The Hartford herald. [volume] (Hartford, Ky.) 1875-1926, 1916-04-19
vERDUN COST IS
NOW 100000 MEN
Gigantic Struggle Enters
Ninth Week
OF UNINTERRUPTED CONFLICT
German Gains Total 100 Square
Miles-French Defense
Still Intact.
A GREAT SYSTEM OF TRENCHES

London, April 16.-The most gil
gantic conflict in the history of the
world, the battle of Verdun, has en-
tered upon its ninth week. /. is in
many respects without precedent.
The enormous scale of the German
preparations and execution OF the
attack, the unparalleled concentra-
ton of artillery and the sustained fe-
rocity of tho lighting. mark the bat
tie as one Of the greatest efforts of
the war.
Verdun has been rated as one of
the strongest fOrtresses of Europe. il
cornerstone OF the French defenses
against Germany. The evolution OF
military tactics during the war, how
ever. and particularly the employ
ment by the Germans of long-range
howitzers capable of reducing the
greatest forts. have done much to
change the character of the Verdun
campaign as compared with the ear
u
struggle might be. Before the bat
tie opened the French partly dis
mantled their forts around Verdun,
and here, as elsewhere on the va
rious fronts, chief reliance for re-
sistance was placed on an elaborate
system of trenches.
I'm No praNinu, battle urarn tI,n
losses so high as those which have
been estimated in the fighting
around Nerdun. These estimates,
however, cannot be regarded as con-
elusive evidence. for neither Germa-
ny nor France has announced it's
own casualties. The French War
Office has declared the Germans have
lost 100000 in killed, wounded and
captured. The Germans state semi
officially that the French casualties
number 10000 killed and wounded
and that $4,000 unwounded French
prisoners have been taken. If these
estimates are approximately correct
mated as fighting units.
The ground occupied by the Ger
mans after tifty-siX days of offensive
operations may be roughly calculat-
ed as 100 square miles. They have
forced back the French from their
outlying positions to their definite
limo of resistance olnpu tho Sapni-
circular front from the edge of the
Argonne eastward across the Mouse
and southwark into the Woevre. For
the most part this main line has
withstood the shock of successive at
tacks. The Germans captured Fort
Douaumont early in the campaign
and have bitten into French defenses
at Dead Mans Hill and elsewhere.
but at no point have they succeeded
in breaking through.
On Sunday of last week the Ger
mans undertook a general onslaught
along a thirteen-mile front both west
and east of the Meuse, from the
Haucourt- Bethincourt sector to Dou-
aumont A high French military Of
fetal alluded tn this movement as
Fan attack on the largest scale since
the beginning of the offensive" The
Germans announced that within a
few hours after it was begun Beth
incourt and two fortified positions
to the southwest were Isolated.
Trenches in the region OF Dead
Mans Hill Were carried, but at no
point was the French line broken
through. Toward the end of lst
week this attack subsidized and there
came another pause, followed by
French counter attacks over small
sections of the line.
The failure of the Germans to
break the French line in their gen
eral offensive of last week led
French correspondents to assert that
the German offensive had broken
down. Dispatches from the German
front. however. state that the opera
tons are being carried forward
methodically in accordance with the
preconceiyed plan and with full
measure of the expected success for
the German arms.