Against these great earthworks the heavy guns of the attacking forces
availed little. The force of even the great 42-centimetres was not great
enough to penetrate the loosely built mounds of earth behind which the
French reposed. The great shells struck the fresh earth, were embedded
there and did no harm. The French general staff had realized the
uselessness of fortresses as soon as had the Germans.

Therefore, while the Germans were able to destroy forts and fortresses at
will, almost, it availed them little. The defenders were secure behind
their breastworks of earth. True, German guns dropped huge shells in the
trenches, a veritable rain of death, but the gaps in the defending lines
were filled promptly.

There remained naught for the Germans but to try and carry the trenches,
under the support of their artillery.

Day after day the Crown Prince launched assault after assault. The French
met them bravely. But the Germans were not to be denied; and urged on by
the Crown Prince, and often by the presence upon the firing line of the
German emperor himself, they continued the herculean task without regard
to loss of life.

Gradually the French were forced back. Hand-to-hand fighting for
possession of the greatest strategical positions, fought daily, for a
time resulted in advantage to neither side. Among the chief 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). This name, which was fated to become
historic, was gained only after days and days of constant hand-to-hand
fighting and is now recalled as one of the bloodiest battlefields of the