Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1916-04-10
Evacuation of BethinCourt
Held to Strengthen French
in Their Defense of Verdun

PARIS, April 10.-Evacuation of the
the war office yesterday in a paragraph
of the official statement, as follows:
THE premeditated evacuation of the
Bethincourt salient, which was carried
out last night. has enabled US to estab-
lish a continuous line, beginning at the
Avocourt corner and running along the
first woody slopes to the west of Hill
304, then along the southern bank of
Haucourt, and reaching our positions
a little to the south of the crossing of
the roads of Bethincourt-Esnes and
Bethincourt- Chattancourt.
THE whole line was violently at
tackled by the enemy, but withstood the
fiercest onslaughts."
Germans in Mass Attack.
Abandoning the new open formation
the Germans yesterday engaged two
Continued on Second PageD
army corps in dense masses against the
French positions northwest of Verdun
between Avocourt and Cumieres Forces
numbering at least a division and a
half charged the line between Avo-
court and Bethincourt. They approach
ed within a hundred yards of the
French trenches and seemed insensible
to the fact that hundreds of their men
were falling by the way, but notwith-
standing their courage and the weight
of their masses they were stopped.
There was deadline beyond which
they could not pass. When the attack
ing columns were thinned out by ar
tillery and machine gunf1re so that a
reformation became necessary the or
der to retire was given.
Twice were they obliged to fill up the
gaps in their ranks, but none of their
onslaughts shook the French line.
which had been considerably strength
ened in the region of Bethincourt by
the withdrawal Of forces from the dan
gerously exposed salient to command
ing positions behind the village.
Attack Dead Mans Hill.
Two fresh divisions attacked Dead
Mans hill while the assault was in
progress on the Bethincourt line, other
forces at the same time trying to slip
through the ravine near Cumieres. To
aid the maneuver an attack was stimuli
taneously made on the east bank of the
Mouse in the region of Champneuville-
Vacheruville. few hundred men, who
had succeeded in penetrating the
ravine, were left on the field after the
action proved unsuccessful.
A third attack at the same time was
delivered on position strongly organ
lied by the French. northeast of Avo-
court, the object seemingly being to
drive in the French line far enough to
turn hill 304, which lies 800 yards south
and constitutes what is characterized
as the Gibraltar in the French line in
that district. This attack met with
more success than the others. but after
the Germans had succeeded in getting
footing at some points in the first
trenches the French counter attacked
and the net result for the Germans was
an increase in their losses from the
French bayonets. 1t is stated that at
the close of the day the French held
ginning of the attack.
The German losses are again said to
have been on the basis of SO per cent
of the electives engaged and these in
cluded considerable proportion Of the
German reserves.
French Public Is Confident.
The failure Of the latest great hammer
stroke of the Germans at Verdun has
greatly encouraged the French press and
public and confirms still further the gen.
eral confidence felt in the ability of the
high command. The attack Is stated to
nave pcel oiie VI LILO iioSl determined Oh
the great blows delivered since the battle
began fifty days ago, and yet it yielded the
least results of any of them, although the
crown prince hurled two whole army corps
against the French along a ten-mile front
AS Bethincourt formed a dangerous
salient its evacuation had been expected
for some time and many military obsery-
ers long ago criticised>its retention.
Gen. Petain's unerring judgment in
letting 1t go at exactly the right mo-
ment is now highly praised. While of
little value to the French. it is Of al
most none to the Germans. as it is To-
Gated in a hollow commanded by