"Can you read German, Capart?" "Yes----" "Read, then----" Slowly I read a simple letter from a mother to her child. "Your young brother Louis is not discreet, so we must tell him he cannot see you on your next vacation. The work at Ruhr is very hard now and everyone complains. We need many things badly, and, above all, miss you--When is it all going to be over?" "Stop!" said the major. "They brought on this war. They suffer? So much the better!" "It is up to us now to kill these wolves and their young--and here's one. Get every one you can, men! Let the she-wolves howl in anguish!" FOOTNOTES: [17] Gadoue.--Tr. [18] Communicating trench.--Tr. [19] Commanding Post.--Tr. [20] Counter-mining. When an enemy mine is being dug, a _camouflet_ destroys it before completion.--Tr. CHAPTER SIX THE FIRST MONTHS OF THE BATTLE OF VERDUN _This deals with the battle of Verdun. The author took part in the first days of the battle on the right bank and the left bank of the Meuse. He spent, likewise, almost all the month of March at the Verdun front._ _On June 7, 1916, Sub-Lieutenant Capart became attached to the General Staff of General Pétain, but often he continued to fight and work with the poilus and also with his old comrades._ CHAPTER SIX DAY BEFORE BATTLE OF VERDUN, EPARGES. _February_ 20, 1916. At dawn the sky is unbroken. It is a veritable spring day that is here! A ray of sun in this spot--what good luck! I feel this morning a delicious sense of joy and happiness to live. A _poilu_, on the board walk, said to his friend: "This will be a great day for airplanes." In effect, all morning our airplanes and those of the enemy described, at very high altitudes, frequent circles, recrossing the lines, girded by puffs of white smoke of breaking projectiles. In spite of the joy which filled us all, we never spoke but of the next attack, the topic of conversation for the past several days. We were at the turning point of the war; month after month, the ruin of the Central Empires became more certain, each hour that passed they became more enfeebled in human energy and in money! "_Parbleu_," said an officer, "their armies have been developing on the different fronts excessively, the strain on their troops has become very strong; and a military decision imposes itself upon them." They wished to hasten the end of the war and the way to finish it is to attempt a great thrust, a decisive thrust, a desperate thrust--the propitious time is come, it is the moment to attack, there is not an instant to lose! It was easily determined that a formidable battle was about to commence and that the shock would be heavy---- Here are some of the remarks that were passed back and forth at Eparges, the eve of the battle of Verdun. That night in the trenches there was a silence, a silence impressive. The night was calm and starry---- THE DAY OF _February_ 21, 1916.