The sun., 1916-12-01
ALLIED OFFENSIVE
STARTS IN BELGIUM
German War Office Says "Hos-
tile D~etachments" Were
Beaten Back.
FIGHT IN R SALIENT
Launched on Two Mile Front
After Strong Artillery
Preparation.

LONDON, Nov. So.@rhs Allies tried TO
start q big offensive In Belgium yester-
day. but were beaten back, the German
War once says. At soms places. ths
statement ays hostile detachments'
got into the German trenches and there
was hand to hand fighting. but they
were repulsed.
The attack was made. Berlin says. in
the Ypres salient almost on the Franco
Belgian border. II WAS preceded BY
strong artillery preparation and was
launched on . front OF nearly W miles.
Neither IN the day or night statement
does the British War once mention this
attack. and the Belgian statement says
there Ia nothing to report. The British
hold almost all Of the Ypres salient. tho
Belgians less than a mile Of II, At Boe-
slnshe and Het Sas.
1t is thought possible that the Ger
man statement deals with an attack
which the British statement OF last night
referred to rs two raids east Of Ypres."
Recent artillery. bombing and raid activ-
ity In Belgium by British and Belgians
has aroused comment IN the possibility
Of an offensive there.
IsolatsA Attacks MentioneA.
Save for ne attack In Belgium an
nounced BY Berlin the statements Of the
War Offices to-day again scat
tered activity. the s~.piodins Of mines.
isolated attacks and trench raids which
suggest the possibility Of new move
ments on he front in France and Bel
eium. To-niShts French statement fol-
owB:
South Of he Somme the enemy Ar
tillery. theoretically shelled BY Us,
bombarded our front from Bois dc
Chaulnes to Berry. There was no
infantry action.
In Champagne the ire Of our trench
ma exploded an enemy munitions
Z, - In the region of Massiges.
In the Argonnc we exploded north
~ Fou de Paris three camoufets.
which shattered . mine work Of the
enemy. There 10 nothing to report
on the rest OF the front.
Aviation.-Sub-Lieut Nungesser. II
is established. has brought down his
eighteenth airplane. The enemy ma
chine crashed to the earth near Falvy
(reGion Of the Somme).
BelEian-There 10 nothing 10 report.
port.
The afternoon French statemen
reads:
There were no important develop
'VitS uuttuB tHc ui8HNs WIN INC eA-
ception Of artillery fighting. which
vas fairly spiSited south of the
Somme in the region OF Ablaincourt
and Pressoire. and patrol encounters
In the vicinity Of Butte de Mesnil.
The British War Oficc made the fol
lowing announcement tonight:
There In nothing to report except
artillery duels along the front. Tho
enemy's artillery IRE was particu-
larry heavy between the rivers Somme
and Ancre.
The British statement issued In tn
afternoon In as foiloww:
Enemy machine gun and rife fire
was active last night In the neighbour
hood Of Gueudecourt (on the Somme
| front).
Otherwise there IL nothing to report.
The German statement follows:
Army group OF Field Marshal Duke
Albrecht OF Wuertiemberg: In the
Yprcs bend hostile detachments after
strong artillery preparation attacked
our positions along a front Of about
three kilometers C1s milcs). They
were repulsed by our fire. and In some
places after hand to hand fighting.
Army group Of Crown Prince Rup-
precht: Owing to the fogcy weather
the artillery duel increased only be-
tween Serre and Ancre River and on
the front in the sector which includes
both sides OF st. Pierre WAIST wood.