In the West.

Stratford Evening Post, Volume XXVIV, Issue 80, 10 March 1916, Page 5

In the West.

THE BATTLE OF VE3DUM. THIRD PHASE ON SUNDAY. TERRIBLE ARTILLERY DUEL. THE CROWN PRINCE'S MISFJ&HTINC ON THE WEST BANK OFTHE MEUSE. : [Unitkti Press .(Received 9 a.m.* Paris, March 9. Tlie third phase of the hattle oi' Verdun was seen on Sunday when a terrible artillery duel commenced. (West of the Meuse the woods were levelled, and the Forges brook ceased to run, shell having bursts and damned the stream in six places. The jcrest of Hill 213 was blown away to a depth of thirty feet, ! The main French position at Goose Hill is still untouched, but the Germans, sheltering in the ravines } managed to force their way up a narrow country lane leading to the top of,the ■hill',"* thus peopardising the "extreme French right at Goose. Hill. . ,

I It is believed that the German iplans miscarried through the Crown Prince's 'vanity and obstinacy. As originally planned, there was to be three simultaneous attacks, feinting on the Woeure Plain ( with a strong attack on the west bank. P/ouaumo.nt hypnotised the Crown Prince, who had to justify his boasted capture, and he used a quarter of a million there against the advice of his generals favoring the west bank. The latter attack has now developed. The attackers lost almost all their officers owing to the Kaiser ordering the officers to rank as generals and lead the men in a'ction instead of following-

LITTLE DAMAGE AT VERDUN. TERRIFIC BOMBARDMENT. EIGHTY THOUSAND SHELLS. »™ viflj -DIE RS' IVE? 0 " »• V 'f (Received •;-•• . 1 ; Paris, March 9. . Jj; Jtjrrespondent of the American PTe'sfH &%*. visited 'Verdussates that there is less damage titan' anticipated, no buildings having been* destroyed. :>l An artillery officer seated that during the first day's bombardment, eighty,thousand shells fell on a single thousand metres broad. 'A-''general told tlie correspondent that Germany lost .ss#&. thousand'; killed. $ J 4fef?s ■"'■' K!'| A; number of Fw&tr...soldiers: were huvnt by the Germans throwuig | flying liquids. Hu , n ,~ u .! | i FRENCH HOLD (fl , ,1 I ! POSITIONS

GEBrjSANS CONTINUaIIy " rV- . I PULSED. AND VAUX. (Received 9.20 a.m.) Paris, March 9. A communique states: We continued bombarding the communication lines in the Eastern Argonne. I The Germans westward of the 'Mouse repeatedly attempted during the night to repair yesterday's failures. Two attempted attacks were made on Bethincourt, preceding intense artillery preparations, and were stopped by f o| fire,' preventing the Germans debouching at Crows' Wood. They renewed their efforts, bm tailed to dislodge .us 'from the wide area which was recaptured and which we are consolidating.

Fighting eastward of the Meuse' continued with obstinacy during the evening, and at night several strong attacks were made on the French eiitrenched positions betuV'en Douau-, mont and Vaux. The enemy, despite; the intensity of their artillery;' hre; and the violence of their 'assaultswere completely-repulsed. Some elements of the German infantry momentarily penetrated Vaux, but were driven out at the point of the bayonet. GERMAN PREPARATIONS. (Koceived 9.25 a.m.) London, March 9. Colonel ltcpington, in The Times, says: The Germans at Verdun commenced moving up heavy guns lor three miles on February 27, and it is expected that it will be at least ten I days or a fortnight before operations

.are completed, especially as the weather is bad. The advance of heavy batteries to the line cf Beaumont-Or-nes-Fromezey, is difficult. Roads must ■ lip prepared; gunpits and magazines built. There is a gun register, and ; the whole artillery is linked up by telephone. FRENCH PRi&DNERS NUMBER 700. (Received 9.20 a.m.) Paris, March 9. Le -Matin, replying to yesterday's German claim, declares that they can only have seven hundred prisoners. HEROIC RAILWAY MEN. ATTACKED BY A ZEPPELIN. (Received 9.20 a.m.) Paris, March 9. A Zeppelin, flying over Revigny, endeavored to bomb seventy waggon loads of ammunition. The stationmaster and two assistants coupled up with the engine and steamed out safely' amid the din of the ; exploding bombs. Each have been awarded a War Cross. THE GERMAN ARTILLERY. FIVE GENERALS KILLED. Paris, March 8. A feature of the battle is the enormous quantities of German heavy artillery and huge mobile gutts, while ■the. field artillery is mercely accessory. The French losses at Hill 265 notwithstanding the inferno of shot and shell, were very light, while the German division storming and capturing it was decimated.

Five German Generals were killed in the Verdun district, including General Lotterer, commander of a. division of artillery, and General von Graf (Bavarian). The Germans are now massing on every sector of attack, 'and bringing up reserves. A GERMAN WIRELESS. London, March 9. A German •-'tireless 3 krys "• We stormed the enemy positions on the left bank of the Meuse and on both sides of iFor&y lfro'Jli JbfeW l}ethinco'uft, oyer'a width of folir miles and a depth of two miles. We occupied the villages of Forges Regneville, and also the heights' b'f Corbeaux and Camiers woods. A great part of the occupants of the captured positions petfsbed. We captured 58 officers and 3277 men. We have driven out the French from the last houses H FresneJß. .