The Sentinel=record., 1916-12-17
THIRTY GERMAN OBSERVERS
 COME INTO FRENCH LINE
The Battle Began as the Church Clock Tolled the Hour of Ten and Every French Gun Opened a Storm of steel-Nine Thousand Prisoners and Eighty Guns Were Captured.


 Pepper Hill, Verdun Front, Friday. Dec, l5, via Chantiny, Dec. 16.- (From a staff correspondent of the Associated Press) A short. sharp battle brought to the French today thei. third smashing victory within period of two months in the vicinity of Nerdun. Every objective point of the French commanders was obtained with chronometric accuracy, although the Germans offered tt desperate de. fense.
 Thousands of German prisoners poured into the French lines during the day, including 200 officers, and large groups are still arriving. The total count already is 7,500 Ctne lars- est French official statement says the number Of prisoners exceeds 9.O00) One division alone captured more than 1,200 Germans within an hour. More than so large and small German caln1 n were captured or destroyed and many others are known to be buried
 The villages Of Nacherauville. Lou. vemont and BezolyauX and Hardau- mont wood are now in French hands.
 The front over which the offensive vas extended was 10 kiometers long. When the fighting ceased owing to
 he darkness the French advance had exceed an average Of three kllome- ters along the whole front, at various points pushing further out and threat. ening the German batteries whose re. treat was hindered by the bad condi tion Of the ground.
 The battle began at 10 o'clock in the morning with the left flank of the French opposite Vacherauville and the right flank on Fort Vaux. The correspondent of the Associated Press watched the engagement from ia dominating height
 As the church clock struck the 6our every French gun opened a storm of steel, directing every shot immediate. ly behind the German front line. Meanwhile the French infantry, in d characteristic dash, reached the viii age of VacherauviIle where. utilizing the new method of infantry attack. they drove the Germans from house to house until the village was entirely in thei' hands
 Advancing beyond tho village the French attacked a German trench known as "Bethmann's bowl" which was pierced afte9 a hard fight and its occupants made prisoners.
 Then up the slopes of Pepper hill the infantrymen could be seen mak- ing methodical progress until at exactly an hour from toe start the twin crests Of this height had been swept clear of Germans and the rockets announced the French were established there.
 In the meantime the Germans oa the opposing slopes had been taken in the rear by an extempo1ized French flank movement. The sur prise was so great that both tue infal. trymen and the gunners attempted to flee and French ayiators turned the flight into a roUt by descending t0 within a hundred yards of the earth and emptyiug band alte: band of ma chine gun cartridges into the disor- derly cr-Wd, Of which those remain | ilg alive surrendered.
 | Making their way along the valley | behind Pepper hill the French ap. preached and took Louvemont vita similar brilliance. in which they were | supported by another French wave that had fought its way through the entanglements of strongly fortified field works in CaurrieTes wood jus. about the center of the line.
 From Douaumont the advance was 1 equarly rapid. but on the right flank the forward movement encountered strong opposition in Haraumont wood, which was not overcome until late n
 the afternoon. when Bezonyaux re-
 d0ubt. abcut five kiometers in ad.
 vance of the original French front
 line, was taken rom the German gas-
 rison.
 General Mansn was again the prin.
 eiral organizer of the victory in