Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1916-03-13
Intense Artillery Duel ContIn-
ues, According to the Of
ficiaI Statements.
FRENCH GUNNERS SEARCH
OUT ENEMY'S POSITIONS
Experts Anticipate Next Attack to
East or Southeast of the
Fortress.

LONDON. March 13.--A pro-
nounced pause has come in the
German offensive operations
against \crdun as lar as the in
iantrv arm is concerned. accord
ING to the official bulletins from
Paris.
Sunday passed without inian-
try advances. and the crown
prince troops did not leave their
trenches ior an attack at any
point during last night. the
French war Office reports.
Artillery Duel Keeps Up.
There has been no cessation of the
artillery play. however. the lombard
ment continuing along much of the
front. 1t was particularly severe in the
Woevre district. where the French
positions, indicating the probability
that some move by the Germans to the
the French right flank. is anticipated.
A small engagement occurred in lie
pretre forest, on the left bank of the
Moselle, west of Pont-a- -Mousson. to the
a1
the French report penetrating 200
yards of trenches and Withdrawing
after destroying the German saps.
Railroad Station Bombed.
French aviators bombarded the rail-
road station at Confans. where fires
were seen TO break out.
Reports come from Dutch sources
that the Dutch Belgian frontier, which
has been closed for several weeks CO.
incident with the Verdun offensive. has
been reopened at one point. THIS is
commented on in Holland. according to
a news agency dispatch through Lon
don, as probably indicating that the
Germans consider their offensive near
an end.
Infantry Fighting Suspended.
PARIS. March 1s. 2:so p.m.-The Of
fetal statement today by the war Office
says:
There was no infantry fighting last
night in the region to the north of Ver-
dun. The bomba rdment continued, how
ever, during the night at Bethincourt
and in the vicinity of DouaumOnt, as
well as in the Woevre, in the sectors of
lerv showed great activity along this
front.
In the wood of lie Pretre a detach
ment of our troops penetrated trench
of the enemy at a point near Croix des
Carmes along front or ABOUT Soo
and after having inflicted some losses
on the enemy they returned to our
lines with about twenty prisoners
The night passed quietly on the re-
mainder of the front.
German Official Report.
BERLIN. March 13. via ondon, 322
pm.-The text Of todays statement by
German army headquarters is as follows:
western theater-The weather has
been favorable for observation pur-
poses and there has been very lively
artillery activity on both sides over
great part of the front. The activity
also increased on both sides of the
Meuse and as far as the Moselle.
Apart for some patrol fighting on
the Somme and the failure of minor
French attack in lie Pretre forest there
were no events.
Apart from some patrol fighting on
men attacked enemy railway stations
and military depots. especially on the
Clermont- -Verdun railway line, with
success.
Three enemy aeroplanes were de-
stroyed in the Champagne and one In
the Meuse region.
French Assaults Repulsed.
Assaults made by the French in
massed formation Saturday against the
newly won German positions on the
left bank of the Meuse. northwest Of
Verdun, were repulsed with heavy
losses to the attackers, according to
an official statement issued yesterday
at the German army headquarters
Since the present operations were
commenced in the Meuse region, the
statement adds, 26.472 unwounded
French officers and men have been
taken prisoner and 1S9 guns and 232
machine guns have been captured.