The Pleasantville press. (Pleasantville, N.J.) 1912-1929, 1916-04-15
Cut French Line, But Unable to
Advance Further.
USE LIQUID FIRE IN FIGHT
Teutons Were Moved Down by Ar
tillery and Machine Guns When
They Attempted t. Storm Hill.

The great German assault on the
d~efences of We dun is still centered
on the all-important key position of
Advancing from Corbeaux wood, and
using liquid fire, the Germans sue
eeeded in gaining a few elements of
French trenches.
Otherwise, the Paris war office an
they were beaten back with
heavy losses.
In the sector between Douaumont
and Vaux which has relatively the
same strategic Importance east of the
Meuse the Germans also renewed the
attack. There the French report says
they gained no success.
The official German statement tells
of vigorous fighting on both sides OF
the Mouse and of the repulse OF
French counter attacks between Har-
court and Bethincourt, but makes no
claim to a further advance in the re
gion OF Dead Mans Hill.
According to official French advices,
the defenders of Verdun have held
firm except at one point in the region
of Dead Mans Hill, where the Ger
mans gained 500 yards of French
trenches. It is now reported from
Paris that the main onslaught has
diminished in extent, being limited
to a front of about two miles between
Cumieres and Hill No. S04, west OF
the Meuse.
Berlin views the Verdun operations
confidently, pointing to the ground
gained in a difficult region and the
losses inflicted on the French.
The object OF the present opera
tons, the now historical Mort HON
me, or Dead Mans Hill, bars the way
of the Germans west of the river.
The operations there began on Mon.
day when two German divisions ga
900 mem were hurled from Bethin'
court and Haucourt against Hill 304
on the left of Dead Mans Hill, while
two divisions ATTACKED at the same
time in the direction of Hill 295, be-
tween Dead Mans Hill and Cumieres.
The Germans advanced in serried
ranks as on Sunday, and their pro
p~ortionate losses are reported to have
been quite as great. Paris estimates
the enemy's losses in Mondays fight
ing at 10000 to $4,000 men. The
fighting lasted all afternoon with al
tentative advances and recoil, the
little gains on both sides being Offset
by equivalent losses, and at the end
of the day the positions were on the
whole the same as before the attack.
The Germans are at the foot of Hill
295 dead Man's), while the French
hold the slope and the summit, which
are solidly fortified. From these pc
sitions the French poured a singing
fire into the dense ranks of the Ger
mans advancing over ground where in
spots they were fully exposed to both
machine gun fire and the fire of three.
inch guns.
The repeated attacks there were
thrown back before they succeeded in
reaching the barbed wire defenees and
there was the same result generally
in the attacks against Hill 304.
The German regiment $4,000 mem
that succeeded in penetrating 500
yards of French trenches on the
northeastern slope of Dead Mans Hill,
several times was driven back to
cover when attempting to debouch to
attack the positions higher up.
The ravines and gulleys about the
hills west of the Mouse are filled with
German dead and wounded, the Red
Cross units being unable to reach the
wounded because of the terrific artil-
lery and machine gun duel.