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Show BRITISH GAINING GROUND; GERMANS FIGHT FIERCELY LONDON, July 7, 2:46 p. m. Capture by the British of a German trench on a front of 1000 yards east of La Boisselle, in the Somme region, was announced officially of-ficially today. The British resumed the offansfve on certain sectors east of Albert at dawn today. At the same time, the Germans launched heavy attacks on the British trenches near Ancre. Violent fighting is now in progress. In the vicinity of Ovillers and Con-talmaison. Con-talmaison. as well as near La Boisselle, the British made progress. In the region of Thiepval the Germans regained a section of lost ground. The statement says: This morning, in certain sectors of the battlefield east of Albert, we resumed re-sumed a vigorous offensive at dawn. The Germans at the same time launched heavy attacks on our new trenches in the vicinity of the Ancre and north of Fricourt. with the result re-sult that violent fighting is now In progress along the whole front between be-tween the Ancre and Montauban. Up to the present several Important tactical successes have been gained by our infantry in the vicinity of Ovillers, I-a Boisselle and Contal-maison. Contal-maison. but northwest of Thiepval the enemy succeeded temporarily in regaining re-gaining two or three hundred yards of lost ground. The operations of last night, before the resumption of the offensive reported in the foregoing statement, are described in an earlier official communication, as follows: fol-lows: Last night the enemy heavily bombarded our cw positions at Bernaffay and Montauban and near La Boisselle, using in some places lachrymatory shells. Eastward of La Boisselle, after severe fishting, in which the enemy suffered heavy casualties, we captured another trench on a front of lOOU yards, where we are now firmly established. Southwest of Thiepval a determined attack on our lines was completely crushed. The enemy's artillery was particularly particu-larly active In the Loos salient and opposite Hulluch. Our artillery shelled the enemy's communication trenches and billets at various places. We successful suc-cessful sprang two mines opposite Aucliy and Hulluch. |