The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1917-08-21
FRENCH IN GREAT
BATTLE AT VERDUN
HAMMERING TEUTONS
Allies Reply to Made-in-Ger-
many Peace Proposal With
Tremendous Military Opera
tons on Six Widely Separ-
ated Fronts

London. Aug. 2O.-Tonight the
French war Office was able To re-
port these important gains:
Both of the spurs that bear the
name OF Dead Mans Hill; Grow
Wood and Cumieres, on the west
side Of the Mouse, and Talou
Ridge. Camp Ncuville and the
dominating hills 344 and 240 on
the eastern bank.
The French advance penetrated
into the Temon lines 10 a depth
of a mile and a quarter along vir-
tuaIIy the wh Die eleven-mile front
of attack.
More than 1000 prisoners 40
been coumei up to the time the
night communique was issued.
Sixteen German airplanes were
dragged"
London. Aug. 2O.-Thc great
allied "pincer" has swung into
action again. France and italy
have launched the mightiest
drives OF the year with brilliant
initial successes. England Is keep
Sing her bulldog grip on her new
gains in Flanders and at Lens
and Is blowing ahead. slowly but
$urely. I'm three Of the main cssza-
tinental fighting areas. actually
on six widely separated fronts,
gigantic concerted campaign Is
under way.
Tomorrow the reichstag's main
meets. As usual. the Ger
man military leaders will be called
upon to give a report of the situation.
Yesterday all still seemed serene. All
optimistic dispatches from Berlin
spoke of an Improvement in the mill
tary situation and of the central
powers again being In the ascenden-
cy" This is what has happened since.
as told by the preliminary official re-
ports:
What Has Really Happened.
]. Italy led the new big push" by
launching early Sunday. drive all
along the front from the Adriatic to
the Julian Alps On the Carso. along
and across the Isonzo north Of Gorilla.
and In the Julian mountains, General
Cadorna's leg1ons stormed forward in
a titanic effort. It was crowned with
complete success. Seven thousand Ave
hundred Austrian prisoners had been
counted up to this evening. Every
where the Italians had gained their
initial detectives. and in one sector.
they had shot far beyond their original
goal.
Succeed Mt Every Point.
The north of Anhovo. a little more
than seven miles above Gorilla.
Cadornas troops in a brilliant dash
cleared the right bank of the Isonzo
Of Austrians and, hot on their oppon-
ents heels, threw pontoons across the
stream and reached the right bank.
There they dug in Immediately await
ing reinforcements which are now
crossing the river. In every vital sec
tor of the ninety mile front 4 finish
fight with bayonets and rife butts In
now under way.
French Winning at verdun.
2. Frances infantry legions. who
for year and a half have served Al
immovable. impenetrahle human
breastworks in front of verdun, leaped
forward this morning in q cyclonic
once and for all. On an eleven mile
front-Berlin says 1t Is fourteen miles
in length-they flung themselves
against the crown princes line on
both banks OF the Meuse. between
Avocourt wood, west of the river, and
Bezonvaux to the east Of the stream.
Front dispatches up to this evening
were still meager, but the war office
was able to announce In Its day COM
munique that according to early In
formation. the new battle OF verdun
is developing to our advantage" Mr.
merous prisoners are filing through
the counting stations.
The bravery OF our troops" says
the statement, lis beyond all praise. =
Both the Paris and Berlin war of
Aces speak of a battle" not opera
tons" or engagements" The Ger
man war office. while non-committal
on the result of the French drive. as
serts that the famous Talou ridge (in
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