Show PUSHING TOWARD GERMAN BORDER ADVANCE OF FRENCH TROOPS SOUTH OF VERDUN MAY CHECK THE INVADERS weather condris have become severe in france franca and flanders Fland cra and fighting la Is confined to artillery engagements tier fier have become so BO severe bovere in franco france and in flanders where there have been heavy falls alia of snow enow that the fighting has haa been con fined almost entirely to artillery en gage ments there has been an exception how bow ever to the iho southwest of verdun near pont a mousson where the tha french aro are reported to have up api pro preached ached a few hundred yards nearer tho the german frontier military men attach considerable importance to the operations in this region for they say in conjunction with the continued french pressure on the german lines to the westward of perthes Perth cs they will check if successful cess ful the german operations against verdun around which they have had a full circle drawn since they invaded france of the progress of ahe battles in east prussia and poland the official reports give less information than usual loquacity seems to bo be avoided when a big new movement Is commencing such as aa that which the russians are carrying out between the eastern prussian border and the lower vistula in this operation so far as can be judged from tho the scant details furnished the russians are making a big sweep to the west and north evidently in an endeavor to prevent field marshal von alinden burgs forces from forming a annc tion with the german troops in east frus prussia SI ia some petrograd Petro grad newspaper corre spon dents credit tho the russians with crossing the vistula river to the mouth and east of if this la Is true military men say they must have a very large force and probably aro are in a position to threaten the left flank of the german army w which aich has been trying tor for weeks to force its way through to warsaw |