Evening star., 1918-05-23
HEAVY GUN DUELS
RAGING IN WEST
British and Germans Con-
tinue Their Series of Raid
ing Operations.
TEUTONS DRIVEN OFF
By the Associated Press.

By the Associated Press.
LONDON. May 23.-Heavy artillery
fighting in the Ancre valley southeast
of Lens and in the Flanders salient is
reported in today's official statement.
The statement follows:
The enemy rushed one Of our posts
in the Aveluy wood sector last night.
Two of our men are missing.
I'VE carried out successful raids in
the neighborhood of Aylette and Leux
st. Marc wood, inflicting number of
casualties on the enemy and captur-
ing machine gun.
The enemy also attempted to raid
our positions in the vicinity of Riez-
du-Vinage. He was driven of by rifle
and machine gun fire.
THE hostile artillery was active
last night in the Ancre valley south
of Lens, east of Robecq and east of
the forest of Nieppe."
Germans Repuised.
LONDON. May 22-The Germans
made another attempt today to raid
were repulsed, according. to Field
Marshal Haig's report tonight from
British headquarters in France. The
British carried out a raid on the Ger
man positions around Hebuterne. with
heavy casualties to the Germans.
French Check Raid.
PARIS. May 23.-There was inter-
mittent shelling south of the River
Avre. on the Amiens front. the freneh
war office announced today. A Ger
man raid on French positions in the
Bois Mongival failed. French de-
tachments patrolling in the Cham
pagne brought in a number Of pris-
oners and some war material.
German Official Report.
BERLIN, via London. May 22.-
Heavy artillery fighting is reported in
the official communications from gen
eral headquarters today. The chief
1ones under gun fire were the KEN
mel district, both sides of the Lys and
between Arras and Albert.
Allies Create Confusion.
By the Associated Press.
WITH THE FRENCH ARMIES IN
FRANCE. May 22.-While awaiting
the opening of the expected new Ger
man offensive the French and British
are creating great confusion in the
German plans by local operations
which already have brought about an
Improvement in their defensive posi-
tions.
The Germans had hoped to have
positions at solid points on the Flan-
ders hills. on the Villers Bretonneux
plateau an don the Grivesnes and
MaHly Raineval heights and LIE Pie
mont and Renaud hills from which
to launch their attack. Not only
have these positions remained in the
L., @J1 Sn1 hut
in the vicinity of them the French
and British recently have gained
ground.
The e1Germans have carried out q re-
distribution of their forces along the
whole front. The movement of troops
Foe Can Move Quickly.
In this connection military COM
mentators call attention to the fact
that the enemy has excellent COM
munications which. as before his at
tack in March. will enable him to
move great masses Of troops in the
forty-eight hours preceding a new at
tack.
The method employed is not expect
ed to be essentially different from
that of March. On the other hand. the
events of the last two months have re-
Sullcu AL d EICdI AhPA wv SiAOhi III A1iS
allied defenses and in utilization of
troops.
The activity of German afrplanes
and the exceptional violence of the
artillery bombardment on the Avre
and in the region of Albert are the
only indications of a coming blow.
Resume Of Fighting. :
NEW YORK. May 23.-The follow
ing resume of fighting on the western
front was received by the British Pic
torial Service here yesterday from the
ministry of information in London:
THE situation in the western front
remains very quiet, which is probably
accounted for by the fact that, as the
Germans can no longer create a sur
prise, they wish to try and succeed by
thoroughness. and thoroughness takes
time. During the sunny weather in
tense air fighting has taken place,
very much In Britain's favor. One
brigade, Royal Flying Corps. brought
down twenty-one enemy machines
without any losses of their own. From
the time the German offense came to a
standstill patrolling has been the dis
tinct feature. a form of warfare IN
which we have shown considerable
Every night we have had
encounters which are too
small to mention in communiques"