Paris, June 5, 4 new battle started early today when the enemy exerted strong pressure between the sea and the Toad from Laou to Soissons, this morning's General Staff communique announced, Military quarters here declare that the offensive was launched along a 200 kilometres front, with the most powerful attacks taking place in the Amiens area where the enemy held a bridge position on the left bank of the Somme.
The French are in contro of Longueau, an important railway junction near Amiens, and the bridge crossing the marsh formed by the rivers Somme and Nove, Another important attack took place East of the Oise along the Ailette Canal below the famous Chemin des Dames. This attack was launched between Lafere, Loan, Nizy-lo-Chateau and Chauny.
At 400 a.m. this morning a violent artillery barrage heralded the start of the new German offensive against the French lines, A few minutes later large squadrons of German planes roared over the French positions, dropping their load of bombs. German infantry units burled themselves against the French lines as soon as the planes had stopped their bombing, At 10.00 a.m. no enemy tanks had yet taken part in the offensive The defending French forces are solidly entrenched in positions which they had been fortifying during the past few days in the Peronne and Ham areas, where they retook a number of bridges formerly held by the Germans and organized their rear-line defences.—Havas.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.