Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1916-02-23
They Occupy the Haumont
Woods and Salient North
of Beaumont.
ADMISSION OF LOSSES
MADE BY PARIS WAR OFFICE
Tcutons Arc Showing Intense
Activity in Territory North
Of Vcrdun.
A,M.NG BLOWS vi FORTRESS
Its Fall Would Force French Re
tircmcnt Over Wide
Front.

! lSrccial cable 10 The Times pispatch.l
! I.rNncN. February - For the
! ond S,!ccc$sy" dny Tn" Germans have
pierced lac Iir"mcn line. an Monday
they captured &oo yards ot frst-line
/ French positions Ia Artois To-day
! they occupied the IIaumont woods and
Ia French salient north Of Beaumont.
: in the Ncrdun region.
! Dihcial admission ot botl, losses was
made in tho reports Of the French War
Office issued during the day.
! The intense activity OF tho Germans
4 north of Ncrduu Is the subject of dis
cusSon by the military critics of all
Paris newspapers. Tho consensus of
I opinion is that tn" Germans, are bent
OIL another desperate effort to capture
I Ncrdun.
} FALL OF FORTRESS WOULD
O"EN ROAD t'ROM METZ
Tho fall Of this fortress would force
open the road from Metz TO Rheims and
! remove I'll" menace from the southern
! Hines OF coinr,u ,iration Of the Germans
I in France Naturally. it would also
compel III" retirement of the French
/ in the Argonn". in Champagne. In the
\ W otNTt tlSlTi'l, tIi thc nC.entS inc
Meusc and in Alsace- Lorraine.
To-dayS success for the Germans
north OF vr,,inu came after IA violent
/ artillery hombarImcnt Of scventy-two
| hours. The infantry advance began at
duak Monday. Tho main attack was
made against Erabant-su Mouse. Tho
Gerluans broke through tho FIRST line
! OF 'lefensc md into the co,nmunica ton
| trenches in the rear From theae lat
ter works they were dsiodSed. but
he'll! the hrst line trenches.
, o-day tho hombardncnt was re-
/ new"d followed by an infantry attack,
which extended the German gain to the
llaumont woods and tho :alicnt north
Of beaumont
The German gain in Artois occurred
IN III" forest rf Givcnchy cast or
Sou"hcE ~ in tho attack on Rrabant,
tllc Germans after occupying the first
iinc trenches poured into the communi-
eating trenches. :'rnu the latter. how
ever. they wci' expelled
SourhcE marks an important position
IN the *truGE for the ridge OF hills
that dominates tie valley stretching
out &" I.cns Activity in this district
was prevented to-day by "a heavy fail
of snow.
hEANl HoNHtUDMENT
HEPORTID I'RON BRI'TIsu
Heavy Gcr",an bomb rdment of the
iritish lines north n" south of Ypres
Is reported hy the following British
headquarters report:
. During the night the Germans
I spranS mine cast OF Giivcnchy. we
suffered no casualties.
PopcrinGhe was shclled by tho Ger
,f,.i,
Z early this morning we srranr a
mine near the IIohenzolIern rcdoubt
our troops occupy the lip of the crater
fo'day our artillery bombardcd tho
''er'nan trenches in the vicinity of
Mhricourt. ovi!crs ana the Ynrcs.
commiucs Canal
Hostile artillery shclcd our posi-
tons southwest or Yprcr. Many lach
rinatory shells were used
''rr trenches north o. Vprcs. be-
tween tho filc<cm Road and the Ypres
N;"as were homharGc.i during The day.
one Of our acropIancs was struck
''1' an antiaircraft shell. The pilots
20" was practically severed but he
managed t" land his machine safely
IN the acrodrome without injury to the
Observer