Norwich bulletin., 1916-05-30
Stories of the War
How the Germans Occupied Douau.

How the Germans Occupied Douau-
 mont.
 The occupation of Fort Douaunont by the Germans in March, which has been one of the most important suc- Battle of Verdun, is described to The Associated Press by a French infan- try officer in the following words:
 We had to combat detachments of the enemy that had slipped inside the fort with machine guns and a revolv- ing cannon. At the same time we had to watch over a winding ravine opening near the church of Douau- mont through which the Germans might get through. We thus had to look two ways while we were nearly blinded with smoke and with dust raised by shells that furrowed the ground all about. Orders could be heard only a step away in the deafen- ing crashes that were almost contin- uous. The ground quaked under the concussions. All our defense works were obliterated between 2 o'clock in the morning and one o'clock in the af- ternoon when the Germans increased the range of their artillery fire and | their infantry attacked the village. We were cut off from all communica- l tion front and rear, for every man sent out with information was a dead man.
 'The Germans came out of the fort and from concealed positions we had not been able to reconnoftre, and ad- vanced through the ravine simulta- neously. The men debouching from the fort were seen first. We hesitated | because they wore the new helmets of our infantry. Our commandant or dered Don't fire! They are Frenchl' Then he fell with a bullet in his throat fired by the men wearing the French helmets. Fire! Fire!' ordered the adjutant of the battalion. They are Germans
 ''The loss of our commandant through this ruse excited the fury of our men, already decided to make the supreme sacrifice.
 t'The battalion had had the mission of defending the village at no matter what cost. They were doubly beat upon it now, as the Germans learned when with several of it's machine guns upon masses which were menacing the left side of Douaunont. With bay onet and rife butt our boys opened
 breaches in the thick ranks before them and strewed the ground witf German dead. Resisting to the laS man, the French stabbed and clubbed
 until overwhelmed by the weight o'
 numbers.
 A hundred Germans advanced il
 the direction of farm on the sum 4L1Al VI d. AAAAA cOO Sc1AS 5O0b0e OA NAA'
 village. Eighty of them fell on thu
 field under the fire of a single machin' gun. The rest fled. That gun con tinued firing until dark, at the west
 ern skirts of the village, decimatinl
 numerous groups.
 During the night we reestablishe'
 our position facing East, and the Ger
 mans fortified themselves in the vii lage. Every attempt they made to de boIlch during the morning of Marc
 3rd ended in more slaughter. At o'clock in the afternoon our ow heavy artillery took Dousumont fo target, and the execution it worke } there, plainly visible to our men, com 2 pensated our reverse of the precedin . day. At nightfaf two batalfons c neighboring regiments lined up for tn l counter r-attack and opened a vjolen ] fusi1lade. Cheers rang through tn ! air from all sides fin answer to the or , der: Forward with fixed bayonets : More cheers and choruses of the Mar l sefllaise greeted the news that 500 3 came back that the two batta1ions ha thrown the Germans out of the vii t Tn 17S4 ErzingRn was almost com t 1 p1eteFy destroyed by an earthquake" a lage and carried our line somewhat oe Q l yaondt the town.
 : tAgatn and again the Germans cam back in dense masses. but the line hel i, good beyond the town. In the morn Ing 800 Germans dead lay in front {
 our trench.
 The next morning after the usui
 artillery prenaxnt1on accompanied !