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Show FRENCH CARRY WITH THE FRENCH ARMY ON TH ECHAMPAGNE FRONT. Sept. 2C. (By the Associated Press) The French troops attacked the German positions in the Champagne from Au-berive Au-berive to the main Massignes this mor-nlng"about mor-nlng"about 5 o'clock and carried their first objectives without much opposition opposi-tion except on the left where rather stltf fighting was required. By 9 o'clock General Gouroud's troops had taken Servon, which had been in German hands since 1914, and were in possession of the main Massignes, Mas-signes, butle du Mesnil and Navarin. The operation which was personally directed by General Potain recalls in some of its features the first battle of the Champagne of which yesterday was the anniversary. General Petain was then, as now, in command and the direction of the attack at-tack was the same, but the means available for the attack were then in less proportion to the material obstacles ob-stacles to bo overcome. Developments today resembled also those of the second battle of Champagne Cham-pagne in July. Then General Gou-roud Gou-roud skilfully parried the great German Ger-man thrust by drawing his infantry back out of range of the artillery, leaving leav-ing his own guns in position to in-i in-i flict smarting losses on tho advancing lufantry. It is learned from prisoners that the Germans were imitating General Gen-eral Gouroud in retiring their infantry from the first lino. But that is as far as they profited from Gouroud's lesson. Their artillery went back with the Infantry. General Gouroud's soldiers, who advanced ad-vanced to those positions three years ago and have been facing them ever since are now enjoying a peculiar satisfaction sat-isfaction in being in them. Charrpagne Situation Changed In the battle of Champagne in 1915. the taking of these positions would have demanded a sacrifice that the strategic advantage to be gained then did not warrant. The situation Is changed now. Successive blows administered ad-ministered to the Germans on different differ-ent parts of the front give a different meaning to tho attack. The number of prisoners taken by the French is increasing steadily. They are filing back by all roads in groups of from a score to several hundred Among them there Is a larger proportion propor-tion of very young men than heretofore hereto-fore taken. Some of the captives are recruits of tho 1920 contingent They are leaving behind thom scores of burning villages. Thirty had been observed in flames up to noou today. Even this additional and unjustifiable devastation can scarcely add to tho desolation that has been spread all over this sharply disputed ground. The ridges nre covered thickly with shell holes that touch each other everywhere; ev-erywhere; all ystlges of vegetation long ago disappeared from the surface sur-face of the ground giving tho impression impres-sion that it must have been reduced to a state of mud violently churned and then left to dry. The ground is croused and criss-crossed in every direction di-rection by trenches that have been blown out of shape. A feature of today's operation was the activity of the enemy airmen which furnished several spectacular encounters with French observation balloons and anti-aircraft artillery. White puffs from the French shrapnel wcreseen everywhere over the field, Tho reaction against General Gour-aud's Gour-aud's artillery preparation was feeble. The French guns, heavy and light, opened fire at II o'clock last evening and for alx hours tho front of tho at- tack was clearly defined, a long line of bright flashes lighting the fog and the sky, with here and there a steady glow from burning dumps of1 munitions and supplies be'hind the German lines. The glare of the bursting German shells could be seen from lime to time until about 4 o'clock when their artillery artil-lery reaction practically ceased French aviators, favored by bright moonlight took the air 'and co-operated with the artillery by bombing the enemy's positions and attacking his troops with quick firers. After six hours artillery prepara-tion prepara-tion in the last hours of which it de-veloped de-veloped into an intense drum fire, French infantry bounded out of the trenches in a thick, gray fog which turnfshed the best possible camouflage i 1 for crossing the low ground. |