The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1915-01-19
ALLIES DRIVEN BACK
BY FLOODS, NOT FOE
French Official Report Claims
Gains at All Points But
at Scissors.
STILL ADVANCE IN ALSACE
speeal cabl. Ds.patch 70 TnE srN

NOeC1uf tuDfc Desp1lCN 70 lhE SUI
PARIS. Jan. 1S.-The following official
report Of the operations at the front from
January to January 10 was issued
tonight:
The period extending from January
20 January 10 was marked by extremely
bad weather, including rain. SNOW. strong
winds and fog, and the ground has been
very muddy. This has caused slacken-
ing In tile operations at the front. The
following facts are to be noted:
"First--Our gains on the right
bank OF the User. between st. Georges
and the North Sea, have been extended
and consolidated. The German offensive
In this region was broken on the User.
We. on the contrary. have gained large
outlet beyond the river
"Second-Thc lighting around scissors,
where our offensive was so brilliantly be-
gun, was checked by the flooding Of the
Aisne, which destroyed three pontoons. or
fDotbridges. and prevented our reen-
fOrcements from resisting an extremely
violent attack OF the enemy on the right
bank. We were thus compelled to yield
less than l,SU0 meters on - front ex-
tending over more than 5000 meters
New Gains Near Perthes
'Third--we have made new gains in
the region OF Perthes and all the counter
attacks OF the enemy have failed there.
"FOurth-Thc German attacks In the
AIRonne have failed.
"Ffth--We have maintained our nd
vance In Upper Als,eSe and are still gain
ing.
Among the features around ST. Georges,
wc used tennis nets taken from the Nieu-
port-les Bains courts TO protect our nd
vance from hand grenades thrown from
thu trenches BY the Germans. The bombs
fell back and bounded in the sand dunes
with extraordinary liveliness
From Newport to the Aisne. there
has been terrific rain. the water being
four and half feet deep In both our
and the enemy's trenches"
The following statement II made re-
garding the details OF the lighting at
scissors:
In the retirement from Scissors. We
lost few pieces OF heavy artillery.
which, although We were unable 10 re-
the enemy. The fight began with our
advance on January northeast OF the
town, which was successful There were
h"Ncc counter attacks all that day, the
next day and through January 10, during
which Wa lost 5ts wounded. The number
OF dead IL still unknown.
AIItes Checked by Flood
The flooding Of the Aisne began on the
night OF January ll-l2 and all the bridges
at N'lleueuve and scissors were carried
Of eNcep5 one. The Germans made tre-
mendous attacks and the failure OF our
recnforcemeuts 20 get across the river
forced the artillery to retreat across the
ono remaining bridge. and q general re-
treat began on the night Of January 1914.
We are now back where the carrying or
of the bridges by the floods would have
vat us anyhow.
"Adjutant Coustantin Ga-lbtldi was
Killed loo the Argonne because he led his
troops too far IN a charge. They went
500 meters beyond the first German line
and a counter attack caught him.
The aviation corps has been very sc-
tive, despite the weather Gilbert bNough.
down a machine near Chaulucs and killed
the German observer. Falkrnstein. not
fisihennayn. ~ previously exported 3,i-
bert fired four shots. Two OF these struck
t'alkenst"in. the third wounded the pilot,
Keller. while the fourth struck tho ruida-
tor OF the German machine. This .s the
third German Altman that Gilbert has
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