat. The remainder of the
troops left in the country are concen-
trated at Durazzo.
The abandonment of the Albanian
front is said to be due to the impossi-
bility of bringing up supplies.
The statement that the Austrians
are withdrawing their main forces
from Albania apparently conflicts with
! recent dispatches from Athens an6
Paris saying the Teutons were about
to launch an attack in force against
Avlona, the only town that remains il
the possession of the Italians. On May
10 the AustrianS were reported tC
have assembled a fleet of $50 trans
ports at F'iaume to transport troops
and supplies to Durazzo.
The block houses in Avocourt woot
were abandoned by the Germans. Eas
of the Mouse, infantry fighting occur
red at the Haudromont quarries cap
tured yesterday by the French. The
Germans attacked these positions an(
the statement asserts, were repulsee
with heavy loss.