Battles--or what would have been called battles in any other war of
history, but now, in the official reports were merely referred to as
skirmishes--raged for hours at a stretch, some of the most important
continuing for days, first with advantage to one side and then to
the other.
In vain the German Crown Prince hurled his men forward to pierce the
French lines that now separated him from Verdun, less than four
miles away.
While the German guns still continued to shell the city and the
fortifications, there was little they could accomplish now. All walls and
houses in the path of the great guns had crumbled under their terrible
fire days ago; there was nothing left to destroy, except at intervals
where a small fort still stood and breathed defiance to the enemy.
But the German guns served one purpose. They afforded protection for the
infantry as it advanced to the attack. Only when the Germans advanced
close enough to come to hand grips with the French did the big guns
become silent.
But now came the turning of the tide.
From far back the French threw out reinforcements to the hard pressed men
in front. Huge new field guns were brought up.
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