Pine Bluff daily graphic., 1915-07-10
Germans Driven from Ban de -Sapt Heights, Losing
 Men and Munitions.
BRITISH TROOPS
 GAIN MORE GROUND
PrusSianS Striving Desperately to Retake MetzeraI, Held by French. Who Are Now Sekeing to Reduce
 Muenster. Key to COlmar.
London. July 9.-A sudden French

 drive which carried the storIing fcrces well into tha German posi- tions, has orumpIed for the time be ng the offensive which the Ger mans have been carrying on for ks in the Vosges.
 Crushing tho German trenches on dcSapt by a violent artillery fire. the French troops swept forward, driving the defenders from the heights and, driving on beyond, not only re- gained all the lost positions but broke through the German frons for gain of 70 yards on a GOO yard front.
 The German lines were pierced On stretch extending from the hill southeast of I.aFontenel1e~ to the Launois- -Hoyentisr railway. Military critics declare f the most important victory in months on the western front
 Berlin officially admits the loss of hill No. 31, near Ban -de-Sapt the war office asserting that the Ger man trenches were blown up by the French high explosive shells. In the action the French captured e76 un- wounded prisoners. Nineteen Ger man officers, one a battalion chief. fef1-fnto. the hands of the victors. One cannon. two machine guns, several bomb throwers and grea quantity of ammunition were. also taken by the French.
 Following this grdar French ad- vance, tho Germans opened up vio- lent artillery fire on the lost posi- tions, but at last reports from Paris the hombardment had been weaken ed by the vigorous reply Of the French, while their barrage fire prevented infantry being used in counter attacks. ,4aae British Gain Striking.
 Another striking gain for the allies is reported by Paris from the Ypres theatre, where the British holding their recent gains southwest of pill ken. against continued German coun- ter attacks have succeeded in driving still further into the German lines. The German losses, it is stated, have been severe.
 According to this French report the infantry engagements on the whole front have made way for ar tillery duels, that between the Mouse and the Moselle being especially live | ly.
 Despatches from Geneva state that ] it is beyond doubt that German con tjngents of all arms have been draft ed into the Vosges. the object of the | Germans being 10 drive the French back from Metzeral, the village | around which such fierce fighting l took place week ago. The Germans
 feel keenly. these dispatches say. the
 loss of Metzeral, Aletonhof and Stein
 bruck
 The Germans have withdrawn
 their picked troops and replaced l them by landwehr and landsturn. Th French commander at once swure his troops against Metzeral. wilic.
 was taken after a furious struggle Since then, the Germans have re peatedly attacked the French post. tions on the wooded spur to the northeast. the fire from which no
 only dominates Metzeral, but sweeps the defense to the far end of the val l ley.
 Unofficial reports of the fighting ir this region state that Muenster, tn key to the great German works a Colmsr. already is under fire of tn,
 French artillery and that mil |, which had been made over into T fortress by the Germans has been de stroyed.
 To save Muenster, it is stated. th
 Germans have fortified the entir
 through the Teutonic allies are bal tling to retain their lost initiativ north of Krasnik
 Both the German and Austrian O
 ficial reports announce that ther ! has been no change in the situation
 valley of the Fecht, and are rushin
 great numbers there to preclude
 Sudden blow by the French.