The Washington times., 1918-01-09
FRENCH blind"
FOE BY CAPTURING
RAISED POSITIONS

/
THE FIELD. Jan. 0.--French troops
are methodically taking away the
| German spyGlasses.
One by one. enemy observation
points or advantageous positions
have been carefully spotted by the
French command. and effectively
eliminated. Though French official
communicates issued have registered
merely local actions. these have had
, for the main objective that OF snatch
I ing the binoculars from the Tcuton
eyes.
\ brief artillery preparation, a
shril whistle in the first line
/ trenches and the poilus have bound
| ed over the top" I'm actions OF signal
| importance In Alsace, North OF the
| ChemIn des Danes and North OF Ver-
dun at Hill 34I. Nearly 1.4O0 prison.
ers and valuable war material is the
"by.product" OF these local. strategi-
| cal drives.
schonhoIE Fails First.
The first "spy-Elass" seizure was
! that of the "Schonholz." a powerfully
fortified German salient jutting into
the French lines in Alsace. serving
the double purpose OF German OBJ
servatiOn OF the French organizations
and preventing the French seeing In
the direction OF Altkirch.
On the afternoon OF November {.
after a brief but violent artillery
preparation. three companies OF
French Chasseurs-Blue Devils at
tackled the Schonholz, completely
wiping out the salient In a fierce
fiphf In afI Int fvh hn
enemy desperately counter-attacked,
but failed. leaving in all 100 pris-
oners, including six officers. in the
hands OF the Blue Devils. Complete
Greman losses, high because OF their
fierce effort to retain a position
which they know to be OF extreme
value, were estimated at least GOO
men.
The following day a French general
pinned military medals on the blue
tunics Of two adjutants and a cor
porRl for exceptional valor. Though
there were no such medals in the
district, the general sent a fast auto
mobile to ind them, wherever posi-
BILE, ana the little presentation cera-
mony in an AlSatian village was a
happy aftermath to a victory that
took from the Germans priceless oh.
servatories which had bothered the
French for two years.
ChemIn deH Danes Next.
The French command next decided
that the Germans were seeing too
much north OF the Chemin des Danes.
Consequently. following a brief Rrtil.
lcry deluge. four companies OF pOilus
passed to the attack against the
enemy lines forming a salient he
tween the small river Miette and the
route TO the German held village of
Juvincuurt as far as the village Of
Nille-au-Bois. Here the enemy held
valuable observation posts overlook
ing Juyincourt and ground cast OF
the Mictte.
Under low lying clouds and in n
'pcasoupH fog. the former prevent
ing all aerial work and the latter pre-.
venting enemy observation Of the ad
vance, the French infantrymen. in
less than an hour, swept over posi-
lions on a front OF 1900 yards and
penetrated to a depth OF over half a
mile. They wiped out the salient.
took all the obServatories. and cap
tured 4T5 prisoners-a number al
most equal to half OF the entire al
lacking force. Six German officers
and forty-fiye under-ofhcers fell into
the net.
HII 34I Taken.
The third and most important
French action OF November was in a
region where constant hellish night
ing has been the daily routine, Hill
3i4, on the right bank Of the Meuse.
north Of Verdun. Here a drum,liks
artillery roar has never ceased night
and day for nearly three months. Ger.
man attacks and French counter at
lacks. almost daily since the latter
part OF August have had small place
in the communicates because OF their
routine nature. The enemy's posi-
tions permitted him to make CON
slant infantry "nibbles' into the
French lines on the northern flank OF
Hill 344 and to disturb French or
EHnization which he could see in tho
rear.
French strategy In eliminating the
eHemy's advantageous position in the re-
gion Of Hin $40 has probably never been
employed before in this war. Taking ad-
vantage OF the conditions peculiar TO
the region, French guns Of many calibers
at $50 Sunday morning. November 70,
concentrated their deluge OF steel on a
three and one half kilometer front OPP
posite 5H The thunder of this artillery
preparation though violent Was I'M
noticed amidst the constant medley Of
air vibrations which had become a habit
10 German ears for almost three months
Just four hours after the beginning OF
the concentration OF fire. screened by its
own habitual noise. AT 1880 a. m, the
French guns heightened their range and
bdrTaged The German rear while the