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Show FRENCH CAPTURE MORE VILLAGES AND MANY GUNS PARIS, July 3, 11,05 p. m. The French, advancing to the east of Mereaucourt wood, have captured the Chapitre wood and the village of Feuilleres. Farther to the south Assevillers has been taken by an infantry assault, according to an official offi-cial statement issued by the war office tonUht. South of Assevillers the French have taken the second line of German Jntreneh-ments Jntreneh-ments as far as the outskirts of Estres and have advanced beyond the second German line, where they have captured the villages of Buscourt and Flaucourt. The total advance at this section was five kilometers. The text of the French statement follows: fol-lows: North of the Somme the situation remains unchanged and no infantry action has occurred during the day. South of the Somme our troops, pin-suing their success east of the Mereaucourt wood, took nossesslon this morning of the Chapitre wood and the village of Feuilleres. Farther to the south Assevillers. the center of a powerful defensive German organization, organiza-tion, has been attacked and carried by our infantry after a brilliant assault. as-sault. South of Assevillers we havo conquered con-quered the second German line as far as the outskirts of Estres. In the course of the afternoon we advanced beyond the German second line and took possession of Buscourt (east of Feuilleres) and Flaucourt. At tms point the ground conquered bv ua reaches a depth of five kilometers. Heavy reinforcements which were observed ob-served In the region of Helloy-en-Santerre and others east of Flaucourt were caught under the fire of our artillery and dispersed. Among the material which has fallen into our hands up to the present pres-ent are seven batteries, of which three are of large caliber; a quantity of mitrailleuses and trench cannon. Other batteries sheltered in casemates case-mates and several in Herbcourt have not yet been counted. The number of unwounded prisoners taken by the French troops passes, by actual count, 8000. On the two banks of the Meuse there has been no infantry action. The artillery activity on the left bank of the river has moderated. On the right bank a violent bombardment took place In the region of Poivre hill and in the sector of Thiaumont and Damloup. but there was no further fur-ther attack by the enemy at this point. Belgian communication: Violent and destructive artillery actions have been carried on with success on the German posi t ions at Drei Grachten and east of Steen-straete. Steen-straete. A violent struggle with bombs took place in the southern sector sec-tor of the Belgian line. |