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Show uu Forty-five Come Down Inside Allied Lines and 139 in German Territory. WASHINGTON, Aug. 19. During tho month of July French aviators shot down forty-five enemy machines within the allied lines and 139 behind the enemy lines, according to an official of-ficial dispatch received today from France. In the same period forty-nine observation balloons wcro set on fire. The dispatch summarizing the work of the French aviation arm of the month, shows that 490.3S0 kilos (more than 535 tons) of explosivos were dropped upon German fortifications, lines of communication and towns in 1665 flights. Losses in French airplanes in tho month of July wore only half the number num-ber lost by the enemy while only one-third one-third as many French balloons were destroyed as German. The Importance of the work of aerial photography during a major offensive is shown by the statement that 20,950 negatives were taken during July. Brilliant Local Operations WITH THE ARMERICAN ARMY IN FRANCE, Aug. 19. (By the Associated As-sociated Press) In brilliant local operations op-erations carried out by General Man-gin's Man-gin's troops from tho Olso river near Ribecourt Saturday and Sundiy, important im-portant positions were wrested from the- Germans, who left 2,200 prisoners In the hands of the French. General Mnngin now holds the line running from Morsain along the southern south-ern edge of the ravine of Audignicourt to Rosette heights, dominating the plain of Carlepont, and thence on to PImprez, across tho Oise. This success suc-cess gives the French command of the valley of the Oise as far as Mont Rc-' Rc-' naud. A British pilot recently dropped a bomb on an enemy machine in the air. The missle broke off a wing of the German machine and then exploded explod-ed on tho ground. In another fight an observer climbed out on the wing and stopped a puncture in tho gasoline gaso-line tank with his .glove. The machine ma-chine side slipped during the operation opera-tion but the observer remained out on the wing until near the ground. Then he climbed bnck and the machine ma-chine landed safely. Initial Gain on Plateau. Tho initial gain on the plateau over the entire front of attack was 1500 yards, all objectives being reached. Prisoners say that the spirit of the German troops holding that part of the line was depressed greatly. Widening and completing the operation on Sunday, Sun-day, General Mangin's troops advanced advanc-ed to the ravine of Audignicourt and to the heights that dominate the Carlepont plain, The German artillery came into action only when the French had penetrated tho lines. The sparse number of troops in the front line and the delay in tho reaction reac-tion of tho German artillery recalled General Ludendorff's order that m view of previous losses the front lines should not be held heavily and that the weaker the artillery was the deeper deep-er should bo the advanced zone. The Germans here appear to have carried out the order except that portion enjoining en-joining them when in doubt whether to hold out or to retire 'and abandon their positious. General Mangin's advance ad-vance was so swift the enemy had no choice. When Monday's operations began the French were within five miles of tho river and within seven miles of the railroad and highway from Noyon to Chauny. Americans Capture Village. The capture of tho village of Frap-ellc Frap-ellc by American troops is an interesting interest-ing development of recent operations, bringing attention back to the Vosges front which had been dormant a long time. The soldiers under command ot UUhU Ul tr 1.111 Ul vui iii-iiiuL-i wur plain that tho Americans have started the Avar all over again on the "quiet" sectors of Alsace-Lorraine. The Germans are now using false noses on shells of certain calibres of heavy arms. The shells used in the bombardment of the Paris region had false noses in order to increase the range of fire. Official documents captured cap-tured at the front show that a considerable con-siderable part of the German armament arma-ment has been provided with this device. de-vice. Ten,, twelve and sixteen -inch projectiles havo been found to bo provided pro-vided with false noses, some of them longer than the shell itself. They also appear to havo been provided with a double-acting fuse. |