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Show FRENCH GAIN IN I DESPERATE FIGHT I Windmill Betrays Positions to b Germans Observer Dis- iB covered and Shot. B ENEMY'S COSTLY ERROR Germans Forced Back on to B Muzzles of Own Quick M Firers Hand-to-hand $ I Struggle. ft- Nancy, via Paris. Jan. 12, 4:35 n. m. The French troops were ordered to K? take the offensive between the Meuse 'F and the Moselle on January 8. and tile fc fighting that followed resulted in a m dist;nt French gain B- While on the wings the infantry Br attacked LePretrie Wood and the forest of Apremont. the artillery mas- t ed behind Flirey awaited the right moment to open fire. The batteries ft- had been deftly concealed during the (IT infill uui. UC' K i iur uroo, na own jr. the morning mist6 floated away. Ger- Rj. man shells began to fall among the . K minners. Twice tbe positions were m- I aimed, but still tbe shells fell K Signals from Windmill. Cfr It was then noticed that the sails K, of a dilapidated windmill moved in w an unaccountable way since there was h uot a breath of wind and five men were sent to investigate. As soon H- as they reached the building a man jES jumped from the window and fled MR towards the German lines but he was HQ soon brought down b a French bul- K. let. m At noon the. French guns opened K fire and at the same time an aviator Ef - announced that the German center Er; had been weakened because the Ger- W&l- mans were obliged to send help to Hgj the left wing, which was hard pressed flg In the LePretrie Wood. MP Germans Finally Defeated. K! I After hours of shelling, the German guns were put out of action and the k i French infantrymen dashed forward. Hv'r-' The enemy unmasked quick firers. but Ht their assailants were well into their Hrc stride and did not heed the fire. A WHS' fierce hand-to-hand struggle followed along the edge of the wood and tbe WEfX Germans were forced back on to the Hgr muzzles of their own quickflrers fiy which pumped lead into them for ten BE? minutes, an error which enabled tho mjjsm French engineer to reach the princl- pal work and blow it up. By the end Wmfc of the day the Germans had been dm- Wm$ en well into the wood of Saint Baus- Hk? sant and the French had gained ad- HD vantage of half a mile. HEl |