The Bennington evening banner. (Bennington, Vt.) 19??-1961, 1916-12-19
FRENCH TROOPS IN
VtROUN S[CTIOn
HOLD GAINS
Germaus Elected From Portion
They Had ReCaptured
RUMAKIA NEARLY CONQUERED
Army Is Destroyed, Officers Captured
and Two-Thrds of Country Is
in German Control.

Paris, Dec. 18--Chambrette farm,
northeast CT Verdun, on the right
bank OF the Meuse, one of the strong
ly fortified points which the French
captured in their sudden, powerful
offensive on the Crown Princes lines,
was the scene of violent battle
twentyfour hours long, in which it
changed hands twice. finally remain.
ing firmly in French possession to-
night.
In what is described in the Paris af-
ternoon communique as a violent
counter-attack" on the new French
positions, the Germans last night
gained footing in the farm. Late
this afternoon, the French came back
and in a spirited engagement, drove
the Teutons out entirely. Two ma.
chine guns were captured. On the
rest of the front only minor engage
ments are reported.
Both the afternoon and the night
bulletin of the Berlin was Office said
nothing important" occurred on the
west front The short lived success
at Chambrette farm was not claimed
by the German official account
A total of 1887 prisoners, lis can
non and 1O7 machine guns were taken
by the French in their victorious
drive, December 10, the Paris war CT
fee announced this afternoon.
Berlin, Dec. is, by wireless to
Notwithstanding to Russian re-
ports" says the Overseas news agen-
cy, "the Rumanian cavalry has been
almost annihilated. The Russians as
cribe the most appalling loss to the
lack of military experience on the
part of the Rumanians whose cavalry
hurled itself against infantry in forti-
fed positions. Thus, according to the
Russian newspaper Onesij Listok, the
Rumanian crack cavalry regiment, of
which the Queen of Rumania is the
honorary head lost at least fiye-sixths
of its eyectives. The Rumanian loss
of officers is, altogether. two-thirds of
the total in active service"
Field Marshal Won Mackensen's
whirlwind drive In the Dobrudja has
carried the Teuton troops within
twenty-six miles Of the Bessarabia
border. In three days this army has
advanced fifty miles from its long
maintained positions between Cerna
voda and Constanza. This important
development is recorded in last
night supplementary bulletin OF the
Berlin war Office. 1t stated that
Mackensen's troops have crossed the
line Babadagh- Pecineaga" The left
wing of this army. beyond Pecineaga
on the Danube, is now less than
twenty miles southeast from Braila,
the important Rumanian Danube port
which. with Macin and Galatz, forms
the last remaining source of supplies
from Bessarabia. Across the swamps
due west of Pecineaga, stands the
Teuton center which links the Dobru-
dja army with Falkenhayns forces.
The latter's left rests on Buzeu. Thus
Falkenhayn and Mackensen have es-
tablished their 100-mile front on an al
most horizontal line from Buzeu to
the Black sea, a formidable attacking
front against Moldavia and Bassara-
bia
The central allies forces west of
the Danube have been marking time
during the last thirty-six hours,
awaiting the advance of the Dobrudja
army Now that this army has come
up to it's typographical level, the 'big
push against Moldavia and Bessara-
bia is expected to be launched mo-
mentarily.
Braila, threatened from three sides,
is expected to fall today. The capture
OF Rimnicu-Sarat, the railroad city
north of Buzeu, also is imminent.
Petrograd officially announced yes
terday that the invaders advance had
been arrested in the region of the