Evening star., 1916-07-31
CANADIAN TROOPS RAID
TRENCHES NEAR YPRES
Fighting Continues on verdun
Front, With Some Progress
Claimed for French. I
LINES HOLDING, SAYS BERLIN
Official Statement Asserts Anglo
French Forces Failed to Gain
Single Foot in Sum
day Attacks.

LONDON, July 31.-Further
advances for Gen. Haig's forces
on the Somme front in northern
France, where combined attack
of the British and French gained
ground along a six-mile front
yesterday, are reported today.
The new gains, which were
scored north of Bazentin-le-
Petit, were effected in local opera
tions, the British last night spend
ing their time chiefly in consoli-
dating the ground won yesterday.
French Repulse Attacks.
To the south of this sector where the
French had advanced along the road
toward Combles and reached the out
skirts Of Maurepas, the Germans again
launched heavy counter attacks They
achieved no lasting success. according
to Paris, being Immediately driven out
of trenches which. they momentarily
penetrated near Monacu farm, just
north of the somme, and succumbing to
French counter attacks at Hemwood,
nearby.
Parties of Canadian infantry Satur-
day night successfully raided the Ger
man trenches in two places south of
Ypres. according to a dispatch from
Gen. Sir Douglas Haig, the British
commander-in-chief In France. A SIM
liar raid was carried out by the Royal
Munster Fusiliers In the Loos salient.
The German casualties in each case. the
adds, were severe. A German
force succeeded in raiding a British
Fail to Retain Footing.
PARIS. July 31.-Noon: North Of the
Somme yesterday evening and last
night the Germans redoubled their
counter attacks between Hemwood and
Monacu farm, says the official state
ment issued this afternoon by the
French war department The struggle
was especially severe around Monacu
farm. where the Germans got footing
for a moment, but were Immediately
driven back.
At Hemwood all the German assaults
were repulsed by French counter at
tacks. At the same time the French
batteries on the left bank of the
Somme. the statement continues. en-
fladed the German troops, inflicting
great loss.
On the left bank of the Meuse. in the
Verdun sector, German attack on the
northeast side of Hill 304 failed.
On the right bank of the Meuse the
French progressed slightly in the re-
gion southwest of Fleury.
Making a Clean Sweep.
Resumption of operations by the
French echelon north of the Somme
gives further proof of the perfection
of the new method by making a clean
sweep of the German positions along q
three and half mile front from Harde-
court to the river. The French troops
in Picardy had been waiting until the
British carried out the operation as
signed to them. That having been sat
isfactorily completed the central eche-
lon received word to move forward
against the German trenches on the
which a light railroad runs from Com
bles to.Clery and Peronne.
Every detail of the advance had been
worked out with mathematical precision
and the operation was COM
pleted well within the time limit set The
attacking troops met with a more than
6sual amount of resistance from the Ger
mans, who had foreseen the move and
lad made every preparation in their power
TO frustrate it. The positions had been
strengthened as well as the incessant rain
IF projectiles from the French artillery
permitted, and large forces of reserves
we're gathered in the rear.
The German reserves were hurled for
ward as soon as the French dash slack
.ned, and the fighting was fast and furi-
,us, especially at the southern end OF the
inc, where the nature of the ground per-
nitted the counter attacking troops to ad-
,ance with some prospect of getting
through the French curtain of fire.
The French staff work, however, was
90 well done. and, although the Germans
truggled bravely and stubbornly all aft
rnoon and well into the night, they failed
o regain an inch of ground. Wave after
wave of German infantry was swept away
" the well directed French machine gun
nd light artillery fire
Firing Two Shells to One.
BRAY, Picardy, France, July 80, via
'aris, July 31.-Two Franch shells to
ne shell by the Germans measures the
unfire on this section Of the front, as
bserved by the Associated Press cor.
espondeht during a three-day stay be-
ind the lines. The cannonade contin-
es throughout the night, rising to in
ensity during the long midsummer
avs, when the sunlight enables accu-
ate direction of fire from the air OBJ
erverS.
The French artillery commanders
eel that they dominate the German
uns here, and they owe II largely to-
ne airmen. The German gunners
rust fire by maps. searching for hostile
arteries by calculating robabilities
ecause the French still hold command