Americus times-recorder. [volume] (Americus, Ga.) 1891-current, 1917-11-20
VERDLIN DEFEAT Was
BIG DISAPPOINTMENT
FOR GERMAN TROOPS

FRENCH FRONT, Nov 2O.-One OF
the disappointments which the Ger
man Crown Prince has suffered since
the utter defeat of his great efforts
to capture Verdun has pust beer
brought to light in documents found
on German prisoners. From these il
appears that while the French were
infiicting their smashing blow on the
German troops still menacing Verdun
on August 20 last-when the Crown
Prince not only lost valuable ground
but about 5000 of his selected men
were taken prisoners-the Germans
were carefully preparing an attach
mile to the east of Auberive to the
Souian height. French activity III
front of the fortress of Verdun upset
these plans completely and caused the
Crown Prince to put off for an in
definite time any attempt to carry out
an offensive movement in this region
Details of the projected attack, as
result of which the German COM
mander had hoped to gain possession
OF an important tract of territory on
the Champagne front, show that the
chief part in the operation was to
be played by the First Bavarian
Division, which was brought up to
full strength for the purpose and had
enjoyed a period of repose and special
training for the task. 1t was to be
supported by two other divisions on
its right and left TANKS respectively
The Bavarian division had received
orders to prepare to furnish twelve
sections of chosen shock troops, each
section composed of one officer and
forty-seven men. Behind these shock
troops were to follow "booty" squads
and twelve destruction squads, each
composed of a temporarily acting Of
ficer and thirty-two- men.
The confidence of the Crown Prince
in the success of the intended blow
at the French was so great that lie
had ordered twelve teams of SIX
horses each to be ready to gallop OIL
with the captured French cannon
while an officer and fifty men of the
engineer corps were to stand by pre-
pared to destroy gun positions and
guns that could not be carried off
1t had been arranged that an ex-
tremely dense cloud of gas should
be emitted over the French infantry
and artillery positions during fifteen
minutes before the shock units adj
vanced to the attack. Batteries OF
field guns were to be stationed in i'm
mediate support of the shock troops
Airplanes were to fly low and par
ticipate in the infantry work. The
whole operation was, according to ar
rangement, to result in what was
called in the German orders, "a sum-
mer harvest" 1t was fixed for Au-
gust 1917,
On August 16 the French further
east in the vicinity of Verdun started
movement on their own account,
for on that date they opened their
artillery preparation for their inten =
ed attack on August 20. The menace
to the Germans holding the lines be-
fore Verdun became so great that the
Crown Prince was obliged to send
the two divisions which had been
ordered to support the Bavarians il
the attack in Champagne to help the
troops at Verdun and to fill their
places by two other divisions which
had lust suffered terrific losses in o
Flanders engagement and which We're
in CONSCIENCE not in the best con-
dition for severe fighting. At the
same time even the elements were
contrary to the Germans.
Later orders show that the German
commander was obliged first 70 put
the attack off till September /. Be-
for that date arrived he had evidence
in the shape of French artillery ac-
tivity and infantry raids in Cham
payne sector that surprise was out
out of the question. Finally the
French fire became so severe that on
September 10 the Crown Prince de-
cided to give up the idea of an Of
fensive in this section and began to
withdraw to the rear his guns, troops
and other material which had been
intended to help in the reaping of an
abundant harvest of prisoners and
Ahe gain of a considerable strip of
Territory.
Once more the French had been