Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1916-07-25
FRENCH WINNING GROUND
SOUTH OF RIVER SOMME
Paris Reports Capture Of Strongly
Fortified Block of Houses
South of Estrees.
COLONIALS EAGER FIGHTERS
Not Satisfied to Hold Ground Cain
ed, Australians Keep Pounding
Away at the Enemy, Gain
ing Inch by Inch.

LONDON, July Is, 3 :O5 PM
British troops have captured the
greater part of the village OF
Pozieres, says the British official
statement issued this afternoon.
The Germans brought up REIN
forcements of infantry and guns,
but the counter attacks every
where, the statement adds, were
repulsed by the British.
Official British Report.
The text of the British statement
follows:
I'm the last few days the enemy
brought further reinforcements of in
fantry and guns to the Somme front
Throughout yesterday the hostile bom-
bardment was fairly continuous and
at times became very heavy.
IAN attempt to attack our right
flank was made yesterday afternoon
but it was frustrated by our artil-
lery.
Last night two further infantry at
tacks. preceded by specially violent
artillery fire. were launched against
the center of our line. These attacks
oIc cfn hv ntra ata<y
fire of our guns.
British Trenches Not Reached.
"At no place did the enemy succeed
in reaching the British trenches. and
his casualties in these fruitless at
tacks must have been severe.
"At other parts in the line there has
been a good deal of hand-to- hand
fighting and our infantry worked its way
forward in places.
North of Pozieres. the greater part
of which village now is in our posses
strong opposition, but here also we
gained some ground and captured two
machine guns and a few more pris-
oners, including two battalion COM
manders."
PARIS, July 25.-On the south bank
of the River Somme yesterday evening
French troops captured a block OF
houses south of Estrees and drove the
Germans out Of trenches north Of Yer.
mandovillers, says the French official
statement issued this afternoon.
Between the Disc and the Aisne sew
r. n
near Tracy-le-Val.
On the left bank of the Meuse in the
Verdun region there was grenade fight
ing at Hill 304.
On the right bank of the Meuse a VIC.
lent cannonading was in progress al
Fleury and La Laufee.
a German attack on the French posi-:
tions at Baschwiller. in Alsace, is
claimed to have failed.
Sublieut. Nungesser Of the French
Aviation Corps brought down his tenth
The text Of the French official state
ment follows:
South of the Somme yesterday we
captured in a small attack south OF
Estrees a group of powerfully fortified
houses Our troops chased the Ger
mans from some trenches north of Ver-
mandovillers and occupied them.
Between the Disc and the Aisne we
dispersed with grenades several re.
to reach our lines in the sector OF
Tracy-le-Val
"on the left bank of the Meuse an
enemy attack with hand grenades
gun fire. On the right bank there was
violent bombardment in the region be-
tween Fleury and Laufee. In Alsace
after artillery preparations the Ger
mans delivered an attack upon our
Balschwiller positions northwest OF
Altkirch. After lively fighting the
enemy was driven out from some ele-
ments of the trenches where he had
gained a foothold.
"On July % Sublieut Nungesser
plane. On the nights of July 1925 one
of our aeroplane squadrons bombarded
the railroad station at Pierrepont and
Longuyon and the bivouacs near Man
giennes."
Australians Impatient Fighters.
WITH THE BRITISH ARMY IN
FRANCE. July "a. via London. July rs
How about the Australians?" Every.
body was asking today at the front
Were they sticking to 1t?
WHAT the official bulletins call a cur.
tain of fre hid the ruins Of Pozieres
where the Australians had yesterday
established themselves on one side OF
the main street, with the Germans or
the other Unremittingly, the German
guns kept a curtain there. with burst
after burst Of shrapnel. raining bull
lets and high explosives. their BLACK
bursts churning the earth.
On the other side of the massed re-
mains of that village, which is preciou.
high ground. the British guns placed
the same kind of a curtain. as If serv
ing the same kind of notice that nj
one might pass the barrier Of death
| and join in the struggle of the com
batants surrounded by an inferna
ring.
But back from the scene came NOR.
prisoners and two guns taken, and new.
| that the Australians, not content will
holding one side of the street. now hae
both, and. digging. bombing. duckinf
and rushing amid piles of fallen brick
| and debris, were pressing on the mas
tory of the whole village.