Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1916-12-18
FRENCH WIPE OUT
10000 GERMANS
Two Teuton Divisions An
nihilated in Latest
Verdun Drive
ASSAULT LIKE INFERNO
Crown Princes Line Thrust Back
More Than Three
Miles
Nv HENRY WOOD

wtTH THE FRENCH ARMY AT vER-
DUN. Dec. H.
roar that rocked tho earth and sky.
. s..tbing volcano Of fire and SMOKE and an
.svsncs OF clockwork precision, every man
-hrfast his fellow soldier along n front OF
~. mIlep--this was Fridays French vic.
tory at Nerduh'
s,.a doyvn. the French calculated they had
,-tred out two whole divisions OF Germans
"a 400 men The net result was thrustlng
haek OF the German line more than three
sallea from Souvllle. Verdun's last defense,
from which point In July the Germans were
sanarated By only 500 yards Also. the
sro,nd taken was that over which the Ger
mans for six weeks had worked day aud
Night intrenching and fortifying themselves.
I witnessed this great battle from one Of
en-. hiThest forts behind the French line.
polnt OF vantage permitting View OF the
sntire flve-mila front. from NacherRuville
!, bevond BezonvauN. The artillery prep
syatIon. which had extended along the en-
,irn Verdun front TO ST. Mhiel. evidently
nuKzlsd the Germans They expected an
attack somewhere else, and. therefore. were
unable 60 begin their barrage IRE until the
French had swept up goody portion Of
Pepper Ridge
The French assault was made with such
preciaion that the entire advance OF nearly
i,yo rniles was accomplished at q uniform.
pte-established pace. The foot troops nd-
rnnced under n perfect curtain or artillery
Are. with rifle and hand grenade barragc
etarting at each stop. This barrage wiped
out any German opposition which had es-
eaped the artillery. and the infantry never
ian behind tho pre- established rate OF ad-
vance.
The attack was launched at 10 o'clock
Friday morning. II followed days terrific
artillery preparation eliminating just be-
fore the Infantry leaped from its trenches
into such steady roar that. combined with
the tInbroken rumble OF scores Of aeroplanes
overhead, the air and earth literally trem-
bled and vlbrated together.
When the French had swept up goodly
portion OF Pepper Ridge, there was Il
straight line OF fine white smoke to be seen
along the side OF the ridge There the
grenade throwers were executing their bar
rage fire while awaiting an artillery curtain
for their further advance. Then the line
ieaped forward and executed n second gre
made barrage. All these barrage fires con-
.tinued smoking In tho wet, sticky air, The
entire slope OF the Pepper Ridge was ribbed
with tiny white smoking lines, marking
every advance.
As the French troops neared the sum
nit OF that height ths fury OF the battle in
creased. Innumerable rockets shot up sky
ward as the different sections OF the French
attackers signaled aeropianes OF their ad-
vance. IL looked Ike great pyrotechn!cal
display glorihed Fourth OF July In
America,
The German barrage which had opened
At short range opposite Pepper Ridge slope.
lsngthened as the French barrage aseended
from the front slde-and the two curtains
met at the summit In a frlghtful intermin-
cling of explosions that turned the entire
dge into seething. smoking volcano
Yst--a moment Observation-Disclosures shot
q from the opposite side gave notice that
she French had successfully passed this
curtain and were descending on the opposite
side.
Within an hour the entire ridge was
captured. Then began n mad race to the
rear OF the French lines by the dozen or so
aeropianea that had been flying over the
combatants. Every aviator few low and
- fast as he could drive his machine. in
tent on being tho first TO drop the Joyful
news OF Frances victory over headquarters
OF the commanding general.
While the Freneh troops were sweeping
ever Pepper Ridge others advanced on Va
cherauyille, lying at the foot OF the Pepper
Valley. on tho Meuse They progressed in
hand-to-hHnd fighting with bayonets and
Erenades. the grenades' smoke marking the
lighting line
The fighting was so fierce In the city that
the volume of some kind OF hand Erenades
hurled by the French into cellars and houses
where Germans still resisted made IL ap-
pear the entire village was ahre Yet, when
the struggle was over, the French in con-