Forest City press. (Forest City, Potter County, D.T. [S.D.]) 1883-19??, 1916-12-20
General Petajn HurlS Army OF
100000 Men Against Ger
man Line, Advancing on
Sjx-MiIe Front.
80 CANNON ARE CAPTURED
Numerous Villages, Important
Works and Strong Positions
Go Down Before Rush of
Victorious French.

Victorious French.
Paris. Dec. l8.-The humber of gums
captured from the Germans in General
Nivelle's victory on the Verdun front.
as counted up to the present. Is 80, ac-
cording to the latest reports reaching
Paris. More than 5000 Germans were
made prisoners. The French advanced
about two miles On a six-mile front.
The French plan OF attack was drawn
up by General Nivelle. now the com
mander in chief. with the concurrence
Of General Petain, who at the time was
his superior officer. The assault proper
left to General Mangau. 1t was
made by fv divisions. Or close to 100.-
600 men. under command OF such lead
ers as General De Maud'-Hay n Cen
eral Dupassage.
The front which the French infantry
had held since the recapture OF Douau-
mont. and Vaux. ran thus.
The southern slopes OF Pepper Hill,
east OF the Mouse. between Bras and
Nacterauville. Haudremont wood,
Haudremont quarries. the region north
of the village. Fort DouauInont, the
guarries northeast of Fort sDouamont.
The small wood southeast Of Fort Doua-
Hardaumont wood. the village
OF Vaux and The fort OF Vaux. Behind
that line General Nivelle. had distribut-
ed groups of powerful batteries which
for 20 hours before the attack ham,
imered the German positions. particu-
lar'y those on Pepper Hill and at Hard
oumont and Bezonvaux.
French Held Heights.
FROM the positions occupied by the
French it may seen that they were
installed on a series of heights. some
dominating the German positions, but
nfIlarc lGivpr rrpI0~ tho x;,N~@ r;~o -F
their opponents. To improve and
strengthen their line it was necessary
TO Wrest from their adversary the ia
NOUS Pepper hill, Louyemont. the crest
OF Hill 372 which commands Posses
wood, La Bauche n Hassoule wood,
the important works at Hardaumont.
west or n north of Vaux:
and. ii possible. the village OF Bezon-
NauS. o of wlloses houses are in the
Woevre. The church of his village is
on the southern slopes of Hill 329. upon
the other side of which lies the village
of Ornes. one OF the first towns carried
by the Germans at the beginning of
their victorious advance.
Five Divisions Attack.
Promptly at 10 a. M, the five attack
ing divisions, each of -yl.ich covered a
front of one and M quarter miles, adj
vanced behind the screen fire Of guns
VI oe 1HOy kNtSu FdplUly
into the German trenches. The German
troops in these positions. surprised by
the suddenness OF the attack. offered
comparatively little resistance.
In the village of Vacherauvtlle, where
the Germans had installed a quantity of
machine guns, the struggle was sharp,
but none the less short. More to the
east the French formations charged the
slopes of Pepper Hill, carrying all be-
fore them. As they rushed to the attack
the soldiers cheered and from time to
time the Marseillaise roared by tho
strong throated poilus. could be heard
above h chorus of the cannon.
Germans Make Wild Break.
With Vacherauville and Pepper Hill
lost 1t became evident to the Germans
that resistance would be futile and they
retired IN fairly good order. On the
NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS. road. however,
French troops suddenly appeared in the
rear OF the The French had
cfept along a small ravine running from
Pepper Hill to h road. On seeing the
French In Germans bolted. throwing
away their rifles, k~napsacks and pouch
es. From the top Of the hfl, the French
could see them running and. shouting
Win Joy. they dashed after them.
q an hour later the French
reached the extremity OF the Louve-
mont crest. close to the village of the
same name.
Here the French troops joined hands
with the formations which had started
from HaudremOnt wood and had
progressed almost as rapidly along the
eastern side Of Pepper hill and the
bras-L0uvemont road. LOuvemOnt WAS
stormed out Of hand and q large con-
g of prisoners was rounded up.
BY this time h Germans were sur
rendering freely all along the line and
the communication trenches were
choked with prisoners going to the rear.
East OF Louvem0nt another division
reached the Louvemont-Azannes road.
south OF the angle formed by this road
at The southeastern horn Of the Posses
wood, q sharp tussle took place for
possession of Hill s72, but here again
the Germans went down before the Wig
orous efforts of their assailants, ahan-
d0r:ing The ground and leaving many
dead and several hundred prisoners.
n advance swept on over Hill 312
as far as C~hambrettes farm, 1t the
other edge OF Posses wood and carried
II.
Many Guns Destroyed.
Northeast of D0uaUm0nte the 4 ad-
vance OF the French troops was equally
rapid. The woods Of La Bauche n
hassoule and the Hardaumont posi-
tons were carried successfully. Har-
work was completely demoi-
ished by shell fire, and could give no
support to the German formations,
which fell back upon 1t in disorder. All
the woods north OF the work were
occupied by the French. who pushed on
as Tar as the village Of Besonvaux. BY
H, 0ciock 20 gpps had fallen Into tho
nands OF the French: by noon 20 Iuna:
oy . O'Clock. IS had been counted, Z