Pine Bluff daily graphic., 1916-06-07
FRENCH VETERANS CLEAR WOODS IF
 GERMAN TROOPS
French Staff Officer De- scribes Attack in Which
 German Position Taken.

Behind the French Front in Cham
 pagne, May 26-(Correspondence O , The Associated Press)-The French troops that made a big dent in the German line just west of Berrva,,-
 Bac and not far form Rheims more i than year ago, and who had chafed under the necessity of marking time there ever since, especially since the
 battle of Verdun began, were allowed the satisfaction recently of attackinp
 a little wood the Germans still held
 there between the Aisne and the little town of Ville-aux- Bois. This diver sion developed an action of consider
 able importance that did not get into
 the official communique. It has been described to The Associated Press hv
 staff officer.
 The wood, strongly fortified bv the Germans, made it impossible, so long
 as the Teutons held it, for the French to rectify and properly to consolidate thelr front at that point. When the attack upon Verdun developed great
 proportions, it was decided to prepare thls operation, both as desirable inn provement of the French position and as diversion. What would have been considered an unprecedented concen- traitor of artillery, both heavy guns and Held pieces, before the Verdun operations, was effected immediately behind the front, while the infantry burrowed deeper and deeper into their underground shelter. Orders were gwen, for the opening of fire at 7 o'clock on the morning of April 25 and the ire increased in rapidity and in
 tenslty until o'clock in the after
 noon, the Germans replying feeblv until the entire wood was being swept ana symptoms of an approaching at tack became apparent. Then their heavy pieces from the heights of Craonne began heavy shelling of the trenches from which an attack might nave been supposed to originate.
 French Storm Trenches.
 The French infantry, we'll protected, rom this shelling, in their deepened dtugouts, waited until the French ar tlllery heightened the ranges and swept the approach trenches and soldiers quarters in the rear of the German position. At half past four the first wave of assailants climbed out or thelr underground shelters and snrew themselves into the wood. All Ine Germans remaining in the first line trenches were killed or made pris. oners, and the French line proceeded on to the eastern edge of the woods where they rapidly organized their defenses against the counter-attack
 At the same time special detach- ments explored the interior of the wood, searching subterranean shelters In which German infantry had sought retugee. during the bombardment. That operation was soon interrupted; more than two companies of German infan- try that the French had passed over Tn their rush, seeing that their ad- had reached the eastern edge of the wood, came out of their Dlock houses and dugouts and took the French infantry in the rear, The attacking party was for a moment menaced with envelopment, but, re- covering from their surprise. they turned their machine guns upon the [ taking them in the rear. ,. |, Just then the moment arrived for1 the advance of the second wave of Frepch infantry Rushing into the woods at double quick, this line took Lne two companies of German infan- Ery In the rear, and the latter now got between two fires, instead of sur- rounding the first line of French as- 'allants and were themselves en-