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Show i GERMANS ATTACK n n l M u I -I French Resist New I I Blow With Entire I Success. ti 1 1 HUN LOSSES HEAVY j Big Drives for Calais and Paris Expected. Ex-pected. Standing firmly before the war I cln:ken city of Rheirrs, the Hrtncn B have checked a new German drive jjS Ic.ur.ehed last ninht, five dis nft?r I the offensive on th; K'ortdidic -Noy- on line c; rr.e to a halt. In the 'ighting H fie act' e battle front has been ex-SW ex-SW tended to a point five miles southeast H oe ihe cothedr.-J city J The German artillery Tuc-.day eve- I H ning cgan heavy bombardment hell he-ll tween Vr any, west of Rheims, t.- the I village of Li Pompelle, on the north s ank cf ihe Vesle river, eajt of that W c.ty. Three hours later the Teutonic k infantry stormed out of their trenches l to begin the assault. According to the II official statement issued at Pans, the im Germans were nowhere successful in m their attempts to enter the French lines, being repulsed with heavy losses. Fourteen - M lie Front. The front over which the new at-tack at-tack was launched is approximately 14 miles in length. It has been expect-I expect-I ed that the Germans would sooner or later attempt to straighten out their S lines in this region because the close I of the Aisne offensive left the allies t In a favorable position along the front I from the Marne east of Chateau Thier-I Thier-I ry to the region north of Chalons. Having interior lines they are able i quickly to concentrate their forces on either side of the angle having its apex, at Rheims. Raiding operations are reported from the British fronts on the Somme and . Lys sectors. PARIS. June 19 The Germans last ilught, after lolent preparatory boni-)bardnient, boni-)bardnient, began an attack on the ' 'Rheims front between Vrigny and La , Pompelle, the war office announced to- ! f day. The French are resisting the Ger-1 man blow with entire success. On the western front of the attack the enemy was not able even to reach the French line. In the center before ithe city the Germans were cbmpletlyl H repulsed and suffered heavy 108808 IprlEa.-'t. ni Rheiaa the French wen Rjequall; ul. The statement follows- "Last night 6 o'clock the Germans m delivered a violent preparatory artil-I artil-I llery fire along the whole front of I Rbelins from the region of Vrigny wosi I of the city, as far east as La Pome-He KAt 9 o'clock the enemy infantry' begau j I ,an attack on the French positions be- I tween these two points, j "The French troops resisted the t Gorman troops with complete success, I the, counter barrage of the French ar-I ar-I tlllery proving strong. ''Between rigny and Ormos German I lassault troops were stopped by the I French fire and forced to return mauy times lo ihnr lines of departure and I .were not finally able to reach the 1 French positions. "Around Rbelms violent combats B jdevoloped during the course of which) I the enemy suffered he,avy losses and I (was everywhere repul "East of Rbeims the fighting like-I like-I (Wise ended to the advantage of the I jFrench. The Germans having been It successful in penetrating the woods I piorthwest of Sill' ray were driven out II Iby a French ronnter attack. I "Prisoners taken in the region of Rhelms declared that the town was (attacked by three divisions which vm-ic ordered to take the place at all costs during the night." The front of the new German attack at-tack Is the semi circle drawn by the enemy about the city of Rhelms in the recent offensive on the Aisno front. The Rheims region comprised the left flank of the German attack dround was given by the French on both sides, of the cathedral city but the town itself it-self and the nearby protecting torts were held against the German onslaught on-slaught and have since remained in French possession. Rheims. however, was hemmed in on three sides by the enemy and It ha been considered only a question of time when the Germans would make a concerted movement to oust its & fenders. The front of the present attack from Virgny west of the city to La Pompell.- around the semi -circle to the east, is approximately 14 miles. British in Successful Raids. LONDON, June 19. British troops last night successfully raided the Ger- man lines in the region to the south of Hebuterne. north of Albert, the ,.n ! office announced today. A British post ! recently taken by the Germans near Vicux Bcrquin on the northern side of the Lys salient, was re-captured, some prisoners and two machine guns being taken in the operation. The statement reads: "A raid attempted by the enemy in the Locre sector was repulsed by French troops. "The hostile artillery' was active yesterday yes-terday evening in the Ancre valley, about Mericourf. and during the night has been active in the neighborhood Of Merris (Flanders front ) "We carried out a successful raid last night south of Hebuterne. "In the Vicux Berquin sector a party par-ty of our troops attacked and recaptured recap-tured one of the pests taken by the enemy in this locality on the night of June 14. We secured a few prisoners and two machine guns " PARIS, June 19 The lull in fight- j ing activity persists on the western front but military critics expect another an-other battle will be begun soon by the ' Germans. The Petit Journal thinks that the Germans will strike either the road to Calais or in the direction jjf Paris, perhaps per-haps on both fronts simultaneously The Echo de Paris believes the next German effort will come between Montdidier and Chateau Thierry, across the Oise and Aisne to the Marne. |