The Detroit times., 1916-02-28
Predict Verdun's
Fall i'm Fortnight
BY UNITED PRESS.


within possibly fortnight, was pre-
dicted by German military critics
today as stories arrived from the
front. telling OF the destruction
wrought by the great German how.
itzers.
They pointed out that no fortress
since the beginning OF the MAR has
withstood the German bauerinS
once the ring OF Nending forts has
been reached
Douamont was laid in ruins on
Thursday, the day before the Bran
denburgers stormed and captured
the wrecked positions
-Four shots Of our heavy guns
we're fred agaiusl Douamout ard
everyone scored bull's-eye on the
distant target" said dispatches from
the front. Explosions IN the tn.
terror OF that proud bulVark fol
lowed the hits
4 second for' not far on blew
up, just as did old Fort Lincoln a.
Liegc. as the result OF a single
large calibered shell crashing
through the ammunition magazine.
All the correspondents with The
crown princes army point ouf The
: extensive preparations made for the
attack
our artillery opened a murder.
F, Gus fire on the morning OF the 2Ist,
, teIegraphed the Vnssische ZeitGng
correspondent Thanks To the
splendid activity OF our iiers the
enemy seroplanes We're unable TO
force their way into the air zone
( behind our front, preventing OBJ
seryations that might have disclosed
our plan
Our fire ragged with increasing
! fury until late in the afternoon.
crushing trenches, tearing wire en-.
Engagements TO shreds and barring
all approaches from the south.
AT in the afternoon We ad
vsnced The whole section OF woods
had been transformed into one great
I Nilderpess by bsrbed wire, but our
powerful artillery had destroyed this
/ net Consequently our infantry
rushed in with but slight losses.
by in the evening the wood
was hrmly in our hands, likewise
the strongest redoubt on this sec.
tor"
The German offensive gradually
spread TO the eastward toward
Ornes. the correspondent reported.
Then. following the same game OF
clockwork cooperation between ar.
tllery and infantry" the Germans
rushed forward again, taking new
positions and shifting their direc-
| ton again toward the east bank OF
the Meuse, directly north Of Yer
dun
Now the objective was the so
called Brabant position OF the
/ French In the hamlet OF Brabantsur-
; Meuse," continued the dispatches.
The mortars and hovitzers spat
! death and destruction against these
( strong field fortihcations and on the
/ 22nd the Brabant position and the
Village had been taken.
The driving power, the endur.
snce and discipline OF our troops In
all these fights was incompatible.
Our losses, happily, we're not unduly
! large"
The percentage OF desG will ex.
coed that of the Champagne cam.
paign," said one surgeon. because
there has been no real lull--no
7 chance 10 Withdraw wounded under
/ FIRE. There must he 10000 wounded
/ men dying In awful agony in the
rain and snow, simply because their
comrades can't get 10 them"
All reports from! the battle front
agree that no cannonade comparable
with that directed by the Germans
has been experienced by the French
since the beginning OF the war.
The greatest confidence prevails
here. Ofcials assert that French
munitions reserves have been ac-