On the Western Front the British, French, and American troops
have worried the enemy by a number of local attacks at different points, which resulted in useful gains of ground and in the capture of nearly three thousand prisoners. Our troops on Friday week advanced a mile on a three-mile front east of Nieppe Forest, taking three villages. The French on the same day pushed forward between the Aisne and the Forest of Villers-Cotterets on a four-mile front, and last Saturday made another advance to the south of the Forest. They continued these operations on Monday and Tuesday, and on Wednesday they recovered some ground to the north of the Aisne, north of Moulin-sous-Touvent. Further to the south, near Château- Thierry, where the new German salient touches the Marne, the Americans on Monday captured the village of Vaux in a particularly skilful operation, destroying the German regiment which held it and beating off a furious counter-attack. Our troops last Sunday night gained some ground north-west of Albert, overlooking the Ancre, but, after repulsing several attacks, were driven back again on Tuesday. On Thursday our men advanced more than a mile on the 'south bank of the Somme and captured Hamel. These local attacks illustrate General Foch's well-known belief in an active and vigilant defensive.
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