Evening star., 1918-05-21
British Clear Out Salient
Near MerviIIe and RepuIse
German Counter Attack.
FRENCH SUCCESSFUL
ON TWO-MILE FRONT
Make Important Gains in Noun,
KENNEL Region-Intense Aerial
Activity Continues.

Delay in the launching of the ex-
pected German offensive apparently is
giving the allied troops little concern
as they improve their positions here
and there by strong local attacks.
Whether the Germans are prepared to
renew the heavy fighting is not yet
clear, but strangely they do not react
against the Anglo French nibbling tao
ties.
The British, for their part in the
Strengthening of the Flanders position,
carried out an operation last evening
in which they cleared out a small Ger
man salient that projected into their
lines northwest of Merville, near
Nieppe wood, where the Germans rush
toward the Hazebrouck railway juno
ton was stopped in last months often
sive. The enemy evidently regarded
the ground as of marked value for this
morning he delivered sharp counter
attack. 1t was entirely unsuccessful,
however, being broken up by the Brit
ish artillery and machine gun.
French Gain on Two-Mile Front.
On the Lys front between Mont
KENNEL and the heights OF Mont
Rouge and Scherpenberg. the French
have greatly improved their positions
in forward movement along a front
Of two miles. Not only were impor-
tant gains made. but more than 400
German prisoners were captured. The
enemy has yet made no counter at
tack there. nor has he made any ef-
fort to retake the village OF VILE
Sur-Ancre, on the Somme front, cap
tured in a gallant attack by the Aus
tralians Sunday.
Between the Somme and Arras the
British are harassing the Germans by
rushing their outposts. and the
French have been successful in SINH
lar operations in the region of
Rheims. in the Champagne.
The German artillery fire is espe-
the Somme and north of Bethune,
northwest of Arras. To Bethune has
come the fate Of SO many other towns
and cities of northern France, and it
Is now mass OF ruins, as result OF
the German bombardment.
There is no let-up in the intense
aerial activity. In fighting in the air
British aviators have destroyed twen-
ty-seven German machines and driven
down three others out Of control, as
ing sQuadrcns also are busy behind
the German lines, and Monday a ton
of bombs was dropped on Landau,
northwest of Karlsruhe. on the Rhine.
British ohicial Reports.
LONDON. May 21.-Northwest of
Merville. in the Flanders salient, the
British improved their positions last
night. the wap office announces.
Thirty prisoners and six machine
guns were taken by the British in
this operation. A counter attack on
the new POSITIONS launched this
morning, after a period of heavy
shelling, was crushed by the British
artillery and machine. guns. The
statement says:
"a successful local operation was
carried out by troops of the Surrey
Battalion yesterday evening noHth-
west of Merville. A re-entrant in our
line in this sector was closed up and
thirty prisoners and six machine guns
were captured by us.
EARLY this morning q hostile coun-
ter attack against the new positions.
delivered after heavy lombard
ment. was broken up by our artillery
and machine gun fire.
Succeed in Raid Near Arras.
I'VE carried out a successful raid
last night southeast of Arras and
brought back few prisoners and a
gun from the enemy's
trenches.
During the night the hostile artil-
lery was active in the Albert sector
about Hebuterne. between the forest
tive than usual between the Scarpe
river and Hill 20, north of Lens. The
gas shelling reported to have taken
place yesterday north of Bethune was
heavy"
French Make Big Gain.
LONDON. May 20.-In sharp opera
tions around Isocre- Fren.h troops
made an important advance on a
front of more than two, miles and cap
tured over 400 prisoners, according to
Field Marshal Haig's report from
British headquarters in France to-
night. The text of the report reads:
'.Dur1ng the night trench troops
carried out successful operations east
and northeast of Locre. All their OBJ
jectives were gained on a front of
some 1000 yards and over 400 pris-
oners were captured.
Local fighting occurred early this
north of Albert, as a result
Of which a few OF our men are miss
ing. A party of our troops rushed
l German post east of Hebuterne and
captured a few prisoners and two ma
chine guns.
"The hostile artillery has shown
activity today with gas
shells in the section north of
Bethune."
Germans Lose in Air.
During the aerial fighting Sat
urday twenty-seven German air.
planes were destroyed. three were
driven down out of control and three
German balloons were burned, ac-
cording to the report on aerial oper-
ations issued by the war office.
British machines are missing.
The text Of the statement reads:
Another full days work in the air
was accomplished on May 10. Our
balloons and airplanes actively CO.
operated with the artillery. observing
The fire of our batteries and locating
hostile guns.