ENEMY HESITATING AT NOTHING

Nelson Evening Mail, 26 May 1916, Page 5

ENEMY HESITATING AT NOTHING

APPALLING SLAUGHTER. - . PARIS, May 25. The conflict at Verdun does not slacken. Seventy-five thousand Germans have-been engaged for two days, the enemy hesitating at no sacrifice to recover the ground lost on Monday. battle is the fiercest yet fought on the West front. ' : The * German: offensive on Tuesday night- was partially successful, despite the heroic French resistance. The enemy entered Cumieres, which consists of 40 ruined houses. The place is unimportant, as it is wholly dominated by hills on either side, and the French are firmly dug in on the hills north of Chattancourt. The little smoke-covered hill of MortHomme was flattened out like Hill 70 . at Yprfls. Sheets of fire swept over'it day and night. The shelter of trenches does not exist, for directly new trenches are dug tons of shells from 240 guns ■wipe them out. The enemy pushed through the woods (fringing the base o£ Hill 304, and occupied the northern, north-western, and eastern slopes, but the French continue to hold the crest and the western ' slopes. The Crown Prince then flung at least two army corps against Hill 237, which • is 300. "yards behind Mort Homme. "Wave after wave melted under-j,he curtain fire. The French .officers are of the opinion that either the German General Staff have taken leave of their senses, or they hoped, for great things from the . amazing massed rushes which covered . : the French front with corpses. A "'•■■'. French staff officer describes" the spot -■■■ as' a slaughter house.. . Douaumoht Fort was the storm centre on' Wednesday. There were twelve distinct night assaults in 48 hours.' The French" extensively used flare -bombs and star shells- to detect the movements

of assaulting columns, while huge electric searchlights swept the slopes before the fort. Prior to the recapture of the fort all the French trenches had parapets of German dead, and the officers ordered the men to remove the mounds of greyclad corpses, which were piled so high that they obstructed the field.