The Cordova daily times., 1918-03-14
7 O YEARS Of
STIFF FIGHTING
BEFORE YERDUN

Omitted Press Staff Correspondence
WITH THE FRENCH ARMIES At
VERDUN, Feb. 21.-Two years ago to-
day the crown prince launched his
great assault on Verdun that was to
bring about the quick termination of
the war and to establish the undying
prestige of the house of Hohenzollern.
Today, almost unknown to the world
public at large, the battle fires of Yer
dun are still burning with a degree of
intensity that is costing thousands of
lives every month both to the Ger.
mans and the French alike.
ParadOxical as it may seem, Yer
dun, which has already been assigned
to an imperishable place in history as
one of the greatest military victories
of the French race, is still a raging
battle. 1t has become, indeed, a VERT
able endless, perpetual battle as
though the great battle fires lighted
there just two years ago this morning
by the crown prince were of such an
all-consuming immensely and alien
during intensity that, like some great
volcanic eruption, years will be re-
CURED before they burn down to dead
ashes and tranquility. ~
The official communicates both of
the French and the German general
staff fail to give any idea of the fact
that Verdun is still an open, raging
battle. But the staffs themselves
know it, and above all the soldier who
lives through the endless days and
nights of this never ending hell knows
it.
AS a French victory, Verdun is a
closed incident for all time to come
but as an open battle it will probably
endure till the end of the war. With
a stubborness, tenacity and useless
ness eXplainable only by the idiosyn-
cracies of German psychology, the Ger
man general staff still continues to
make Verdun an ever increasing GEM
etery for the flower of the German
army and the hopes of Hohenzollern-
ism.
Verdun became a definite, incontest-
able French victory on October "a and
December Is, 1917, when in two mag
nificient attacks, the French took back
Forts Douaumont and Vaux and placed
Verdun once and for all time out of
danger. Yet the Germans could not
give up. There was nothing to gain.
but they kept the battle fires burning,
and burning fiercely. Now they broke
out on the left bank of the Meuse and
now on the right
In another magnificent effort to
quench them once and for all time 10
come General Petain on August 20,
1917, launched his great joint attack
on both sides of the Meuse throwing
the Germans back onto the positions
occupied by them before the crown
prince launched his first wave of as
sault at 4 O'Clock in the morning inst
two years ago today. After this, there
was less reason than ever for the
Germans to continue the battle.
And yet they continued it, alternate
ly keeping the battle flames burning
first on one side of the Mouse and then
on the other, feeding into them more
and more of their ever diminishing eff
fectives.
Again on November 25, in another
brilliant and successful attack. Pc
tain's poilus endeavored to convince
the adversary of the uselessness of
the struggle. The attack put the Ger
man farther away than ever from the
possibility of ever realizing the slight
est progress against Verdun, and vet
they continue the effort and the sacri-
flee.