In the West.

Stratford Evening Post, Volume XXX, Issue 44, 26 May 1916, Page 5

In the West.

THE BATTLE OF VERDUN. FIERCEST ON THE FRONT. 753,000 GERMANS ENGAGED. I'United Pkkhs Association. ' Paris May 20. The conflict at Verdun ' has no; slackened. Seven hundred and iif'O thousand Germans were engaged fo two days, the enemy hesitating at n< sacrifice to recover the ground lost or .Monday. The battle was the fiercest fought or. the Western front. The German offensive on Tuosdaj night was partially successful, despite the heroic French resistance. The enemy entered Cumeries, which consists of forty ruined houses. It is no an important point, as it is whollj dominated by the hills on either side, and the French are firmly dug in the hills.

North of Chattancourt there is littl but smoke covered hills. Mort Horn me has been flattened out like Hill 7C at Ypres. Sheets of fire swept over it day and night. Shelter trenches do not exist Directly new trenches are dug tons o shells from 240 guns wipe them out. The enemy rushed through the wood; flinging their forces at the base of Hi) :'Ol. They occupied the northern north-western, and eastern slopes, blithe French continue to hold the crest of the western slope.

The Crown Prince then flung at leas 'two Army Corps at Hill 287, which i three hundred yards behind Mor Homme. Wave after wave melted un der the curtain fire of the French. 'French officers' opinion is that eithe. the German general staff have takeleave of their senses or hoped for grca things. Amazing massed rushes wermade and soon they covered tli French front with corpses. A Frond staff officer described the spot as ; slaughterhouse. Douaumont fort was the storm cem tre on Wednesday. There twelve distinct night assaults were made 11 forty-eight hours. The French exten sive'ly used flare bombs and star shell; to detect the movement of the assault ing columns. Huge electric searchlights swept the slopes before the fort. Prior to the recapture of the fort al. the French trenches had parapets of German -dead. Officers ordered their men to remove the mounds of grey-clad corpses which; were piled so high as to obstruct the field of fire.

CONTINUOUS BOMBARDMENT. NO INFANTRY ACTION. (Received 9.-10 a.m.) Paris, May 25. A communique states: On Wednesday night we progressed with hand grenades in the thickets immediateiy eastward of Cumieres. The enemy .gained a footing in the trenches northward of tlie Haudromont quarries. There is a continuous violent bombardment by both sides in the Douaumont region without infantry action. DOUAUMONT RETAKEN BY BAVARIANS. Paris, May 25. Official: After desperate fighting two divisions of Bavarians re-captured Douaumont fort. A communique states that infantrv actions continued east of Mort Homme. Our artillery stopped the enemy from debouching on Cumieres. A sharp counter-attack in the afternoon enabled us to recapture the trenches on the southern edge of the village. Two newly-arrived Bavarian divisions made desperate attacks on Fort Douaumont throughout the day. After several fruitless attempts and enormous losses the enrr/y .--occupied the ruins of the fort. We hold the immediate approaches. The German attempt to storm Caililette wood completely failed.

OPERATIONS AGAINST DOUAUMONT. London, May 24. The Times correspondent at Paris says the Douaumont action was admirably timed. The French waited until the Germans had shifted their centre of gravity for their attacks westward, and until all the German reserves were committed to the desperate Mort Homme operations, before delivering the blow. General NivelFs plans were carried out with the rarest secrecy. A swarm of air hornets was sent up to attack observation balloons, downing six. Then, assured of privacy, General Nevill advanced in tjie centre and terrifically bombarded Douaumont. He launched some of the finest lighters of France, and they carried the positions against the most stubborn resistance.

"THE FiERCEGT VIOLENCE." PRODICAL-SAORIFICiNG IN _!LOOD. DECISIVE RESULT ANTICIPATED (Received 8.50 a.m.) Paris, May 25. Semi-official—The fighting at Verlun continues with tlie fiercest Violence. The fighting oh Wednesday ssinucd such desperation as had not nu'ii readied since the struggle hean. Tlie German command do erniiied at all cost to obtain a result, .vhich turned out to he more than ver prodigal-sacrificing of men. '' ho Bavarians at Douaumont repeated lieir untiring desperate assaults, and lie French infantry made a veritable nassacre, showing a morvellous bite nassacre, showing n marvellous lute

nost furious assaults were successiveU- broken. Eventually, the Germans it the end of the day penetrated the fort.

The present conflict surpasses all its predecessors. Really, the general bat:le was begun by the French, who ook the initiative with an attack on Tort Douaumont on Wednesday, and t may he decisive. The slopes east md north of the fort were covered with German corpes.

ON THE BRITISH FRONT. HAND-TO-HAND FIGHT AT VIMY. Paris, May 25. General Sir Douglas Haig reports hat small parties of Britishers pushed or ward on the Yimy ridge and were ■ngaged in hand-to-hand fighting. There was a heavy bombardment on >oth sides astride the Souchez river. OFFICIAL REPORT. Tlie High Commissioner reports : London May 24: The situation at /'nay ridge was unchanged on Wednesday, when there was heavy boiui mrdment by both sides astride the Souchez River. There is considerable irtillery activity at the Rollineourt md Hohenzollern redoubt, as well as it Wytschaete and Saint Fdoc. ARCHBISHOP AT THE FRONT. Paris, May 25. The Archbishop of Canterbury conducted drum-head services at the front. OFFICIAL NEWS. The High Commissioner reports:— London, May 25 (8.55 p.m.) On the left of the Mouse, an artillery duel is rather intense in the sec;or of Hill 304-and the front of Morfc Homme. In the course of the night, wo progressed'with grenades east of the village of Cummieres, the enemy making no attempt to attack. On the right bank, a strong German attack enabled them to set foot in one of our trenches north of the roadway to Haudromont. ■ Very violent bombardment by both sides continued in the region of Douaumont, without infantry action.