The sun., 1917-07-02
GERMANS REDOUBLE
ATTACKS ON YERDUN
Post Between lie Mort Homme
and Hill 304 Changes
Hands Five Times.
WIPED OUT BY GUNFIRE
French Defence Is Unbroken
British Take Half Mile
of Trenches.

LONDON, July Though British
troops in a new attack have captured
half mile of German trenches on the
southwestern edge of Lens, the hottest
fighting of the day has occurred on the
French front, at Verdun and on the
Chemin des Danes There the Ger
| mans have redoubled their attacks and
the French defence has shown all Its
wonted tenacity.
| One incident of the Verdun fghting
| shows its desperate nature. There, was
| until yesterday a small French advanced
| post between lie Mort Homme and Hill
\ 304, on the west bank Of the Meuse.
! The Germans attacked Il. the French
defended. No fewer than five times that
single post changed hands At the end
of the fighting neither side held IT, The
post had been wiped out by converging
| artillery fire
The upshot OF the Verdun fighting was
that the Germans gained no more
! ground. and were hard put to 1t to hold
what they took yesterday. They strove
to storm the fortified French position in
the region Of blasted stumps and shell
| holes that once was Avocourt wood. west
| of Hill 3O4, but failed completely.
Around the two hills a storm of French
| counter attacks ragged. with fiuctuating
| results.
Germans Pay Heavy Price.
South of Laon the Germans had more
| success but there also they paid the
price. They gained a grip on a small
segment of the thirty mile ridge Of the
| Chemin des Danes. to the east of Cerny.
attacking there as the French counter
,NN .AI =
Champagne, cast OF Prunay, the Ger
mans tried an attack, but could not ad-
vance an inch.
Besides the announcement of new
gains In the steady squeezing OF the
Germans from Lens. the British War
Office tonight reports on the material
advantages gained in the month of June
including the victory south OF Ypres
The prisoners totalled 1855, of whom
l75 were officers 81 guns, 1O2 trench
mortars and 345 machine guns. The Of
ficial statements follow:
French Day Statement-To the east
of Cerny, Notwithstanding a recru-
descence of artillery bombardment,
only local fighting was reported in
the sector from Cerny to ALLIES. An
attempt of the enemy to advance at
various points on this front was re-
pulsed by our grenades.
. lH tiit cast OF ItnettnS our
first limos were submitted to violent
bombardment in the carly part of the
night. Strong surprise attacks d.
rected by the Germans in the region
cast OF La Pompellc, north and north
. east of Prunay, caused the attackers
serious losses and gained nothing for
them.
, On the left bank Of the Meuse ar
' tillery fighting continued intense in
h. -f.,,, 81 n IA
, and Dead Man Hill An enemy attack
! on the Ayocourt fortified position
r broke down under our fire.
e West of Dead Man Hin lively fight
e ing took place around one of our ad-
D vanced posts which was lost and re-
e taken OF five different occasions and
finally was abandoned by both sides.
1 The position was completely de-
{ stroyed by artillery fire.
!, British Capture Trenches.
British Day Statement-Following
: our success yesterday south OF Lens
| our troops attacked last night on the
: north bank of the River Souchez and
captured the enemy's defences on a
front of about half mile Immediately
a. southwest and west of the town.
. We successfully raidcd enemy
a trenches during the night northeast
of Epehy.
As the result Of enemy raids cast
:, of GouZeaucourt and in the neighbor-
3 hood of Armenticrcs we took prisoner
few Germans.
British Night Statement-The enc
Il my's artillery has shown considerable
~ activity during the day in the Scarpe
II valley, in the neighborhood of Lens
$ and north of the River Lys. Seven
teen prisoners were captured as re-
h suit of our attack last night on the
l. north bank of the Souchez River.
o During the month of June we have
y taken In the course Of our successful
n operations against Messincs and
Wytschaete Ridge and on other parts
of our front S,6S6 German prisoners.
including 175 officers, and have also
captured 81 guns, including two heavy
guns; lo2 trench mortars and 345
- machine guns, besides great quantities
of other war material.
+ Teutons Tell OF Success.
81 German Day Statement-Western
~ theatre: The weather was rainy and
I misty and the firing on the whole
!. front in nearly all sectors was light
~ Some recommending encounters had
favorable results for our scouts.
i Army group OF Crown Prince Fred
erick william: The French endeav-
ored to regain territorial advantages
d won by our troops on the Chemn des
M Danes and on the western bank of
ls the Meuse. East Of Cerny the enemy
n thrice attacked after brief lombard
D. ments the trenches We had taken on
80 the plateau south of Bovelles farm.
De All the attacks were sanguinarlly re-
Is pulsed,
Taking advantage OF the disorder
n our Lippe bsttalions stormed the
ns French lines further east as far as
ne the Ailles-Paisey road, BY this sue
III cess the number of prisoners captured
n by the we'll tried wesphslian divisions
d, in three days fighting was increased
TO ten officers and more than $50 men.
on the western bank of the Meuse
the French endeavored by many at
tacks to drive us out OF the trenches
- on hill S0t and east of that place
" They were repulsed by our barrage
fire and by desperate hand grenade
M fighting