Evening star., 1918-07-12
Longpont, on Westerly Side
of Marne Salient, Cap
tured in Attack.
PROGRESS is SCORED
AT OTHER POINTS
Feeling Out Measures Of Allies
May But Foreshadow Great
General Offensive.
BY the Associated Press.

by the Associated Press.
Gen. Petain is giving the Ger
mans on the westerly side of the
Marine salient little rest in their
positions east OF the forest OF
Villers-Cotterets. Last night
his troops again drove in on this
front and made substantial
progress. The most tangible
result reported from this latest
fighting is the capture of the vii
lage OF Longpont, to the out
skirts of which the French had
pushed in their advance on We'd
nesday night. A farm in this
neighborhood also was taken.
The French lines were like
wise driven ahead in the Chavig-
ny farm district north of Long
pont. A forward push also was
given the line in the area south
of Longpont, east OF Faverolles.
German Salient Threatened.
The extension of the front under at
tack to the Faverolles region is note
worthy as showing that the process OF
ha hat he
Aisne and the Marne is being carried
still farther south and is threatening
the local salient held by the Germans
between the Longpont district and the
American sector northwest Of Chateau
Thierry.
The series of operations carried out
by Gen. Petain on this front during the
present week has been generally re-
garded as OF merely local importance.
designed to straighten the line and for
tify 1t against the expected renewal OF
the German offensive The possibility
is not overlooked, however, that these
may be prelude to more important at
tacks.
The time has not been considered op-
perfume for Gen. Foch. the allied COM
sive role and turn to the aggressive on
a large scale. but it Is not impossible
that the feeling-out operations which
are in progress on both the French and
British fronts have other than purely
defensive purpose.
French Official Report.
PARIS, July 12-The village OF
Longpont, on the Savieres river east
of llers-Cotterets, has been captur-
ed by the French, says the official
statement from the war Office today.
The French also continued their
progress north of Chavigny farm and
east of Faverolles. Javage farm,
northeast of Faverolles, also was oc-
cupied.
British Have 100000 Men.
The British fighting forces in France
now aggregate two million men, says
the Havas correspondent on the Brit
ish front. This equals the number
on the front in 1917.
German guns and bombing airplanes
have not harassed the city of Amtens.
one of the objectives in the German
drive of March 81, since June rs. Pre-
vious to that and during the fighting
along the Somme the bombardment
civilian population had been removed
British Garry Out Raids.
LCNboANs July 1T tHcT
operations were carried out by Brit
ish troops last night. notably in the
Flanders area near Merris and Me-
teren, the war office announced today
Prisoners were taken In patrol en-
counter In the KENNEL sector on this
front.
Another British party raided the
German lines near Hamel, south of
the Somme. A patrol clash in the
neighborhood of Gavrelle. northeast
of Arras also resulted in the taking
of prisoners.
The statement reads:
I'm the successful minor enterprise
taken by us yesterday southwest Of
Merris we captured more than 120
prisoners and ten machine guns.
"A raid attempted by the enemy yes
terday south of Bucquoy was re-
pulsed"
Prisoners Are Taken.
LONDON. July 1.-THE official re-
port from Field Marshal Haig's head
quarters in France tonight says:
"A few prisoners were captured by
us last night northeast of Ypres with
out casualties to our troops.
During the day Australian troops
/. entered the German lines in the neigh
borhood of Ocris (?), penetrating to
a considerable depth, and brought
back more than seventy prisoners and
a number of machine guns A few
prisoners also have been taken by our
patrols on other parts of the front"
Enemy Aeros Destroyed.
The official communication on aer-
ial operations tonight says:
"On July 10 seven enemy machines
were destroyed by us and six others
were driven down out of control. Four
of our machines are missing.
Heavy showers interrupted the
progress of aerial observation and
photography, but, nevertheless. good
deal of this work was accomplished q
whenever the sky cleared, and, in ad-
dition. ten tons of bombs were drop
ped by US on different targets. The
rain prevented flying at night"
German Official Report.
BERLIN. via London, July 1.-THE
text of the official statement reads:
Throughout Thursday there was
moderate fighting activity, which re-
vived frequently in the evening. A
strong advance by the enemy north
east of Bethune was repulsed.
There has been lively artillery
activity between the Aisne and the
Afarne. Partial attacks launched by
the enemy from the forest Of Villers-
: Cotterets pressed back our posts in
the Savieres region.
Five American airplanes Of o
squadron of six, intending a raid on
Coblenz. fell into our hands Thurs