HISTORIC METZ.

Taranaki Daily News, 7 August 1915, Page 10

HISTORIC METZ.

THE STRUGGLE FOR THE GATEWAY. I BATTLE OF LES EPARGES. &• ] London, April 1(5. i On the eve of the great offensive of' the Allies in the west, the French have won a big victory between the Meuse and the Moselle, which represents the fruits of two months of hard fighting in that quarter of the war. Ever since the war commenced the French army and the French people have had their eyes fixed on Metz, the lost French city, totn from France 4t years ago, but now a German fortress and the pivot of the' German army in this war, when, at the outset, the German soldiers swept in a gigantic ''right wheel" through Belgium and France, almost to the gates of I'aris itself. A few miles south of the great French fortress of Verdun—the "eastern gate" of France—is a low range of hills called Lei Eparges—an important 'position in the long German wedge thrust into tinAllied line at this point; a line which reaches to St. Mihiel fuithed south. More than six months ago jt was related how the Germans, hy a most daring and vigorous offensive. dro\c this wedge deep into the 'Alli.v line at the eastern extremity of Frame. That % wedge has never been removed. It pierces midway between Verdun and fl'oul. It was a master-stroke of the German military offensive in the early days of the, war. and would have been iatal to 'France if it had completely succeeded. The German army, based on Metz in the north, pscaladed the heights of the Meiise just where they are at their wariest, broke clean through the French fortress barrier which stretches from Verdun to Toil!, and reached down to the right bank of the river at St. Mihiel, one of the quaint ancient towns of this region. The German intention, after piercing the fortified barrier at this point: was to cross the river and then to turn north, taking the French army in the rear, and then drive them out of the Argonne forest. Then the German army of Metz would have joined hands with the Crown Prince's army, and completed a circle of investment round Verdun itself and the chain of forts immediately to the south of it. If this finely-conceived military operation had been completely achieves, it would have changed the whole situation in the east of Trance, and would have done much to neutralise the results of the battle of the Maine. The trusting of the German wedge down as far as St. Mihiel was more than a local operation—it was part of the great German .plan for the swift and sure crushing of France at the beginning of the war. That fact must be borne in mind when considering the subsequent course of events in' this region. But the French, .with sujierb caurage, prevented (he Ormtns crossing the Meuse to complete the ppemtion. They threw up impregnable entrenchments, destroyed by artillery fire iWJi feridg* w i" cli - n - Ge W-85 ilUil i°

throw over the river, and defeated, with sanguinary loss of life, numerous German efforts to ford tlie stream. AT ST. MIHIEL. * . Tint, though the complete operation failed, the GeVmans held on to St. Mihiel. They knew that Metz and Lorraine proper could never he seriously threatened while their long line stretched from'Gus; sainville (now in French hands), in the north, due west of Metz. to .St. Mihiel, in the south. The German wedge at this point of the Allied line takes the shape of a ratlin- wide-spread V, with the point sloping south-westerly. St. Mihiel, represents the point of the letter, and .Metz stands ab«ut half-way between the lop of the V. The first stroke of the litter sretches almost straight from Gus.'ainville to St. .Mihiel, with Les Kparges --a strongly-fortified part of the German line, about half-way down. These liills might be said to represent a gateway guarding the high road to Metz. It was here that a great battle was fought. For two menths operations were incessantly in progress in this region, the Germans using their best tro«ps for the defence of Les Kparges. This veritable fortress is noW wholly in possession of the French. The losses suffered by the Germans during the two months struggle for its posses' ion amounted f o 301000.

By this victory the French have drawn ue.ir-.T to Metz. The fine vi.-tory at'Les Kparges is a substantial gain to that end. From the heights of these bills their big guns should soon be dominating the plains across \which runs the road to the great German fortress. The .French for sonic time 'past have been closing round St. Mihiel—the point of the V, the extremity of the German wedge—as though with a pair of giant pincers, nipping the point of the V on both sides, in an clFort to nip it oft', and thus sever the wedge at the point .;iid lay the way open for an attack on .Metz. Gradually the. pincers have felt (heir way up the wedge as far as les Kparges, where a shrewd nip was admin iitered. , ,

FREXCII PINTERS. ' «' But. although the French have turned I he Germans out of their stronghold on the heights of the 'Meuse after a -prolonged and bitter struggle, am! now look across the plains of the Woevre from a height of lOOflft towards Metz, it does not look as though the Germans will yield St. Mihiel without further pressure. They are lorn between prudence and pride. Prudence suggests the evacuation of St. Mihiel without further delay; I rido iugbids such a step. But to prevent the French pincers from closing round the point, of the V the German western line of troops lias had to be Gunned to provide the necessary reinforcements (o hold the wedge in its place. It remains to he seen whether they can continue (o hold it there in lace, of the French success at Les Eparges and their ever-tightetiinf pressure lower down. 'But the struggle for Les Eparges, (■■» heights dominating the plain; of the Woevre. leading towards Metz. is more thfcn a temporary and local success. The full extent of the rreneU,»ueeess consist*

not merely in their having seized the position at Lea Eparges, which dominates the Woevre, but in their having martt marked headway to the east of St. Mihiel, along the road from that town to Pont-a' J Moitsson. The fighting along this line was fully as severe as that at Les Kparges. But the ardent spirit of the new France was most strikingly displayed in the' final attack on the heights of Les Eparges. Aecording to the -French ollicia! report, the Germans since the end of February had on this part of the front the entire 33rd Division of the Reserve. A month later this division has been completely exhausted and shattered by the severe fighting, so the 10th Active Division of the fitli Army Corps, consisting of the very best troops of the German army, were thrown in to hold the important position. It was this, division which lost the veritable fortress constructed on the spur (if ]>s Eparges. The German troops had been ordered to hold on at all costs. They had been told that the position was of the greatest importance, and their general said that in order to keep it he would sacrifice the division, the army corps, or Ino.GOO men 'if necessary. Nevertheless the French took it, finally capturing it at the point of file. bayonet. i A GERMAN " VICTORY." \ I

The German General Stall' issued an extraordinary account of the lighting between the -Meuse and Moselle, which was not onlv contradictory, but absolutely untruthful. While admitting that the French had taken trenches and outwork*, near St. Mihiel. the Germans claimed that the net result of the lighting wa* a victorv for the Geimans. The astonishing' feature of this report whs Hue. the General Staff made no mention of the capture bv the French of the sfronidvfortified position of I.es Kparges. which .menace to Metz has become more threatening.