Salt Lake Tribune | 1914-10-03 | Page 4 | attack on the verdun forts is Described

HIM 01 THE VERDUN FORTS IS DESCRIBED Associated Press Corres pondent Watches German Aushian Artillery Hurl Huge Projectiles s VALIANT DEFENSE OF FRENCH TROOPS Finally Given Most Honor able Terms of Surrender, Owing to Valor They Displayed in Battle BERLIN Oct " v a The Hague and London 8 io p m 4.n opportunity to watch closely the German Austrian ar tillery attack on the 1 ne of French forts south of Verdun last Saturday was given an Associated Press correspondent corre-spondent who had been with the Ger mans at Metz An attack whieh on Friday led to the taking of Fort Camp des Roma ns as the first step n the breaking of the defense of the fort lines resulted Saturday in the silenc ing of Fort les Paroches the correspondent corre-spondent says Towards evening it was reported that only one armored turret at Fort Lionville was replying to the Austrian fire all the other forts be ing silent After that the Austnans concentrated their fire w th prec sion on this single turret from a distance of six miles indicating that it was but a matter of time when the defense line would be ready for an infantry at tack aliant Defense Fort Camp des Roma ns was val ant ly defended bv the French The at tacking forces came within f ve yards of the trench n front of the fort be fore the garrison surrendered The trench artillerymen m the casemates of the forts had to be dislodged with hand grenades smoke bombs and fire tubes which German volunteers placed aga nst the opening of the casemates filling the interiors with fragments of bombs and sense robbing gases Even then the defenders mused to cap tulate F nallj they were given most honorable cond tions of sur render ow ne to the valor they had displayed Artillery Inws bile The correspondent s tr p over the battlef eld showed nothing of the tradi tional battle tumult such as attacking infantn racing cavalry and galloping artillery The heavy art llery could not be seen There was the tremen dous detonation of siege p eces and large columns of smoae aroe from burn ng llages The black surface thus created was studded everywhere with the white clouds from explod ng project les On the road a few wounded were mak ng their way to the base hospi tals Bejond that th battlef eld Ra e the mprees o of a trcmendo s ron plant with Ub masses of art Her a j tt v and the attend ng no ses a fea ro which seems to marl this war more an 1 more as the pre once ed l lans are appl c I Mechanical Work The Ger au and ustr an hea s oge pieces were mar elousl) concealed and placed aud the work ng of the was 1 ko lo kwork Men brought a n t on a d placed t n th astound nj, reg lar t as f they had done noth ng else all their lives tho gh now an! the Ihe wholly mechani al jro ess was t te rupted for a few n n tes by How nstruct ons wh h were re o ed o er tho telephone observa I ons ha in neccss tated a si ght hange n In d rcct on of tho f re TI ero was a pause for the noon n eal One art llerv p eco po nded away for fo r da s w th T es Paro hes as ts ol oct vc an! the locat o of the gun ne er was dls o ered Dur ng tl at n c the n n ha dl g th s cannon 1 a 1 gone to housekecp oi. n ost orafort al v St M h el 1 a 1 bee cvsc ated hort I before the a r val of the correspon le t Iron h lis near tl o lattleground t c 1 1 o seen that t e artillery on j both b des waa hammer lig nceasantly Towards even ng snioLe colu nns ose south of Toul nd cat n that a f ght was co nc on there