The Boy Allies at Verdun; Or, Saving France from the Enemy

invading army have possession of Verdun before thought of a successful advance on Paris can be entertained; and it was upon the captur

ies upon the French capital; and so it was that, upon February twenty-third, 1916,

al events of the war. For six months and more the defenders of the gatewa

months after the opening of this great battle, the unofficial estimate of German dead was a half million men. The assailants fought their way to within three miles and a half of the fortress itself,

tions had been proven in the earlier days of the war-in the destruction of Louvain, Liège, Brussels and Antwerp, the latter the most strongly fortified

The fortress of Verdun and the outlying fortifications, it was believed, would be shattered with little effort. With t

ding to the reasoning of the Crown Prince, should have found no resistance, they encountered strenuous opposition. Abandoning the o

ot great enough to penetrate the loosely built mounds of earth behind which the French reposed. The great shells struck the fresh eart

little. The defenders were secure behind their breastworks of earth. True, German guns dropped huge shel

s but to try and carry the trenches,

rmans were not to be denied; and urged on by the Crown Prince, and often by the presence upon the firi

objectives of the German attack were two particularly important positions-Hill No 304 (so called to distinguish it from numerous other elevated positions) and Le Mort Homme (Dead Man's Hill). Thi

of the defense. While the decision of General Joffre, the French commander-in-chief, to give ground before the German attacks rather than to sacrifice his men

h and to the south. When it appeared at one time that the French must be hurled back, General Sir Douglas Haig, the British commander-in-chief, weak

n his own lines, and from that moment, wi

ightier than before. The Germans raced across the open ground under a veritable hail of lead. They fell by hundreds and thousands, but what few survived hurled themselves again

added these new legions to the already large army occupied before Verdun; bu

down with regularity, but at last the effort began to tell. The French made headway. Much of the lost ground was recovered. The Fr

hundreds and by the thousands that one of the opposing armies might advance a few yards. Gains eve

as there greater bravery, loyalty and devotion. Called upon for tasks that seemed well nigh imp

rown Prince must give up the effort. It appeared incomprehensible that the useless sacrifice of men could

d with the same effectiveness as before. The great guns continued to rage, scattering death over t

with the Germans launching only occasional drives. The same held good for the French. It appeared that each side was co

French arms. The losses on both sides, in killed and wounded, had been enormous-almost beyond comprehension. The number of prisoners taken by the French was large. Many French tro

egun. There had been no decisive victory. Each side retained its positions,

rowing their armies to the support of the Allies, thus forming a steel cordon around the Central powers and their smaller allies, Bulgaria and Turkey, and forcing the Germans to shorten their lines. In the eastern war

iving power of the Italian troops was beginning to tell. It began to appear that

usly on all fronts. It was felt that it would not be long coming. There was talk of a new great field gun perfected by Great Br

history, the battle of Verdun stood head and shoulders as the most importan

roles. While each realized, as the three made their way to General Petain behind the French officer who had interrupted their wild automobile ride, that a

hat they made their way to General Petain's quarters. But, as it transpired, they had arr