New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1916-10-26
Verdun-The End of a Great
Failure

character that history leads the
world to expect of the French. 1t
was the defence of Verdun that
really surprised all save the few
who knew at first hand the spirit IN
which France was fighting the war.
Every one had expected French brill
lance in the charge, but logged,
sullen, tenacious hanging on-thls
was what took the world by surprise,
took Germany by surprise and cost
The Kaiser at least half a million
casualties and the greatest defeat
since trench war began.
What the French have now done
has Just this importance: it finishes
the Verdun chapter by retaking the
Ground which the Germans took IN
their advance, thereby putting Yer
dun itself in actual danger. Every one
now knows that there was never,
after April 9, any danger Of an actual
piercing of the French lines; every
che knows that had the French been
driven across the Meuse, after the
third great attack failed, Germany
would merely have acquired some
hectares of French soil.
But after April 9 the Germans
kept on with the determination to
win an apparent moral victory out
of their terrible Verdun venture,
even if there were to be no military
profit; they gambled lives against the
moral value of taking the ruins OF
the city of Verdun, ruins without
military value, but ruins which in
their hand would constitute the
proof of a technical victory.
And between April 9 and July l
they made material progress; they
pushed the French back into the
inner line of forts; they crowded
them back to the very edge Of the
last hills above the Mouse. Actually
when the Somme offensive began the
French east of the Meuse were in
their last ditch, and the general i'm
preston in Paris was that the
Somme drive was begun earlier than
Rad been intended because of the
critical situation about Verdun.
Since that time there has been g
gradual diminution of German
numbers about Verdun and marked
decrease in German artillery
strength: the Germans have called
men and guns to be used to checE
the Anglo-French advance in Pi
cardy. On the other hand, the French
seem to have increased rather thar
diminished their artillery concentra
ton about Verdun until their supe-
riority became overwhelming.
Meantime the Germans hung OF
to all the positions they had capt
ured and thus retained the oppor'
tunity to resume their attack, if they
chose, from the advantageous posi-
tons that they had captured. Yer,
dun was thus, from July I onward
still in danger. What General Nj.
velle has now done is reconquer prac'
tically all Of these positions held by
the Germans which actually menacec
the safety of the French position
above Verdun and on the east bank
of the river.
OF the positions that were recapt-
ured in such shining fashion the day
before yesterday Douaumont is the
most important This the German:
took on February 25, and having
taken it they not unnaturally be
lieved that they would enter Verdun
Douaunront Fort stands on the high.
est ground in the entire circle of for
tilted hills about Verdun. For many
weeks it was the only breach made
by the Germans in the old line o.
permanent forts. II gave them di
rect vision down upon Verdun, which
was of priceless value for artiller!
operations.
The story OF how the German
were checked Immediately after the,
took Douaumont by the wonderful
counter-offensive of the Twentieth
Army Corps, under General Balfou'
rier, has become one Of the memora-
bic stories Of the war and earned foi
the "Iron Corps" a place in history
equal 10 that Of the Old Guard Of
Napoleon. But Douaumont could moi
be permanently retaken, although il
was occupied for a few hours at a
much later date, and IL served the
Germans as an entering wedge.
II they can hold the ground which
. they have now reoccupied the French
will have restored the situation about
Verdun, save in the case Of Van,
Fort, the only fort now in German
hands. II they can hold Douaunoni
and Dsrnle<p Battery. which they