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Show Americans Meet Bitter Resistance ' In Grand Pre Sector WITH THE AMERICAN ARMY NORTHWEST OF VERDUN, Oct. 20. (By the Associated Press.) Activity on the American sector west of the Meuse was limited today on the American Amer-ican side to the consolidation and reorganization re-organization of positions recently taken. On the other side the Germans themselves in strengthening their positions. po-sitions. The American consolidation work was confined almost entirely to Loges wood. On the right of the wood after an artillery bombardment of two and a half hours, the Americans began the task of driving the Germans from Rap-pes Rap-pes wood. Fighting continues in the vicinity of Grandpre where the Germans Ger-mans still offer bitter resistance All signs of a probable German withdrawal with-drawal to the Frey position except on the right, have ceased and the enemy now seems determined to hold his present positions as long as possible. The German counter-attacks are becoming be-coming more. and more infrequent and It is learned that instructions havo been issued to -the Germans not to undertake counter-attacks unless they are positively assured of success. Artillery and v aerial activity was below be-low normal today because of the poor visibility due to rainy weather. WITH THE AMERICAN ARMY NORTHWEST OF VERDUN, Oct. 20. (By the Associated Press.) 7:15 p. i ni. By shoving ahead here and there , the American line left rests across tho Freya defense position at several places, the Americans on Sunday hav-, hav-, ing made slight advances on the northern edge of the Bois de Banthe-jville Banthe-jville and in the region of Bourrvt, both , of which points are touched "by the Frey line. After an artillery preparation prepara-tion the Americans cleaned up the 'Bois rapids, taking more than eighty prisoners. I Most of the resistance encountered J was from German machine gun nests. I There were artillery outbursts at intervals in-tervals during the afternoon. j Erwin Has Busy Day. WITH THE AMERICAN ARMY NORTHWEST OF VERDUN, Saturday, Satur-day, Oct. 19. (By the Associated Press.) Aviator Will Erwin of Chicago, Chi-cago, had a busy day Friday. Early in tha morning he brought down a German Ger-man airplane In a fight near Fleville. Later he participated in the all -American raid behind the German lines, acting as one of. the scouts protecting the bombing machines. British Steadily Gaining. PARIS, Oct, 20. Despite the abominable abomi-nable weather in French Flanders, the British armies are progressing in the region of Tournai with clock-like regularity, reg-ularity, capturing today more than ten villages, including Nechin, Wannehain, Froldmont and Froyennes. tho latter a mile northwest of Tournai. The river Selle has been crossed at several points between Haspres and Saulzoir by the armies operating in the Denain region and the advance steadily stead-ily continues In the direction of Valen-ciennes, Valen-ciennes, in spite of the stubborn resistance re-sistance of the Germans in this sector and torrential rains which are making rivers of tho brooks and the fields a sea of mud. on |