Pine Bluff daily graphic. (Pine Bluff, Ark.) 1893-1942, 1915-06-18
Sweeping Successes of Most
Brilliant Character Claim
ed by Paris.
AUSTRO- GERMANS
WINNING IN EAo-
Three Massive Armies Sweeping Rus
SLAMS Before Them. as Teutons CIGse
in About Lemburg Big Guns
Smelling SIavs' Key Position.

London. juno 17.-Sweeping sue
cesses of the most brilliant charac-
ter have attended the French offons-
! i've, not only to the north of Arras,
but in ,ilsace as we'll. Wide spread
gains, in which heavy losses were In
flicted upon thf Germans, arc re-
ported in the midnight communique
received here from Paris.
All the fighting of the last two
days has resulted favorably to the
French, the statenent AYERS
Three decisive victories stand out
among the multitude of local Sue
cesses reported by the French office.
These are:
First, north, south and east of
Neuvelle. Here, under an iron cur
tain of explosive shells, the French,
with hand grenade and bayonet,
hurled the Germans out of their en-
tire first line of trenches and parts
of the second. in preparation for the
infantry attacks, the almost unpre-
cedented number of 100000 shells
were fired. The German earthworks
and sntangleme nts were swept away
as if by a, tidal wave, and many of
their concrete trenches were but
shattered ruins when the yictors
Look possessionas
T SKATER Great Force. t
Violent counter attacks directed
by heavy force OF Germans, esti-
mated to have consisted of fully II
divisions, were broken by the French
fire, and all the gains were MAIN
tanned, wi the exception of small
patch of woods, which was rendered
untenable by the German long
range artillery fire.
Second, northwest and south u
Souchez. Their progress almost un
interrupted, the French have swept
forward toward the town, one Of the
most important points held by the
Germans in the defense of Lens. The
cemetery has been carried by the
French, who, sweeping on beyond,
have won considerable ground on
the slopes to the southeast of the
town.
Fighting On German Ground.
Further south, the French have
won a footing in the park of the
chateau of Careful, whose bitches
filled with water, served as a base
of defense for the Germans. All
these gains have been maintained in
the face of violent counter attacks.
the official communique records.
Third, in Alsace. Successfully adj
vancing between the valleys of the
Fecht and LAUGH, the French have
taken Altenhof, across the Fecht
from Metzeral, and sweeping for
ward, have taken Steinbruck by
storm. In this fighting, all of which
is IN German territory. the victors
have captured more than 500 prison.
ers, including a number Of officers.
and q quantity material, among
which cylinders for the omission of
poisonous gas were found.
The French war office tonight re-
peated it's assertion that incendiary
shells had been fired by the Ger
mans at the Rheims cathedral.
Earlier in the day an official state
ment issued at Berlin had denied
that the cathedral had been bonn
barded, stating that the shells were
directed at barrack to the east.
Halt French in Vosges.
The same statement admitted that
the French had occupied the Ger
man trenches on front of 600
metres, a little less than 400 yards
| sout hot Souchez. The French at
tacks in the Vosges were reported
brought to halt, although It was
admitted that the attacking troops
had made gains in he direction of
Metzeral.
The German are strictly on the de-
| fensive on the entire western front,
their defensive taking the form of
vigorous counter attacks, which keep
large forces of French and British
engaged. Berlin today reported the
clearing of their trenches near Lee
Basse of the British, as had prev