SMALL ENEMY SUCCESS.

From PHILIP GIBBS. WAR CORRESPONDENTS’ HEADQUARTERS, FRANCE, Monday Morning.

The German artillery has been firing with increased violence on the French and British front from Flanders to the Somme, and last night and this morning that fire intensified as though preparatory to an infantry attack. Warning signals were sent up last evening by some of our troops near Aveluy Wood, north of Albert, but the Germans did not advance. Along our line between Arras and Albert the enemy’s bombardment has been severe, but attacks have not followed in the localities from which reports are to hand.

At 4.30 this morning, however, there was a German assault upon the French lines in Flanders beyond the Hospice at Locre, the object of the enemy being no doubt to recapture the ground gained by the brilliant action of our Allies on May 20, who pushed out their line on a width of 3,000 yards beyond the Hospice, and brought back 500 prisoners.

The night before last, the Belgians holding the sand dunes about Nieuport and Dixmude southwards had to sustain several thrusts by German raiders. The enemy was able to make a temporary entry into the Belgian front line between the Passchendaele Canal and St George’s, but a counter-attack by Belgian troops hurled them back, with many casualties. In the Dixmude sector the enemy came out with a strength of about sixty raiders, and tried to destroy a Belgian patrol. It was a rash enterprise, because the patrol accepted the challenge and dispersed the German raiders, who had to run for their lives leaving behind a number of wounded. Further south, in the neighbourhood of Boesinghe, the Germans assembled for attack but were caught in the barrage of the Belgian gunners, who mauled them so badly that their action could not develop. The Belgians are in great fighting spirit, and the enemy is troubled by their constant harassing.

The situation generally remains as I stated it in more detail yesterday, except that the enemy is revealing his gun-power more fiercely, and during the last twenty-four hours has spread his shell-fire about the battle-zone very heavily and over wide areas, from Ypres southwards. The weather still remains good, and on both sides there is more than usual activity in the air, so that before nightfall yesterday some sky spaces were literally crowded with fighting planes of ours going eastwards in flocks, with destructive intent. Great events of history must be near at hand.