The Hawaiian gazette., 1916-02-29
Warning Forces Now CIaShing
Along WoeWe, Argonne and
Champagne Lines While Count
less Hundreds Die in Snow
TREMENDOUS LOSSES ON
BOTH SIDES REPORTED
Berlin Tells Of Ten Thousand
French Prisoners. While Paris
Speaks Of Salient That Prov
ed Trap For Host Of ,Teutons
, tA..Ooia.sd Pre-. BY Federal wlr.l.ul

- tAbsoc1ated PresA BY FEDERAL WtrelegsD
4 ONDON, February 26.-with un.
precedcnted violence and slaugh-
ter the great FtTuggle for thr pos.
session OF the Verdun lines IL .nntiu.
uing, while the battle has now been
extended until the forces are ela,hms
along TIC entfre' Woevre, Argonne an
Champagne frcnts. -. ~.
Combating exports Of the outcnnn,
arr being received from the vast tat.
tleReld, the French claiming that they
are holding their ground generally an
moving down the clouds Of German AZ.
tarkrrs, repulsipg the attacks AMI
plakIng zach successive effort OF the
Kaiser bloody and fruitless faIlure.
Berlin Claims Gains
Tie Berlin war Office, on tho other
hand, claims that the German5 have
taken already 4 total of ten tho1sand
French prisoners and have driven their
attack deep into the French Ines. zap.
turing u number of the. fortified towns
east Of Ihe Mouse in the Champagne
and cccapied many important French
POSITIONS in the WOevre and Argrnra
sections. o."
Both sides agree that the battle is
terrific, with the casualties mounting
into the many thousands for each Of
the great armies, The roar of the
thousands of cannon Is to be heard
far from the scene of the actual fight.
ing, reports from as far distant as the
left bank of the Rhine, in Rhenish
Prussia stating that the reverberass
tions Of the guns are being listened to
by villagers and townsfolk.
Battle in Snow storm a-.s
The battle before verdun is being
fought now in the midst Of heavy
snowstorm, but the elements are not
being allowed to interfere with the
the Red Cross in searching out the
wounded more and more difIicnlt. Hun
dreds Of helpless meL are being cover
ed up by the snow as they fall and
hidden from all assistance. RI
On the Champagne front, where the
Germans had driven salient into the
French lines, the latter counter-at-
tackled so successfully that the salient
was closed behind the Germans and
the whole force Of several thousand
was either killed or captured. ~.
Yesterday, according to the reports
via Berlin, the Crown Prince had driy-
en- his force into the tip Of the Vefdnp
salient and crushed back the French
to within two miles Of the outlying
defenses of the Verdun fortress, at
Beaumont, in the general advance cap
turing nine villages and fortified
farms. - ~ ... t...,
Villages Captured "a
In the sector including the villages
of Brabant and Beaumont, northeast
of Verdun, the fighting is heaviest.
Here the Germans have cut their way
three miles and more beyond their
original positions. This Is the center
of the Crown Princes front.
The outcome of the great German
offensive is being wftched here with
the most intense interest, the great
results to come, either to one side or
the other, being keenly appreciated.
Major Gen. Francis Lloyd voiced the
opinion of the British war Office in an
address made yesterday afternoon ut
the opening of the new military build.
ing at Wimbledon Referring to the
battle before Verdun, he said
The fight which is now proceeding
is "A desperate effort on the part OF
the Germans to force open the way 20
Paris. If the French line should be
pierced by this great offensive Al
Paris be reached by the enemy II win
put new complexion On the whole
face of the war and threaten our lifs
and being in England. German sue
cess in this effort means not only tho
loss of PA ria hut RI. nIaoin,, % -.