h lines to the east of Douaumont
Fort. The advance was rapidly carried out, and they succeeded in
penetrating Vaux village. A little later by a dashing bayonet charge
the French drove them out of the greater part of the place except one
corner, where they held on determinedly despite the furious attacks
that were launched against them all day long. Vaux Fort had not been
included in this action, or indeed touched, yet a German communique of
March 9, 1916, announced that "the Posen Reserve Regiments commanded
by the infantry general Von Gearetzki-Kornitz had taken the armored
fortress of Vaux by assault, as well as many other fortifications
near by."

At the very hour, 2 p. m., that this telegram appeared an officer of
the French General Staff entered the fort and discovered that it had
not been attacked at all, and that the garrison were on duty and quite
undisturbed by the bombardment storming about the walls.

During the following days the Germans attempted to make good the false
report of their capture of the fort by launching a series of close
attacks. The slopes leading to the fort were piled with German dead.
According to what German prisoners said, these attacks were among the
costliest they had engaged in during the entire campaign. It was
necessary for them to bring up fresh troops to reconstitute their
shattered units.

At daybreak on March 11, 1916, the Germans renewed their attack on
Vaux village with desperate energy. The French had had time to fortify
the place in the most ingenious manner. The defense was so admirably
organized that it merits detailed description, if only to illustrate
that the French are not inferior to the Germans in "thoroughness" in
military matters.

The French trenches ran from the end of the main street of the village
to the church. Barricades had been constructed at the foot of
Hardaumont Hill at intervals of about a hundred yards. Around the
ruined walls of the houses barbed wire was strongly wound and the
street was mined in a number of places. The houses on the two flanks
were heavily fortified with sandbags, while numerous machine guns with
steel shields were set up in positions where they could command all
the approaches. Batteries of mountain guns firing shrapnel were also
cunningly hidden in places where they could work the greatest
destruction.

The French had so skillfully planned the defenses that the Germans
twice fought their way up and back the length of the ma