Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922, 1914-12-11
FRENCH CLAIMING
SLIGHT ADVANCES
Report Several Gains Along Line,
but Admit Of No Repulses on
the West front.
HAVE REPULSED ALL ATTACKS
Tell OF Driving Germans from Their
Trenches by ARTILLERY Fire from
Heavy Guns-Repulse the
Counter Attacks.

EAhlS, Dec. 1O.-DCCCmDer passed
quietly in Belgium as well as In the vi
cinity of Arras. according to the official
statement given out at the war office In
Paris this afternoon
The war office claims French advances
at several points on .hc extended battle
front and makes 10 meption OF any
reverse. For instance, near lie QUesnoy
gains OF from 200 to 600 Yards were made;
in the Aisne ard on the heights of the
Meuse, the French artillery mastered the
batteries of the enemy, and near Rheims
French cannon compelled the evacuation
of trenches Counter attacks were repulsed
near Perthes, and in The Argonne I'm the
latter locality new trenches were taken
by the French.
The text Of the communication follows:
The day of December passed quietly
in Belgium. as well as IL the region OF
Arras, where the enemy made no attempt
at a resumption of offensive operations.
Germans Repulsed.
Further to the south. in tae region of
Perthes, the enemy oy means Of two
counter attacks, endeavored to recapture
the intrenchments which II lost to us on
December s. They were repulsed. The
ground taken by us has been effectively
protected.
'In all the Argonne region we have con-
tinued to make progress We have occu-
pied trenches: repulsed with complete sue
cess six counter attacks and completed
and consolidated the ground won from
the enemy.
"On the heights OF the Meuse there have
been artillery engagements in which we
maintained the distinct advantage and
this, in spite of the very great activity Of
the batteries of the enemy.
"In the forest OF Lepretre we have taken
some new trenches.
There is nothing to report on the re-
mainder of the front as far as the Swiss
frontier"
Further to the south. in the region of
Lequesnow and around Andechy, we made
advances varying from 200 to 6OO yards.
Our gains were maintained and con-
solidated.
In the region OF the Aisne and in
Champagne there has been no change.
The German artillery. over which we
gained the advantage during the last few
days, yesterday evidenced increased ac-
tivity, but was again mastered by our
heavy artillery. In the cnvirons of Rheims
the heavy French pieces compelled the
Germans to evacuate several trenches.
This evacuation was carried out under the
tire OF our infantry"
French Eyewitness Reports.
An official report Of the principal hap
penings Of the battle front from Novenl-
Der 2 to December S was given out In
Paris today It is in part from the OBJ
serSations OF eye-wltnesses at the front
and is as follows:
THE period OF time between November
q and December was not marked by
operations of any great extent, but OBJ
servations made during these days estab-
lished the fact that along the entire front
We have laken tne as~Gnuaht over the
enemy with our artillery and infantry.
The French artillery, without suffering
severely from the fire of the German
cannon, was successful at a number of
points In silencing and demolishing bat
teries of the enemy. Our infantry made
progress everywhere and at no point was
progress followed by retirement.
From the sea to the Disc, on the first
of December, and at Bixschoote and Mer-
ken, our heavy artillery inflicted serious
damage on five German batteries. Sew
eral ammunition wagons were blown up
The same day at Wydendreft we de-
stroyed a section of German machine
guns. December our heavy artillery i'm
posed silence upon the heavy artillery Of
the Germans. On the 2Sth of November
our heavy artillery demolished certain
bridges built by the enemy and destroyed
his supplies in the region of Knocke
There was a similar series of engage
ments December 2 at Bixschoote.
ION November q we bombarded sue
cessfully at q point near Lens certain
German supply trains and on November
5 we demolished the earthworks of the
enemy in the vicinity OF Roclincourt.
List of engagements.
Here is a list of the principal infantry
engagements with the date and locality
of where they took place:
AT Paschendaelle on November q; at
Bixschoote. on November 80; again a
Pasehaendaelle, on December 8; at VIE
dendreft, December 8, and at Brodseinde
to the east of Ypres on November 20. II
this last mentioned engagement the Ger
mans evidenced great energy in their Of
fensiYe. Some of the attaching force were
killed on the parapets OF our trenches
No fewer than $50 corpses were found in
front of one trench
From one end to the other of the
northern section our infantry has made
advances and won ground. In the region
of 5treen Strante. November 49, we ad-
vanced between 100 and $50 yardz al
Veldhoek and the same day we inaft
sixty yards at swartelen. The following
day we advanced $50 yards. near the Inr
at Kortmeker and on December W,