New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1916-05-27
No Fresh Attacks Made
IN lie Mort HOmme
or Hill 304.
FRENCH PREPARE
COUNTER BLOW
Roth Sides Exhausted by Long
straightforward Losses
Overwhelming.

ro73or. May 26. German blows
though diminishing in violence. con
.;.,e % make gains al Nerdun. To-day
-. Crown Prince succeeded in extend
.,s his hold on the Hsudomont quarry
and in driving the French back from
The approaches to Fort DouaumOnt
About Hill 3O4 and Avocourt, west Of
,be Mouse. shells still fall increasingly
hut there has been no infantry attack
Exhausted as both sides are. they are
-.,yctsn. 20 permit a lull in the battle
even 10 bury the dead. who lie IN thou
sands between the shattered trenches
For the Germans to abandon the at
,,ek would be 70 confess the failure Of
their supreme effort. For the French 1t
would be 10 forego the opportunity for
4 counter offensive such as General
ps,sin launched after the second Ger
man assault
The temporarily successful coup at
pousumont leads observers here 70 be-
usve that General Nivelle is preparing
, similar surprise on a larger scale.
Then. despite the vigilance Of German
sirmen. the French commander eoncen-
trated artillery and troops to recapture
the fort without discovery.
German Assault Not Ended.
Although there has been lull in the
battle to-day. there is no sign yet that
the Germans have definitely ended the
assault. i has cost them so heavily III
men snd shells that 70 stop would be
disastrous. Their gains have been so
smsll that 10 abandon the attack would
be a confession of the worst failure
they have yet MADE at Verdun. They
would do so only because they could 90
no further. thus admitting that re-
serves of men and munitions were eN-
hsusted. 49,.
n is for that hour that the Allies
have been waiting. Whether II IS at
hand depends upon the events Of the
next few days at Nerdun. The German,
know this. and il has not strengthened
their confidence IN the result.
"On the east bank Of the Mouse,
saws the Berlin statement, I'VE success
fully continued our attacks Our posi-
tious 10 the west Of the stone quarry
we're extended, the Douaumont rsvins
was crossed and the enemy south OF
Fort Douaumont was thrown further
back. Another 500 prisoners and L.
machine guns were captured.
con the left bank of the Mouse 4
hand grenade attack by Turcos west Of
Hill 304 was repulsed.'
French Repulse Attacks.
The French War Office communLcs
ton issued this evening says:
"On the left bank Of the Meuse thu
artillery has been particularly active
in the region of Avocourt and Hill BOA
An intermittent bombardment Of GU,
second lines has taken place.
"On the right bank of the Meus'
during the afternoon the enemy carried
cut strong attack against our trenches
on tire approach TO Fort Douaumont
This attack was completely repulseC
with heavy losses by our infantry snC
mitrsilleuse FIRE"
An earlier statement said:
"On the left bank Of the River Meus'
there has been very violent artillery
fighting in the sectors Of Avocourt anC
Dead Man Hill. At this latter place Z
German attack. which was about 10 be
made. was circumvented by our cur
tain Of fire.
con the right bank Of Tho river 8
counter-attack brought into our poses
sion a section Of trench occupied yes
terdsy by the enemy at a point between
the wood OF Haudremont and the farm
Of Thiaumont. To the north of this
farm We last night made progress with
hand grensdes and took sOrlo prison
ers"