Evening star., 1918-07-13
Smash Ahead 500 Yards In
AntheuiI Region Northwest
of Compiegne.
STRIKE Fierce BLOW
ON THE PICARDY LINE
Push Ahead More Than q Mile On
Front of Three-German Posi-
tions Seriously Endangered.

Striking continuously, the
French forces are giving the
German armies no rest. Their
latest blow has been delivered
between Mondidier and the Oise,
where French soldiers have pen
etrated enemy positions to a
depth of 500 yards in the gen
eral vicinity of Antheuil, north
west of Compeigne.
By the Associated Press.
Success has crowned further
allied smashes into the German
lines between Ypres and Rheims.
For more than two weeks the
allies have been jamming into
the German defenses here and
there and the results now are
Just as favorable as at the be-
ginning.
Gains on Wide Front.
For the first time since the attrition
campaign was undertaken the French
have struck with force in the Picardy
battlefield. Along the Avre river,
northwest of Montdidier. the French
advanced their lines more than a mile
on front of three miles and captured
over 500 prisoners. This blow. like
the recent ones by the British astride
the Somme, has driven the enemy
back on a sector vital to the defense
of Amiens, the objective of the first
German offensive begun on March 81.
Germans in Danger.
In capturing Castel and strong for
tilted positions the French have ad-
| vanced almost to the western bank
of the Avre. Further gains south
ward toward Mailly-Raineval will en-.
danger seriously the German posi-
tions west of the Avre to below Mont
didier west of which the Americans
| hold Cantigny. In an advance toward
Amiens the Germans would either
follow the Somme or go up the valley
of the Avre, which joins the Somme
near Amiens.
Between the Aisne and the Marne
the Germans apparently still do not
take seriously the French gains east
| of the forest of Villers-Cotterets.
Several villages and fortified farms.
including Cercy and Longpont. have
been taken by the French this week.
but the Germans have made no serious
| efforts to retake the positions and are
slowly being forced on the hign
| ground.
French Official Reports.
PARIS, July 13.-In an operation
carried out last night on the front be-
French pushed their advanced posts
forward a distance Of approximately
500 Yards in the vicinity OF the Porte
farm, the war office announced today:
(The, Porte farm is in the vicinity OF
Antheuil. northwest OF Compeigne.
farm. nearby, was captured by the
French in a local operation on the
evening of July So
The statement reads: Between
Montdidier and the Disc the French
in. the course of the night advanced
their forward posts 500 meters in tho
| region of the Porte farm
Several raids were carried out by
French troops north of the Avre (south-
| east of Amiens) in the region Of the
pagne, resulting in the taking Of pris-
| onerS."
Yesterdays Successes.
PARIS, July 1.-THE night state
"our troops this morning launched .
| brilliant attack on front OF nve kilo.
al orHI r~fh ~
| Mailly-RainevaL All of our objectives
were reached and we have occupied the
village of Castel. the Anchin farm and
| a number of strongly fortified enemy
positions French troops have pene.
| trated the enemy lines to depth OF
two kilometers and have taken more
| than 500 prisoners
British Carry Out Raids.
| LONDON. July 13.-Successful minor
enterprises were carried out by the
British last night on the Flanders
front near vieux Berquin and Merris.
as a result of which ninety-six prison
ers were taken and a few machine
guns captured, the war once an
nounced today.
A German raiding party which ad-
vanced upon the British lines in
Flanders in the Meteren sector was
repulsed.
The German artillery developed ac-
tiyity during the night on the Flan-
ders front and opposite Beaumont
HameL 10.
British Fliers Active.
LONDON, July 1.-THE Official
statement on aerial operations issued
| bv the war office tonight reads:
"On July IL heavy rainstorms limited
activity in the air on both sides, but
our machines carried out reconnois-
sance work and observation for the
fire Of our artillery whenever brighter
intervals permitted.
mine tons of bombs were dropped
on railway functions behind the Ger
man lines. Three hostile machines
were destroyed during the day and
two driven down out Of control. Three
of our machines are missing. Night
fIying was impossible"
Enemy Airdromes Bombed.
The air ministry has issued the fol-
lowing statement as to recent oper-
ations:
"During the night Of July IL our
machines successfully bombed three
enemy airdromes, at two of which
fires broke out. Many rounds of ma
chine gun bullets were fired at trains,
searchlights and other military OBJ
jects- On July IL the railway sidinss
Continued on Second PaSe.l