Evening star., 1916-04-14
Germans Pour Heavy Fire on
Enemy Positions at
E Hill 304.
ARTILLERY ACTIVITY
RESUMED GENERALLY
Believed Teutons Are Planning Sc
ries Of Short, Sharp Blows at
Various Points.

LONDON, April 14.-East of the
Meuse there is recrudescence of activ-
ity on the part of the Germans, al
though no heavy actions are recorded
in the ofiicial French communications
of today. A small attack on French
positions south of Douaumont in the
part of the line where some Of the
heaviest fighting Of the Verdun cam
paign has taken place is said by the
French war office to have been re-
pulsed. Along various sections Of the
front east Of the river the artillery was
more active.
French positions near Hill 304, in the
Verdun sector west of the Meuse, were
subjected to violent bombardment last
night.
Possible German Plan.
The Germans are now bombarding the
French lines at Verdun, apparently
policy Of delivering a series Of short.
sharp blows at different points on the
line.
The object of this method Of war
fare Is considered by military authori-
reserves by diversity in the points at
tackled and by gradually wearing down
the defenders to prepare for an oppor-
tune moment for a general assault.
The Germans first put this plan into
practice after the great wing battle of
March s to 8. Alternating attempts
were made east and west of the Meuse
throughout the month, and the French
lines being considered sufficiently
shaken to justify general offensive
oka ~
tions on the west bank at Avocourt
and Cumieres were assailed in force
during the night
These positions by an enilading fire
across the river have made vain the
attempts to carry the Pepper hill and
Vaux sector. which is the key to the
position of the Verdun defenses. and
therefore it is expected that the Ger
mans will attack the west bank posi-
tions again as soon as favorable op-
portunity presents itself.
The text of the French statement of
today follows:
ION the left bank of the River Meuse
there was violent bombardment last
night Of our first lines west Of hill No.
304. On the right bank the Germans
yesterday evening delivered an unex-
pected small attack against our posi-
tions to the south of Douaumont, but the
movement was completely repulsed.
The night passed in relative quiet
bombardment in the region to the
south of Haudremont.
IN the Woevre district there has
been an artillery duel in the sector Of
ance is reported from the rest Of the
front"
British Official Report.
The British official statement on the
o,,,,o;rn IN the ~esfern zone issued
last night reads:
The enemy made a raid Tuesday
night on our trenches near La Bois.
selle, after a heavy bombardment in
| which he used a large proportion OF
| lachrymatory shells. He was driver
out We lost few men taken prisoner
"wednesday night the enemy made
three attacks on our trenches north.
east of Carney. These attacks reached
our trenches, but were driven back. the
enemy leaving some dead in the
trenches. A few men belonging to q
party working on our front wire are
missing.
There was some shelling today
about Souchez and Carenay. between
Eloi. We retaliated against the enemy
positions. This morning the enemy ex-
ploded small mine in HohenZollern
no damage was done.
There was trench mortar ACTIVITY IN
this section and about Arras today"
German Statement.
The text of the official statemen,
given out today at the German army
headquarters says:
Apart from occasional lively artil-
lery duels in the region of the Meuse
there Is nothing to report. Attempts
made by the enemy to attack on the
left bank of the Meuse were arrested
by our artillery fire as the attacking
parties left their trenches"
French Losses 10000
in Battle of Verdun,
According to Germans