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Show Graphic Story of the French Coup at Verdun Victory Obtained Swiftly as Result of Gen-I Gen-I eral Nivelle's Brilliant Dispositions j of His Fores. PARIS, Dec. 15, 4:35 a. m. The number of guns captured from the Germans in General Nl-velle's Nl-velle's victory on the Verdun front, as counted up to the present, Is eighty, according to the latest reports reaching Paris. The French plan of attack was drawn up by General Nlvelle, now the commander-in-chief, with the concurrence concur-rence of General Petain, who at the time was bis superior officer. The assault as-sault proper was left to General Mangin. It was made by five divisions, di-visions, or close to 100,000 men, under un-der command of such leaders as Gen- eral tie Maud'huy and General du Passage. The front, which the French infantry infan-try had held since the recapture of Douaumont and Vaux. ran thus: The southern slopes of Pepper hill east of the Meuse, between Bras and Vacherauvllle ; Haudremont wood, Haudremont quarries, the region north of the village Fort Douaumont, the quarries northeast of Fort Douaumont, Douau-mont, the small wood southeast of Fort Douaumont, Hardaumont wood, the village of Vaux and the fort of Vaux. Behind that line General Nlvelle had distributed groups of powerful pow-erful batteries which for seventy hours before the attack hammered the German positions, particularly those on Pepper hill and at Hardaumont and Bezonvaux. From the positions occupied by the French it may be seen that they were Installed on a series of heights, some dominating tho German posl- ttons. but other? he: hit under the di- j rect fire of their opponenis. To im- j prove ana s-t rent:! hen tlic-ir line it , was necc-3ary 10 wrest from i heir adversary ihe famous Pepper rnll, Lo'jvemont, the cr--st of hill I which commands Fosses wood, I-n. Bauche anj Hassor.ie vood, north of Douaumont fort, as well as the im- : port ant works at Hanlaumont, west j of Douaumont and north of Vaux, and. if possible, the village of Bezon- I vaux, most of whose houses are in the Woevre. The church of this vil- lasre. is on the southern slnpes of hill j 3-9, uion the other side of which lies tut? village of Ornes, one of the first towns carried by the Germans at the "beginning of their victorious advance. ' SHARP FIGHTING IN j VACHERAUVILLE. j Promptly at 10 a. m. the five attacking at-tacking divisions, each of which cov- j ered a front of one and one-quarter i miles, advanced behind the screen I fire of guns of all calibers. They swarmed rapidly into the German trenches. The German troops In these positions, surprised ny the suddenness sudden-ness of th- attack, ottered comparatively compara-tively little resistance. In the village of Vacherauvllle, where the Germans had installed a quantity of machine puns, the strus- ' gle was sharp, but none the less I short. More to the east the French , formations charged the slopes of Pepper hill, carrying all before them. ! As they rushed to the attack the soldiers sol-diers cheered and, from time to time, the Marseillaise roared by the strong-throated strong-throated Pollus, could be heard above j the chorus of the cannon. i With Vacherauvllle and Pepper hill lost, it became evident to the Germans Ger-mans that resistance would be futile, and they retired in fairly good order. On the VacherauvlJle-Beaumont road, however, French troops suddenly appeared ap-peared in the rear of the Germans. The French had crept along a small ' ravine running from Pepper hill to the road. On seeing the French, the Germans bolted, throwing away rifles, knapsacks and pouches. From the top of the hill the French could Bee them running and, shouting with joy, they dashed after them. GERMANS ABANDON POSITIONS QUICKLY. Half an hour later the French reached the extremity of the Douve-mont Douve-mont crest, close to the village of the same name. There they joined hands with the formation which had started from IIaudremont wood and had pro-greased pro-greased almost as rapidly along the eastern side of Pepper hill and the Bras-Douvemont road. Louvemont was stormed out of hand and a largo contingent of prisoners was rounded up. By this time the Germans were surrendering freely all along the line and the communication trenches were choked with prisoners going to the rear. East of Louvemont another division divi-sion reached the Louvemont-Azannes road. South of the angle formed by this road at the southeastern horn of Fosses wood a sharp tussle took place for possession of hill 307, but here again the Germans went down before the vigorous efforts of their assailants, assail-ants, abandoning the ground and leaving many dead and several hundred hun-dred prisoners. The advance swept on over hill 372 as far as Chambrettes farm, at the other edge of Fosses wood, and carried it. FRENCH DISABLE FOE'S CANNON. Northeast of Douaumont "the ad- I vance of the French troops was equal- ! ly rapid. The woods of La Bauche i and Hassoule and the Hardaumont ! position were carried successfully. j Hardaumont work was completely de- j mollshed by shell fire and could give j no support to the German formations which fell back upon It In disorder. i All the woods north of the work were i occupied by the French, who pushed ! on as far as the village of Bezonvaux. j By ll o'clock twenty guns had fallen ! into the hands of the French; by noon, forty guns: by 5 o'clock seven- ty-five had been counted, exclusive of those destroyed. j Having accomplished the task set i for him, General Mangin, profiting by the disorganization of the German ranks caused by the abrupt attack, sent out exploring parties, who put out of action most of the guns north of Vacherauvllle and Louvemont and ! In Fosses and Caurieres woods. j NEW LINE HELD BY THE FRENCH. ' The French front now follows a line running from the north of Vacherauvllle Vacherau-vllle along the Vacherauville-Vitle de . Vant-Chaumont road to the extremity i of the I.ouvemont crest, passes on the other side of Louvemont along the i fringe of Fosses wood, then before Chambrettes and, crossing Caurieres wood, goes to the north of Bezon- ! vaux. South of this village and as far as Vaux, the new line follows approximately the Bezonvaux -Dam- I loup road. I The positions recaptured yesterday were lost on February 25. |