Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1916-06-01
Counter Charge, Paris AS
serts, Forces Germans
From Stronghold.
CAPTURE PRISONERS
Kaiser's Men Fall Into Enc
my's Hands at Retreat
of Dead Mans Hill.


Germans were completely repulsed in
an attack delivered upon the French
positions at Dead Mans Hill about
O'Clock last night, according to an Of
fetal statement issued by the French
war Office today. A violent lombard
ment continued in this region through
out the night. An intense artillery
duel is in progress on the east and
west fronts at Douaumont.
The text of the statement follows:
'On the left bank of the river Mouse
the bombardment continued with
great violence last night in all the
territory around Dead Mans Hill. A
determined German attack delivered
yesterday evening at o'clock against
our position upon the eastern slopes
Of the hill was completely repulsed by
our fire.
ION the right bank of the river, the
artillery fighting has become exceed
ingly intense to the west and also
east of Four Douaumont
THE night passed in relative quiet
along the remainder of the front.
During the night of May 31-June 1
French aeroplane threw down 20
shells on the railroad stations of
Thionville, Audaun and LIE Main and
so other shells on the commissarv
headquarters Of the enemy at
Azannes."
Greatest Effort of Germans.
More complete accounts reaching
here from Verdun show that the bat
tie which ragged from May q to May
80 and which ended, according to a
statement of the French war Office, in
a costly check for the Germans, was
the greatest effort made by the leu
tonic forces in the whole Verdun op-
erations More and heavier guns and
,, denser masses of troops were assem-
bled along the three miles of the
French front from Hill 304 to the
Mouse than in any previous attack.
The French stood firm under an
avalanche of shot and shell and drove
back wave after wave of Teutonic in
fantry. They only surrendered about
one hundred yards of ground at Little
Caurettes wood, where a trench had
been obliterated by the terrific fire of
the big German guns.
Great French Success.
According to information given by
prisoners, the German forces consist
/ ed of two fresh brigades with three
companies of pioneers. The mission
Of the latter troops was to work
around Cumieres and reach the Chat
tancourt village by the road running
parallel to the railroad. In the mean
time two other regiments were ordered
to creep along the bank of the river
and seize the Chattancourt railroad
station to the west of the village. An
other brigade was instructed to storm
the woods and hedge rows which Dor
der Chattancourt to the west, while
other attachments, acting still farther
to the west. were to support the at
| tack. In the opinion of French mill
tary critics the result was not only a
costly failure for the Germans but a
success for the French such as they
have rarely attained.
Suffered Enormous Losses.
| The Germans suffered so heavily
| that they ceased further attacks while
the French by prompt counter at
tacks reestablished themselves again
south of Cumieres and won an i'm
portant point of vantage on the south
western slope of Dead Mans Hill.
1t develops that during yesterdays
battle west of the Mouse the Germans
sent back the French lines between
Dead Mans Hill and Cumieres for a
distance of three quarters of a mile
The French battalions, however. which
had retired before the unprecedented
artillery fire, reformed and made a
desperate counter attack supported by
reinforcements. After nearly two
hours of violent fighting they recov-
cred all the lost ground. The infantry
fighting in this struggle is described
as the fiercest of the war.
German War Report.
Berlin, June l, (via London AL p.
min an attack on German posi-
tions southeast of Dead Mans Hill on
the Verdun front the French obtained
foothold in the German first line
/ trenches over an extent of 400 metres.
! the war office announced today. The
French made repeated assaults on the
! German lines but other than that at
the point mentioned were beaten off
with extremely heavy losses.
| The official statement also says that
east of Ober-Sept southwest of Alt
kirch), a German accommodating de-
tachment penetrated into French po-
sitions and returned with booty and
prisoners and that a British plane was
brought down west of Cambria and its
officers were wounded and taken pris-
| oner
The statement says that on the Bal
kan front weak attack by the enemy
was repulsed and that near Brest
| SerhianS In British unlforms were