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Show GERMANS GAIN AND THEN LOSE Are Driven Out of First Line Trenches Which They Had Captured. London, March 31. Having captured captur-ed the village of Malancourt, the Germans have now shifted their offensive of-fensive eastward to the sector around the famous Le Mort Homme. With heavy forces the Teutons have -attacked the French line between Hill 2959 and Le Mort Homme and succeeded suc-ceeded In entering Frenoh first line trenches. A vigorous counter-attack by the French, howover, almost Immediately Im-mediately expelled tho Invaders and another attack by the Teutons delivered deliv-ered a little later Is declared by Paris to have been put down completely. The Germans have made no attempt at-tempt to debouch from Malancourt since their occupation of the village. The heavy bombardments of preceding pre-ceding days In the region northwest of Verdun have greatly slackened and there also has been only moderate activity ac-tivity by the big guns to the north and eaBt of the fortress. German Infantry Falls. Paris reports the failure of a German Ger-man infantry attack against tho French to the south of the Somme river near Dompierre, the shelling by the French of German troops on the march in the Argonne forest and the battering of German positions in the forest of Apremont. Violent artillery duels have been In progress between the Belgians and the Germans In the region of Dlxmude. The Paris official communication says: "In Champagne our destructive fire shattered German trenches to the south of Salnte Marie-a-Py. A German Ger-man aeroplane, which was struck by our special guns, fell in flames within with-in the enemy's lines to the "north of Tahure. "in the Argonne our artillery shelled troops on the march In the direction of Varennes. "To the east of the Meuse and In the Woevre there has been moderate artillery activity. "In the forest of Apremont we have bombarded enemy cantonments at Varvinay. Our fire against a German Ger-man battery in action caused several caissons to explode. "One of our aviation pilots In the course of a spirited fight brought down an aviator Inside our lines at Soppe, in the region of BelforL" Belgian communication: "After comparative quiet In the morning the artillery fire during the forenoon became be-came exceedingly desperate In the sectors of Perhyse and Dixmude." There has been a noticeable de- crease in the infantry fighting on tho Russian front, probably owing to tho ' soggy ground In the spring thaw. Tho artillery of both sides, however has been carrying out bombardments j at various points from the region of , i Riga southward. Bad weather also is hampering the fighting between- the Austrlans and Italians. |