Vernon County censor. [volume] (Viroqua, Wis.) 1865-1955, 1916-12-13
Stronger in Artillery, in Men and
in Morale Than Ever
Before.
PREPARED TO Fight IT OUT
Were Able in Four Hours at Verdun
to Regain Nearly All That 1t Cost
the Germans Five Months
and Appalling Loss of
Life to Win.
BY ARNo DoscH-FLEuRoT.
Correspondent of the New York World)

Paris.--In four hours portion of
the French mobile army under General
Nivelle has regained nearly all the
ground won by the crown prince before
Verdun during five months of continu-
Gus attack. 1t is q great French vie
tory-such victory as the Germans
at this stage of the war would make
| the occasion of u celebration. but here
In France il has been received almost
| without demonstration.
More remarkable even than the VIC
tory is the way it has been accepted
feeling of satisfaction and reassur-
ance. to be sure, and II is very timely,
as France has been having an hour of
nervousness over the fate of her new
ally, ROumanla but. far from being
any shouting about 1t, there has been
simply the ordinary interest in how it
was accomplished.
Nothing could express more plainly
how the French feel about themselves
and about the war. 1t reveals an
unconscious attitude of success that
characteriZes all French thought at
this stage of the war. 1t is a new
phase in the absorbing question of
French morale There has certainly
been no other time during the war
when so signal victory would have
been accepted so calmly. To me. liv-
ing here in France and watching the
state of feeling more closely than any
thing else. it is entirely unexpected.
Went OFF Like Clock Work.
The whole story of this attack is,
in fact, extraordinary. The time of
IL was known to a day two weeks in
advance. The preparations We're made
with hardly any attempt at secrecy.
Visiting correspondents were told by
the commanding generals just what
was going to happen. Here in Paris
1t has been the talk of the boulevards.
| The Germans were so well informed
of details that they were able TO bring
up re-enfOrcements against the point
whenever attacks took place, and il is
TO be presumed they did their best TO
check ii. But the advance went off
| like clOckwOrk as scheduled
1t will be recalled that the Germans
| a few months ago were able to do that
kind of thing pretty much where they
pleased. Now they are able TO do II
only against green troops such as Rou-
mania brought into the war. To go
no further back in the history of the
war. the Verdun advances were them
| selves heralded from time 10 time, and
| except for the half-doZen announce
ments made from Berlin that Verdun
| itself was about to fall, they usually
made good on their prophecies. They
were able to do so because they knew
what their preparations were and that
the French had nothing to withstand
| them.
"T'other Way Round" Now.
Now II is cutting the other way. The
French had such preparations that
| they knew the Germans could not
stand against them. And no one wants
to be deceived by the Berlin claim
that the French have retaken the
ground at frightful cost. 1t may have
cost one-tenth what II cost the Ger
mans 10 take it, not more. At this
stage of the war human cost can be
| figured accurately on the basis of she'll
| fire and the number of hours the at