hem four officers and
twenty-six men as prisoners. The Germans claimed that during various
air engagements about this time along the Somme they destroyed six
hostile aircraft.

During the night of December 20, 1916, a strong German raiding party
attacked the British line opposite Lens, but only a few succeeded in
penetrating the trenches. After a short struggle these were ejected by
the British troops and the raiding party was driven off.

Southwest of Armentieres a British raiding party entered German
trenches and made some prisoners.

On December 21, 1916, the French Government made public the official
order summoning General Nivelle to the command of the armies of the
north and northeast and signed by General Joffre. General Castelnau,
General Joffre's Chief of Staff, having reached the age limit, was
retained on the active list by a special decree indorsed by the
President of France, which was preliminary to his appointment to the
command of an army group.

CHAPTER XVI

GERMAN ATTACKS AT VERDUN--RESULT OF SIX MONTHS' FIGHTING

During the night of December 28, 1916, German troops in considerable
force delivered a spirited attack on a three-kilometer front between
Hill 304 and Dead Man Hill, northwest of Verdun. The German advance
was made after an intense artillery preparation. According to the
official French reports the French infantry and machine-gun fire broke
the attack, but a trench south of Dead Man Hill was occupied by a few
German troops. In the account of the attack given out from Berlin it
was stated that German troops penetrated the third and second lines of
the French positions, from which 222 prisoners, of whom four were
officers, together with seven machine guns, were brought back. All
attempts made by the French troops to regain the captured trenches
were defeated, the German report stated.

Between the Aisne and the Oise French artillery carried out a
destructive fire on the German positions in the region of
Quennevieres. French patrols penetrated the shattered German trenches
which had been hastily evacuated. All the afternoon of December 28,
1916, German guns on the left bank of the Meuse bombarded French
positions between the Meuse and Avocourt. At several points on the
French front in this sector the Germans made vigorous attacks with
grenades, but in every instance they were repulsed with considerable
losses.

During the night of December 28, 1916, a party of British troops ma