Show SIG BC GUS GUNS CRUSHING VERDUN DEFENSE EFE SE t Advance Despite Despite Despite De De- De- De spite Claim That the French Outnumber the Germans Two to One QUIET p PARIS ARIS SAYS Artillery Action West West- of the Meuse Was Was' L Less ss Pronounced and East Was O Only ly Intermittent BERLIN May 10 Yi Via Wire- Wire Jess ress ess to Sayville uThe The The German attack on Verdun Verdu is bed based Sed on the crushing effect of German heavy artillery writ writes Major military critic of the The J capture of ot the smaller fortresses fortresses In the west at t the b beginning g nn g of t the e war warby warby by the use use of Heavy beavy artillery was o-nl o only i a prelude to the artillery operations j now Jn n progress ss The French ha not have v not been able to i compete with G G ar J. J H s J The Tle enormous losses loses of the French are due partly to the effect ot of the German artillery and partly to the the t tenacity of the Trench French who will 1 not abandon their trenches I Although it ft Is generally generall considered that attacking forces must be four lour times s superior to those of the defense I tin In the Verdun campaign the number of ot I German troops engaged Is much less Uhan than half that of ot the Fren French The i. i I number of ot French troops may be calculated calculated cal cal- at not less than This figure represents half halt the entire forces force which France still has at her disposal for active e fighting I All the German successes on the I eastern eastern and western fronts were fronts Were gained with numerically Inferior force forces l Moreover More More- ore ore- over the Austro troops for fora a yea year rear have been holding back twice twIne t their number of the enemy The principal principal prin- prin cipal elements in victory victory quality quality of ot and courage courage are are steadily workIng working work- work ing ng to our advantage PARIS May 10 Activity Activity on the Verdun front has decreased according Ito to the statement given out by the war office this afternoon Artillery action west of the Meuse was less pronounced fand and east of ot the river was only Inter- Inter I An attack on French trenches between between be- be tween tween the Oise Olse and the Aisne was re- re pulsed The text of ot the statement follows Between th the Olse Oise and the Aisne a coup de main upon one of our trenches southeast of Sous was wall completely checked In the V Verdun region the bombardment bombard- bombard ment tent west of the Meuse noticeably e di- di East of ot the Meuse and in inthe inthe the there was intermittent cannonading t- t Hand grenade skirmishes heji were reported re- re ire re- ported during the in the woods of Avocourt and south Bout of Fort mont I In upper Alsace the enemy reconnoitering recon- recon party which attempted to seize one of our small posts near Hirzbach Hirz- Hirz bach lach south of ot AltkIrch was repulsed wIth with losses tosses BERLIN May May 10 By Wireless to Sayville The Sayville-The The The C Germans have ha have made urther progress on hill hIlI n h the Verdun front and have driven back French detachments s on the southwest part of ot the hill bill tl the e war office statement statement state- state ment of ot today oday says The he statement follows W. W In the Argonne the enemy after a mining operation operation- attempted attempt d to enter our lour lines but was repulsed d. d F Southwest of hill bill advanced detachments detachments de- de of the enemy were driven further back One detachment was captured The new German positions ion on hill hIlI were extended P German airmen dropped numerous bombs on factories at I Argonne and Raon VO |