Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1916-03-17
: : y r.
GERMANS AGAIN
DRIVEN BACK
Invaders Still Hammer at
Dead Mans Hill and
Pile Up Dead
nEI1TONC SACRIFICE
TEUTONS' SACRIFICE
Il ~ ssA
Paris Says Third Battle in Verdnn
Campaign Has Brought No Gains
TO the Invaders

London. March 17.-The slopes of
Dead Mans Hill are strewn with the
bodies of thousands of German and
French dead, cut down in three days
of fierce fighting northwest of Verdun
The plateau has earned its SIMS
ter name, dispatches from both Paris
rand Berlin, .agree today. The slaugh-
ter on the northern ridge, where Sill
csian troops gained footing. has not
been cqualed since the desperate
fighting around Douaumont and VauS
Paris and Berlin reports today con-
| tinue fatty contradictory in the ac-
counts of the struggle for Dead Man
! Hill. the bulwark of the French lines
west of the Meuse. The French war
office, after first denying the Berlin
claim that Silesians had captured the
! position, reports the repulse of fresh
; German assaults against the plateau
and announces that the Germans have
been driven off to the north.
The Berlin statement, somewhat
j vague, reports that French attempts
to reconquer Dead Man Hill and posi-
tions to the north, have been repulsed.
British military experts, accepting
; the French claim as true, declare
that, had the. French lost the posi-,
ton, they must Of necessity have
abandoned the village of Bethincourt
to the northwest. Berlin has made n
claim to Bethincourt's capture, and
the latest French official statement
REPORT the village still firmly held
by the French.
From Dead Man Hill French guns
sweep the German columns east
ward to the Meuse, blocking any ad-
vance through Cumeres, in tbs direc,
ton of Fort Mare.
Paris, March H. Another very
strong German attack was delivered
Yesterday afternoon against the
French positions at Le Mort Homme
! in the verdun region, but the assault
ing forces were driven back in the
direction of the Corbeaux wood:
| where, according to the official state.
ment issued by the War Office last
night, the concentrated fire Of the
French guns, inflicted heavy losses
on them.
| No infantry attack took place yes
terday on the right bank of the
Aeuse.
The third battle in the campaign
| for Verdun, which is generally
thought to have begun on Tuesday,
has failed to give the Germans any
! advantage.
! French reserves, which in the op-
inion of some critics were kept too
far in the rear out Of the reach OF
the curtain of fire, have come up and
won back most of the lost ground.
The official statement of Wednesday
reporting this movement only men,
toned the recapture Of positions near
Hill No. 265, northwest Of Dead
Mans Hill, but is is generally believ-
ed here that the counter-oftenslve
went farther than that during the
day, it being the habit of the gener.
/ al staff only to announce advantages
when they are definitely won.
Berlin, March ia number of
unsuccessful attacks have been made
by the French on the German lines
south of St. Souplet, west OF the
Somme-Py road, in the Champagne
region German army headquarters
announced yesterday. The Germans
| took two officers and $50 men prison
ers, and captured two machine guns.
! Yesterdays official statement seems
TO indicate that the Germans ciai1n
possession of Dead Mans Hill, the
dominating height west of the Meuse
on which they reported an advance
movement Wednesday.
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