Evening star., 1918-06-29
Try to Null Foch's Gains Be-
low Soissons-ItaIians Beat
Foe Near BIigny.
BRITISH CAPTURE 400
PRISONERS IN FLANDERS
Improve Positions East of Haze
brouck-Americans Seize Forty
Enemies Near M6htdidier.

By the Associated Press.
Positions taken from the Ger
mans by the French on Friday
along the vital sector of the line
southwest of scissors have been
the scene of vigorous counter
thrusts by the enemy. These
attacks, one at Fosse-en-Bas
and the other on Cutry ravine,
which are about three miles
apart, have been repulsed by
the French, according to the Of
fetal statement issued by the
war office at Paris. The new
French lines have been held in
tact. The Italian forces south
west of Rheims, on the heights
of Bligny, who last week gal
lantly held their positions,
against two strong assaults by
the Germans, have again re-
pulsed the enemy, after they
had succeeded in gaining a foot
hold in their lines. American
units northwest of Montdidier,
in the vicinity of Cantigny,
have captured forty prisoners.
French and British Attacks.
Attacking the Germans suddenly on
two widely separated sectors. French
and British troops have improved
their positions greatly and captured
1,400 prisoners.
BY their enterprise in taking the in
itiative unexpectedly the allies ap-
parently caught the Germans mapping
and realized their objectives in a
short time. The British rectif1ed their
line east of HaZebrouck, in Flanders.
South of the Aisne the French drove
the enemy back on the important Am
the open space between the forests of
Compeigne and Villers-Cotterets. The
fighting here continues.
Not only did the allies straighten out
their lines, but they took from the
Germans salients which would have
suited admirably as Jumping or
points in future operations. Although
the British attacked on a front of
three and half miles and the French
on four and one-half miles, each ef-
fort was intended as a purely local
operation to harass the enemy.
Wipe Out German Salient.
In the north the British wiped out
the German salient toward the Nieppe
forest northwest of Nerville. and that
town now is menaoed seriously. Three
hamlets were retaken in an advance
of one mile. and the Germans lost 300
prisoners. Australian troops around
small gain and took forty-three Ger
mans.
After his check ON the Noyon- Mont
didier front the German crown prince
made a strong attack south Of the
Aisne for the apparent purpose Of
getting in behind the forest Of Com
peigne- A large part Of the gains
made then have now been recaptured
by the French. Important positions
"cIo TAKEN from SQ6 fer1nanS, whose
lines were penetrated at several
points to depth Of more than a mile.
The French bag of prisoners totals
1850.
Berlin reports the German troops
as striving to check the Nanco- Brit
ish attacks. Merville Is the farthest
point west the Germans reached in
the Lys battle. and the British gain
there lessons the peril to Hazebrouck.
No less satisfactory from the allied
viewpoint Is the successful French
thrust south OF the Aisne. which also
relieved enemy pressure at a more or
less vital point
Intense Aerial Activity.
Intense aerial activity continues
without let-up The Germans re-
peated their raid on Paris Friday
night for the third night in success
sion, but only few bombs were
dropped; In fighting in the air allied
enemy machines. while Berlin reports
the shooting down of twenty-five al
lied airplanes. French airmen are
bombing military targets in Picardy
bombers persist in thefr raids into
the region about Metz.
Fighting activity on the italian
front Is of minor character. Artillery
duels have increased in vigor along
the front. Austro- Hungarian trenches
on the AsiaEo plateau have been PEN
etrated by British troops, who took
prisoners.
French Line Held Intact.
PARIS. June 2s-German attacks
on the front southwest of Soissons
for the purpose of ejecting the
French from positions taken by them
on Thursday night were repulsed last
night, and the French line was held
/ intact. according to the statement Is
sued by the war office today.
| In addition to their attack on the
| front in the Scissors area the Ger
mans sent assault detachments
! against the lines held by the Italians
on the Bligny heights southweaf of