In the West.

Stratford Evening Post, Volume XXVIV, Issue 69, 26 February 1916, Page 5

In the West.

THE FIGHT FOR VERDUN. SMALL RETIREMENT OF ALLIES IN PERFECT ORDER. AEROPLANE BOMBARDMENT. [Dnithd Press Abbooxation.] Paris, February 21. A communique says: Fighting not thwards of Verdun continued with the same intensity throughout the night, from the right bank of the Meuse to southwards of Ornes. Owing to the violence of the bombardment on our advanced position at Brahant-sur-Meuse wo evacuated the village at night, protected by a flank fire Loin the left hank of the Meuse. Another strong attack by at least a brigade against Boir He Caures enabled the enemy to recapture part of the wood of which w e at present hold the southern salient. All offensives against our positions at Beaumont failed, and we dominate the ravine southward of Hcrbobois. The retiring movement we ordered to avoid needless losses was carried out in perfect order, the enemy being unable lo break our front at any point. . The enemy in Lorraine obtained a footing in one of our advanced posts at. Bois do Chcmiuet, from whence they were immediately ejected. Gne

of our bombarding air squardrons at night dropped forty-five projectiles, several of heavy calibre, on the MotzSablons station and gasworks. A big conflagration was afterwards noticed RESULT OF THRkE U.'.YS’ FIGHTING. NO APPRECIABLE EFFECT GN THE FRENCH. GERMAN LOSS, 20,000. London, February 21. The Daily Telegraph’s Fans correspondent says that one of the fiercest battles of the war is raging north of Verdun, but the military chiefs view it with perfect confidence. Tlio withdrawals at certain ports of tile lino strengthen the new French position. For instance, Beaumont, five miles east of Brabant, which is strong strategically, has been held against the German attacks, while Canlos wood is half French and half German. The onslaught has now lasted three days and ha s not produced any apnreciable effect on the French positions, yet the violence of the attacks is indescribable. The Crown Prince is battering his head against a wall, and there is not the remotest chance of Verdun being taken or even approached. A Paris report says that the German casualties on the Western front in the three days arc estimated at twenty thousand. A German communique, claims that the Germans captured the villages of Brabant, Hanmont, and Samogneux, in the wooded district of A Scanty. HEAPS OF GERMAN CORPSES. OUR LINES UNBROKEN, Paris, February ?5. A communique states: The Gormans between the Meuse and Ornes redoubled their furious attack, leaving heaps of corpses without breaking our front. We carried hack our Hue on both wings to the rear of Famogonenx, south of Ornes. ENEMY’S DESPERATE EFFORT. THE TOPIC OF TOPICS. SIXTEEN GERMANS PER YARD. Paris, February 25. The offensive at Verdpir has eclipsed all topics. France is watching events with unconquerable confidence, ; though the enemy have three-quarters of a million men under the Crown Prince, and mostly picked troops. There are evident risks it) attempting an offensive before the end of the winter, but the General Staff at Berlin is under such pressure of econo- ■ mic and dynastic considerations as to he unable to choose their time. In order to prevent a repetition of the Crown Prince’s blunders the Kaiser has sent the veteran General von Haeseler, formerly in command at Metz, who knows the terrain of the present attack, and he will assist the Crown Prince. Adopting General .ELindenburg’s plan the Germans massed two hundred thousand men on a front of seven miles, being sixteen men per yard. THE OPERATIONS DESCRIBED. REASON FOR FRENCH EVACUATION. MASSES OF GERMANS IN PHALANX FORMATION. INCESSANT NIGHT FIGHTING. PRISONERS' REPORTS, FRESH DEVILRY FEARED. United Preb« Association. (Received 8.5 a.in) Paris, February 25. The point of attack on \ erduu is the wooded hills of Brabant, which were well chosen, because there is an equality in the elevation, and the Germans further cast would have ut scale the edge of heights Pom the Plain of Woevre. The French were obliged lo evacuate the hamlet of Hanmont on Tuesday hut General Humbert holds the high hill to the south. The magnitude (, 1 operations was revealed on Tuesday, hut the enemy effectives only fully deployed on Wednesday, when dense masses ol the Fifth German Army flung rank after rank" in tin* old phalanx toimation against the French trenches lx tween Brabant and Covnes. The results of the fighting on two dangerous French salients disclosed that this was due to the evacuation ot Hanmont. Throughout Wednesday night the fighting was incessant, attack altei ;attack being launched on the village j Beaumont without result. In order to avoid useless waste ol life General Humbert ordered the French front to he straightened out.

Brabant was evacuated at midnight so quietly that the German infantry was not drawn from the trendies. Since then, successive German attacks have been delivered on the villages of Saniogncux and Beaumont ut without result. • Prisoners admit that sonic German units wore completely wined out. and General von Deimling on the eve - >t the battle, in an Army O'der to the Fifteenth Corn 1 , wrote; “Hie final offensive against France is eorammieiiug. I hone the Corns will distinguish itself as hitherto.” The French losses were surprisingly small, despite that gas shells were used in great the French Generals not exposing the men. The element of snrpise was entirely | wanting. The French have Veen bringing up reserves, ample artillery, and enormous reserves of shells. The only thing feared is fi'esh devilry like the first gas attack at Ypres. ATTACKERS PLAN THE CAMPAIGN FOR MONTHS. PRODIGALITY OF GERMAN SACRIFICE. [Cnitkh Press Association. I (.Received 9.5 am.) Paris, February 25. Newspapers state that the Crown Prince and the Government were organising for three months points ot attack to form no part of. the real assault on Verdun. Alter profiting by tire favorable terrain, the Germans now face an elevated open country from the Mouse to Beaumont. The newspapers marvel at the prodigality with which the officers are sacrificing Germany’s best troops. The French have put forward only one seventh of those who might have been thrown into action.