Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1917-12-30
ENEMY GUNS POUND
FRENCH V|C|OUSLY
massing of German Troops
Continues-Suggested U. S. /;
Troops Merge With Petain's. Z
BY LINCOLN EYRE.
CableGram to The Sunday Star an,
New York World. COPYRIGHT, 1917.

Cablegram to The sunday Star and
New York World Copyright, 1917.
PARIS. December 2s-with heavy
snow yelling the trenches In white ana
impairing visibility for aerial observers.
German artillery is hammering away
viciously at many parts of the French
lines. Concentric drum-fre Is reported
in the veho sector OF the Lorraine 'front.'
and there is violent cannonading IN the
vicinity Of Rheims and the Champagne
plain The tiny village of veho. .
few miles southeast of Parroy forest
and the Rhine-Marne canal. 10 q target
for fierce FIRE.
Still Massing Troops =
Massing troops behind the German
lines goes on without interruption day
and night Trains pass the great rail-
road OF Centre Mezieres near the kaIs-
er's western headquarters on six-minute
headway.- Some guns captured in Italy
are believed to have been numbered In
Verdun region. where the crown prince'a
formidably prepared local attacks sig-
nally failed
Despite the fierce continued on
slaughts with tremendous array Of
portable mine-throwers and new fame
casting apparatus. the French posi-
tions in the Bots de Caurieres are solid
ly held.
The German high command is strain-
ing every nerve TO achieve a numerical
superiority in guns over the French.
but. thus far. every shot fired from q
Krupp cannon has been answered by
Petain's artillerymen.
To what extent Hindenburg has In
creased his combatant electives In tho
western theater cannot be accurately
estimated as yet. There remain. at
least. seventy-fve German divisions on
SO depleted by the withdrawal OF in
divfdual units that the average division
bly, numbers less than 5000 men.
In connection with the heavy firing
With regard to the fashion in which
American achievements are to be er-
ployed. II is possible IL will be that
which has been deemed best here
amalgamation. Instead Of constituting
an American Army. mixed regiments
comprising. for example. one Ameri<
can battalion with two French battal-
ions will be constituted"
L1ntransigeant does not quote any
authority for It's theory. which f. mere-
~ the expression of one current mili-l
tary opinion In France.
British ofacial Report. u
By the Associated Press
report from Field Marshal HaiRs head
quarters tonight says:
During the day the hostile artillery
has again shown considerable activity
at . number OF points along our front.
especially in the neighborhood Of Har-
gicourt. south and west Of Lens and
east and northeast of Ypres.
"Aviatfon-Our airpianes dropped
more than 100 bombs on three enemy
Iairdromes north OF Lille. Seven hostile
machines. four Of which fell inside our
! lines. were brought down by our air
planes: two others were driven down
out Of control. while four others were
shot down by our guns, three falling
within our lines. Three of our machines
are missing.
Guns Active in Elanders. '
BERLIN. via London, December 81
The ofiiciai statement says.
Front Of Crown Prince Rupprecht Of
Bavaria-Towsrd evening the artillery
activity increased in isolated sectors ON
the Flanders front. south OF the scarpe
and near Graincourt and 0onnsiisu.
East Of Nieuport and near Posicapeiis
several British rsconnoitering attacks
broke down.
Front Of the German crown prince
North Of Courtroom our accommodating
detachment penetrated the French
lines and brought back several prisons
ers."