Illustration: Verdun gain up to August, 1916.]

The battle raged with varying fortunes to the combatants all day long
on June 24, 1916. The village of Fleury in the center was directly
under fire of the German guns, and they succeeded in occupying a group
of houses. The French delivered a dashing counterattack, and were
successful in freeing all but a small part of the place. On the 25th
the Germans doubled the violence of their bombardment. Not since they
assumed the offensive had they launched such a tornado of
destructive fire. Another objective of the Germans besides Fleury was
the fortress of Souville. In the ravines of Bazile they suffered
appalling losses, but succeeded in gaining a foothold in the wood of
Chapitre. The French, counterattacking, regained most of the lost
ground, and still held the village of Fleury.

The struggle around Thiaumont works continued for days, during which
the place changed hands several times. It was recaptured by the French
on June 28, 1916, lost again on the following day, retaken once more,
and on July 4, 1916, it was again in German hands. The struggle over
this one position will give some impression of the intensity of the
fighting along the entire front during this great offensive which the
Germans hoped and believed would prove decisive.

The general tactics pursued by the Germans in these attacks never
varied. They made their efforts successively on the right and on the
left of the point under aim, so that they could encircle the point
which formed in this manner a salient, and was suitable for
concentration of artillery fire.

The Germans failed to make any serious advance in the center of the
French lines, being halted by vigorous counterattacks.

On July 12, 1916, the Germans attacked with six regiments and pushed
their way to the roads to Fleury and Vaux within 800 meters of the
fortress of Souville. This advance during the next few days was halted
by the French.

The Germans claimed to have captured thirty-nine French officers and
2,000 men during their attack. They did not, apparently, attempt to
pursue their advantage and press on, but returned to bombarding the
French works at Souville, Chenois, and La Lauffee. As the Allied
offensive on the Somme developed strength, the German attacks on
Verdun perceptibly weakened, and beyond a few patrol engagements in
Chenois Wood, no further infantry fighting was reported from Verdun on
July 16, 1916. But the French contin