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Show British Hold the Line atII Places; Attacks At-tacks of the Enemy Grow Weaker as Battle Proceeds REPORTS FROM ALLIED CAPITALS ARE CHEERFUL PARIS, March 31. The battle is slackening, according to news reaching Paris late tonight. The attacks of the Germans have been less violent and less numerous today,' and it has been observed ob-served that the enemy is feverishly digging himself in, particularly particu-larly in the neighborhood of Lassigny. The general impression is that the situation is most satisfactory. WITH THE BRITISH ARMY IN FRANCE, March 31. (By the Associated Press.) Sunday morning the British were holding hold-ing the whole of their line with strength. They had smashed numerous nu-merous heavy German attacks at various points and successfully taken the ' initiative, on several sectors. PARIS, March 31. On the southern battle front the French j have recaptured Ayencourt and Monchel and gained considerable ; ground in the region of Arvillers, according to the official communication commu-nication from the war office tonight. The statement reads: - ' The Germans, exhausted by their sanguinary check of yesterday, made violent local attacks today only aiC certain points on the front. ' North of Moreuil the enemy gained no success except in the region of Hangard en Santerre, where, after stubborn stub-born fighting, he succeeded in gaining a foothold in that ' j village. ' j Between Moreuil and Lassigny our troops recaptured j Ayencourt and Monchel last evening, taking about 100 pris- j oners and fourteen machine guns. Today, in the course j of spirited engagements, they made a notable advance 'l in the region of Onvillers. On the Oise front enemy detachments, consisting of a battalion of storming troops, after crossing the river near Chauny, attempted to establish a bridgehead on the left bank. In a vigorous counter-attack this battalion was ' completely annihilated or taken prisoner. The number of i unwounded Germans remaining in our hands exceeded 100. Our long-range guns caught under their fire and destroyed de-stroyed an enemy train of heavy artillery in the region of Laon. ( LONDON, March 31. The Germans were quiescent north of the Somme on Sunday, their attacks not being renewed against the British front, Field Marshal Haig reports from headquarters this evening. There was considerable fighting, however, south of the Somme. The.- text of the report reads : North of the Somme the enemy did not renew his attacks at-tacks today. Some -heavy hostile shelling, however, has taken place' on different parts of this front. We secured a few prisoners and machine guns in local fighting. South of the Somme a hostile attack developed in considerable con-siderable force about midday south of the main Peronne-t Peronne-t Amiens road. Fighting is continuing in and between the valleys of the Luce and the Avre, where possession of tactical tacti-cal features, wood3 and villages is at present being contested. PARIS, March 31. Official announcement was made today that the presence on the Franco-British front of Bulgarian and Austrian troops has now been established. GERMAN TROOPS MOWED DOWN BY FRENCH GUNS PARIS, March 31. The battle continued contin-ued last night with undiminished violence, vio-lence, the war office announced thlR Afternoon. Aft-ernoon. German battalions, renewing the attack without cessation, were mown down by the French lire. Moreuil chanced hands four times In a furious strucle. Anally helm; held by French and British troops. The woods north of Moreuil were captured by the French. Between Moreuil and I.-issieny the Germans Ger-mans were checked completely. The announcement follows: The slruKie whs continued with undiminished vlolcm-c during the niicht and this seemed to empmiKiv.e the check administered to the formidable German effort of yesterday to break through the line. Hetwecn Montdldicr and Moreuil the HEAVY MASSES OF GERMANS HURLED 'AGAINST FRENCH By t;: AP-fx-laterl Pr"-'. WITH IMP: AM K HIOAN ARMY IX KflANCK, S;iM;rJ;iy. Mari-h .10. A ktM flood of Gf-rman infantry flowd aHlnf;t the Frtnch lints today between Moroull flro of t.lie Kmivh itifuntrv mowed (Jnwn C'Timin h:i t ImII'imh, wJiJrli rr-thti rr-thti :sh:uR without cchhIiik. Moreuil, cfiplurrj ,y tlm crniiinf, wa.s rpiakfii by liio J'Yfjnrli, aaln takf-n by tho k-rniunH, htm finally r.nrnct) in a b;tyon-t rhaiK-' IKl1r with inro;npanitIo hravi-rv by Ft.'iicb and I'.ritlMi tioopH ruhiiflcf In tli- Fume ranks. 'Tli'j woo!m north ,,f Morcuj) aiso wen- 'iipiurcij an the result of valiant fiirlitim,'. J r i (hln region the I-Ypii' I) t'utk many prinonprs. Bi-t wfcii Moreuil a in) I,an:'Ii:ny the chykim.' of Hie (icnminn, it lias 'been pstablWhwi, wfiH (,-otnpleU-. T)9 Krfm en were hie lo mako pror'eH fin far an tho vlHnity of 'a nny-Hur- ' Matz. The division of picked troops, widen, as armouneed hist nlhf, recaptured re-captured T'leriM.nt and held Jt acairiMt all attacks, took scvi-u hundred prisoners. an'I IiKHir;ny. It was purely ;L battle of foot fcoldjers. Heavy ii'ihsch of i;.Tm:ms wore ii'irbd acaiiiHt tho Kionch timo (Continued on Pago Three.) FRENCH TUPS MUG CIS (Continued from Page One.) after time, only to be cast back again by counter-atiacks. This was especially the case around Lassigny, the town which formed the limit of the German line before their retreat re-treat in March of last year. The battle ' line fluctuated several times in the course of the day, both sides displaying the greatest obstinacy. The French and Germans Ger-mans met often in hand-to-hand fighting fight-ing in the villages of Orvillers, Plemont and Plessier de Roye, where bayonets and hand grenades did deadly work. The British and French, in retiring at the first rush when the battle started ten days ago, destroyed roads and small bridges. This prevented the bringing up of powerful German weapons and also put an obstacle in the way of bringing forward supplies. 1 ground before the French lines is ed thickly with German dead. T'16 "Pinion is general that the battle jp will be a long one, perhaps keeping up ff for months, with a series of pauses be-JSI'V be-JSI'V tween the various phases. a GERMANS REPORT SLIGHT GAINS IN ,- SATURDAY FIGHT BERLIN, via London, March 31. The official war office communication, deal-r deal-r ing with their fighting of Saturday, says: !'"' On the heights west of the upper ' , Ancre we repulsed a -British counter- v attack. Between the Somme and the n Oise we gained further successes in ;n ' our attack. On both sides of the Luce brook : we penetrated the foremost British . lines, which were strengthened by French regiments, and took bv storm a the villages of Aubercourt, Hangard and Demuin, situated in the valley, and, notwithstanding a most violent counter-attack, threw the enemy back on Moreuil and the wooded heights to the north thereof. Between Moreuil and Noyon we attacked at-tacked a newly brought up French rr army corps. North of Montdidfer we 0' repulsed the enemy over the Avre and -c look by storm the heights situated on Id ' the western bank. Fontaine was taken by storm in the k; evening, and Mesnil was maintained n y. in stubborn fighting. ; The Renaud fort, dominating the i Oise, southwest of Noyon, was taken by storm. j The official report from headquarters irt this evening says: ifi There have been local successful battles between Luce brook and the fU Avre, French counter-attacks west and southwest of Montdldier failed with heavy losses. ' id GERMANS LOSING GROUND 4 MILES EAST OF ARRAS K LONDON, March 31. That the Germans on Sunday not only fnilod to mane gains A Hinst the British troops in France, but l0lvVr0ll,ul four "iil3 east of Arras, and 4 . sufftVtl heavy casualties in fruitless attacks, at-tacks, is announced in a statement Issued by the war office tonight, which also says: f South of the Rom me yesterday, by successful counter-attacks, we regained re-gained possession of Demuin. In brilliant operations yesterday by the Canadian cavalry and British infan- j try, in conjunction with the French, we captured Mnreull and the wood to the north of that place. ALLIED OFFICERS VORKING WITH THE BOLSHEVIK TROOPS MOSCOW, Friday. March 23. (Bv the Associated Press) Allied co-operation Willi the council of soldiers' and workmen work-men s de.egaios in the defense of the Kola tnd ourmansk coast and railwav is an established fact, according to dispatches widen announce that French and British ofl icers are working with Bolshevik troops as instructors, as well as supplying supply-ing British marines and French soldiers returning from the Russian front BRITISH RESTORE THE LINE SOUTH OF THE SOMME LONDON, March 31. The British have restored their line south of the Somme, in the Luce valley, after a vigorous counter-attack, says the official communication communica-tion Issued this afternoon. Two strong attacks by the Germans on the front from Marcelcave to the Somme were repulsed, with heavy losses to the enemy. North of the Somme the Germans, attacking at-tacking with four waves of infantry, were beaten back at all points. In the neighborhood of Serre (north of the Somme, seven miles above Albert), the British advanced their line, taking 2-.0 prisoners and forty machine guns, lhe statement follows: South of the Somme our line In the Luce valley was restored yesterday, after a vigorously executed counterattack. counter-attack. Two strong attacks made by the enemy in the course of the day against our front from Marcelcave to the Somme were repulsed in each case with heavy loss to his troops. In his attacks, delivered yesterday Immediately north of the Somme, the enemy's infantry advanced to the assault as-sault in four waves and were repulsed at all points by our outpost line. The enemy's casualties on this portion of the battle front alone are estimated in the thousands. Early yesterday afternoon a successful suc-cessful local operation was carried out by us in the neighborhood of Serre. Our line in this locality was advanced ad-vanced a short distance, ami 230 prisoners and forty machine guns were captured by us. ' Our line also was carried" forward slightly on other parts of the battle front, and prisoners were taken. British Airmen Win in Italy. LONDON, March 31. Eighty-three enemy en-emy airplanes have been destroyed by British aviators since they began operating operat-ing on the Italian front, says a British official communication tonight. The British have lost ten machines in aerial fighting. Activity in Italy. ROME, March 31 Along the entire Italian front there is an intensive artillery ar-tillery duel in progress and considerable activity by patrol, parties, says the Italian Ital-ian official communication, issued today. Nine additional enemy airplanes have been brought down by British and Italian airmen. |