Arizona republican., 1917-07-24
SHALL NOT PASS STILL WATCHWARD
 OF FRENCH ARMY
Republican A. p. Leased Wirel

Republican A. p. Leased WlreI
 GRAND HEADQUARTERS OF THE FRENCH ARMY IN FRANCE, July 22. Midnight, by the Associated Press) The watchwerd of the French troops at Verdun7''they shall not pass"-has ap- piled equally to the Champagne, and the French today showed the crown princess army that the Chemin Des Danes was a closed road to them.
 On Sunday morning, the Germans made their fortieth attempt since the French captured Craonne on May 4, to secure possession of the famous road. This effort was one of the biggest of fersive movements they had made since Verdun, so far as artillery was concerned. and proved an undoubted failure.
 Four o'clock was striking when terrific bombardment was opened along the front extending from just west of Cerny to Berry au Eai. The front lines and rear position and all the roads leading thereto were deluged with shells. both great and small, as well as asphyxiating projectiles. At five o'clock the German infantry started from their trenches The great est concentrations advanced between Hurtebise and Classmates plateau and i between Classmates and Californie plat l eau, where it was evidently hoped to rush Craonne. The correspondent was ! posted where he could observe the en- | tire battle along the crest which stood out in the dearest atmosphere but roll 1 ing along it and over it were dense | clouds of black, brown. grey and white | smoke from tens of thousands of shells. l It was known that the Prussian Guards i and several other divisions faced the 1 French positions while other fresh 1 troops were hurrying across the Ailette l valley from the north. The French 1 guns did not remain long mute, but 1 answered shot for shot, and when the i German endorsements were observed | approaching they poured a hurricane of i projectiles directly into them, creating great confusion and causing heavy l losses.
 Rifle and machine gun fire began l cracking while the trench mortars hurled torpedoes, and the rifle grena- | diers opened a wicked barrage fire as soon as the Germans, who had been waiting the pre-arranged signal to spring forward, began to leave their l jumping off parallels.
 German shock units as usual led the way, followed by waves of ordinary in fantry who were to occupy and organize any ground captured In the sector from Hurtebise to Classmates plateau the attacking forces soon melted to s thin line under the whitening fire of the French which met them with those still able retreated hurriedly to their own line. which meanwhile came under can inferno of French shell fire that must have made the German trenches unten- able.
 In the same period, from Easements 1 to California plateau, other German
 troops were suffering heavily under
 similar conditions. But several times here they gained small portions of the l French front although nowhere did they reach the crest inself
 Where their line bent momentarity the French troops organized immediate counter attacks and conquered near ly everything temporarily taken from them A French captain who fell
 wounded early in the day and was
 captured by the Germans. was later rescued by his own men when the Ger
 mans were forced back. He affirmed that German soldiers among whom he
 lay declared that several waves of German troops, when ordered to gC
 over the top, refused to venture into
 the terrific fire which swept everything
 before it.
 Aviators were busy throughout the day and sometimes the sky was al-
 most covered with the smoke from the
 shrapnel bursting around them. Ii
 was a bad day for an infantry attack
 because the clearness of the air made
 every movement. even in the narrow
 communication trenches. visible to the
 airmen and the observers in kite bal
 looms.
 The gain of few hundred yards o a French front line trench which is all that remains in German hands, ap-
 pears small compensation for the ter rife losses sustained in their effort.
 When the correspondent left the fielC at an advanced hour in. the evening tht I fighting was still proceeding, accom- ,, panied by a hot artillery fire.