Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1917-03-28
French Make Further Gains in
Coucy-St. Gobain For
est Regions.
MORE VILLAGES SEIZED
BY ALLIED FORCES
Teutons Make Desperate Offensive
Efforts Near st. Quentin-Berlin
Announces Success Near La Fere.

German army is slowly recoiling along
q ten-mi1e front under the furious on
slaushts Of the French. The first SOC
don Of the great Coucy-St. Gobain for
ests has been completely cleared OF the
invaders. and Gen. Nivelle's troops are
now face to face with the last formid-
able natural barrier which lies between
them and Laon-the plateau OF St Co.
balm.
This densely wooded plateau lies be-
tween the Disc and the Ailette and is
about IL, 900 acres in extent. rising from
about so to 200 feet in height. No rail-
ways or high roads traverse it. but an
important railroad sweeps around its
southern border and runs north to
Chauny. This road is in the hands of
the French up to within about three
miles OF Anizy, which is ten miles west
of Laon. To the north the French are
about two miles from the town of st.
Gobain, center of the most famous glass
factories in Europe. st. Gobain is thir
teen miles northwest of Laon.
No change has taken place in the
neighborhood of st. Quentin, where the
Germans are still making desperate ef-
forts to wrest from the French the IS
session of which will, according to
military clitics, render the fall of the
city Inevitable.
Farther north the British have made
some slight progress. but no material
change in the situation has taken place.
Bad weather is reported to have seri-
ously interfered with operations on this
portion of the front.
Important Positions Seized.
By the Associated Press.
PARIS, March 2S.-The advance of the
French In the region north of Scissors
was continued during the night. Prog
fsss was made north of the Ailette
river and east of the Leuiily- Melville
Sur-HABafval line, where important po-
sitions were captured.
An Of the lower forest of Coucy has
fallen into the hands of the French,
tcgether with the villages IF Petit
Barisi1, Verueuil and Coucy-la Vile.
according to the official statement
issued by the war office last night
The :oficial statement of today fol-
lows:
Between the Sonme and the Disc
and south OF the Disc there were no
important events during the night The
artillery firing was rather heavy in the
region east of the lower forest of
Coucy. North of the AiIette we made
further progress and also in the sector
east OF the line LeuillyNeuville-Su
MarGival,' where we captured several
important points of support.
In the region of Rheims we made a
surprise attack east of Neuville, taking
prisoners. In the Champa gne late yes-
terday and during the night the artil-
Iery nghtfng became violent, especial
~ In the region of Butte de Mesnil and
Maisons de Champa gne."
British Occupy Villages.
LONDON. March 2s-The British in
their advance toward Cambria have oc-
cupied the villages of Longavesnes.
to the official report from British head
quarters in France last night The
text reads:
This morning our cavalry drove the
enemy from the villages of Longaves-
nes- .Lieramont and Equancourt, which
now are occupied by our troops A
number Of prisoners were captured i'm
the course Of this operation.
During the night the enemy de-
Hvered a third attack upon our post
north of Beaumetz-1ez-Cambrai which
was temporarily successful. Early this
= nnr nositton tne post was hsste sesaptured and
IAN enemy raiding party was driven
or oy our hre last night east of Ploeg-
eteert."
Berlin Claims Successes.
BERLIN. March IS, by wireless to
Sayvllle, n. "A French attack on
the west bank OF the Disc, near La
Fere. failed yesterday with heavy
losses. the war office announced. French
trenches In the Champagne, south OF
Ripont, were captured by the Germans
The statement follows:
western F'ront-Wfth the majority
Of the armies the day passed quietly
In the district on both sides of the
Somme and the Oise there were only
minor engagements. The successful
manner in which our troops there are
accomplishing their task is illustrated
by the fact that in the field of the en-
Ragement of March &c. between Laeni-
court and Morchies. about 1000 British
dead were counted.
Yesterday the French suffered san
culinary losses on the west bank of
the Oise, near La Fere, during the
failure of an attack.
TN the Champagne some French
trenches south of Ripont were cap
tured. There and in enterprises south
OF Saint Souplet and near Tahure 300
French were taken prisoner and several
machine guns and mine throwers
captured.
hostile accommodating detachments
which had entered our positions, were
driven away by a counter attack
ELEVEN AER0S SHOT DOWN.