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Show .MUlDi iSiLlwII Violent Fighting Continues Heavy German Counter Attacks Repulsed. TRENCHES ARE CARRIED Curtain of Fire and Machine Guns Cost Enemy Heavy Death Toll. PARIS, April 20, noon. Violent fighting continued during the night in the course of which tho French made further gains in the regions of Laffaux and the Vauclerc plateau, the war office announces. Several lines of trenches east of Loivre were captured. cap-tured. Heavy counter attacks by the Germans in tho Champagne were repulsed, re-pulsed, severe losses being Inflicted on tho enemy. The statement follows: "South of St. Quentin the enemy's artillery kept up a heavy fire to which our batteries replied vigorously. During Dur-ing the night patrol encounters occurred oc-curred north of Urvillers. In the region re-gion of Laffaux we made appreciable progress and took fifty prisoners. Wo repulsed several counter attacks In this sector. "On the Vauclerc plateau and southwest south-west of Courcy we carried several trenches with grenades. East of Loivre Loi-vre a well conducted operation enabled us to gain ground and take 250 prisoners. pris-oners. "In the Champagne the night was marked by violent reactions of the enemy. Very strong counter attacks, preceded by bombardments, were launched by the Germans in the region re-gion of Moronvilliers. Our curtain of fire and our machine guns completely negatived these efforts, which cost the enemy very heavy losses. A score of prisoners remained in our hands. Everywhere Ev-erywhere else tho night passed in quiet. On April 16, ten German airplanes air-planes and two captive balloons were brought down by our pilots." |