Ellsworth American., 1918-01-30
FRENCH CAPTURE
FOE EYEGLASSES
German Observation Points Are
MethodEaIiy Taken in Oar
ing Attacks.
HEROIC WORK OF BLUE DEVILS
First Spyglass Seizure Is Credited to
chasseurs Who, in Sensational At
tack, Wipe Out Powerfully
Fortified Salient by Surprise.

With the French Armies In the Field.
French troops are methodically tax
ing 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 communiques
issued have registered merely local &C
tons, these have had for the main OBJ
jective that of snatching the binoeu-
lars from the Teuton eyes.
A brief artillery preparation, a
shrill whistle In the first-line trench,
and the Poilus have bounded lover
the top" In actions of signal impor-
tance in Alsace, north of the Chemin
Des Danes and north of verdun at
I'm s44. Nearly 1,400 prisoners and
valuable war material is the ''by-prod-
uct' of these local. strategical drives.
Won by Blue Devils.
The first fspyglass" seizure was
that Of the "Schonholz," q powerful
fortified GerIsan salient jutting into
the French lines in Alsace, serving the
double purpose of German observation
of the French organizations and pre-
venting the French seeing in the direc-
tion of Altkirch. On the afternoon of
Noyenber Z, after a brief but violent
artillery preparation, three companies
of the French Chasseurs-Blue Devils
attacked the Schonholz, completely
wiping out the salient in fierce fight
lasting into the night.
The enemy desperately counter-at-
tackled, but failed, leaving In all 40
prisoners, including SIX officers, In the
hands of the Blue Devils. Complete
German losses, high because Of their
fierce effort to retain position which
they knew to be Of extreme value, were
estimated at at least 600 men.
The following day a French general
pinned military medals on the blue
funics Of two adjutants and cor
poral for exceptional valor. Though
there were no such medals In the dis
bile to fnd them. wherever possible,
and the little presentation ceremony
In an Alsacian village was a happy
aftermath of victory that took from
the Germans priceless observations
which had bothered the French for
two years.
The French command next decided
that the Germans were seeing too
much north of the Chemin Des Danes.
Consequently following a brief artil-
lery delHge, four companies Of Poilus
passed to the attack against the enemy
lines forming salient between the
small River Misotte and the route of
the German-held village OF Jouvin-
court as far as the village Of Viile-au-
Bois. Here the enemy held valuable
observation posts overlooking Jouvin-
court and ground each Of the MI
ette.
Under low-iying clouds and In a
-pea-soup" 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 positions on
front of 500 yards and penetrated
to q depth Of over half mile. They
wiped out the salient, took all the OBJ
servatories and captured ATS prison
ers-a number almost equal to half of
the entire attacking force. Six Ger
man officers and As under officers fell
into the net.
The third and most importan,
French action of November was in q
region where constant hellish fighting
has been the daily routine-Hill 344
on the right bank of the Meuse. north
of Verdun. Here q drumlike artillery
roar has never ceased. night and day
for nearly three months. German at
tacks and French eounter-attacks, al
most daily since the latter part o.
August have had small place in th'
communique because of their routin,
nature. The enemy's positions permit
ted him to make constant infantr,
''nibbles" into the French lines on tn,
northern flank of Hill 344. and to dis
turb french organization which h,
could see In the rear.
Surprise Attack Successful.
French strategy in eliminating tn
enemy's advantageous positions In tn
regien of Hill 344 has probably neve
been employed before In this war. TAX
Ing advantage of the conditions pecu
liar to the region, French guns of man
calibers at $50 Sunday. morning. Nc
vember IS, concentrated their delug
of steel on three and one-half kilc
meter front opposite Hill 344. Tn
thunder of this artillery preparation
though violent. was unnoticed amid th
constant medley Of air vibration
which had become q habit to Germa
ears for almost three months.
Just four hours after the begil
ming of the concentration Of fir
screened by its own habitual noise, q
1890 a. m. the French guns lengthene
their range, and barraged the Germa
rear while the Poilus went over tn
fon The xurnrfse WIS r0ulDlete Th