Paris, Sept. 28.
Infantry operations on the Western Front were confined to mere local 3 encounters yesterday as French and German soldiers sought cover from heavy artillery which began a. furlous bombardment on both sides the frontier.
German long: range guns, fung twenty miles © into France, Jand delay French reinforcements en Toute to the front.
German artillery opened up along a fitly mile front from Searbruecken pouring. tons of French and British artillery batteries meanwhile kept up. their: methodical shelling of German pillboxes and have shattered German defences in some sectors, Both armies dug in under the intense artillery bombardments and most movements were designed. to obtain better cover, The French Mfigh Command said French _troops had retained all" their gains, and Indicated that French troops are now entrenched from one to ten He tiles Inside the German frontier United Press.
Artillery Duels Paris, Sept. 27.
Without launching any specta-gular but costly offensive, the French 'Army penetrated. the advance for~ iifcations of the Slegtried Line and JGrmly established itself in strategic areas across the German' frontier, military quarters told Havas today.
No important activities were taking place today on the western front, but long artillery duels were held," especially in the extreme western sector, where French batteries violently' shelled German troop concentrations along the Moselle, Military objectives in the German villages of Perl, Borg and Bosch were made targets of heavy bombardment with a view to halting at the Outset German "attempts to launch 2 huge offensive.
The French High Command, military observers said, was careful to avoid flamboyant action and order-mainly scouting operations. between the Maginot and Siegfried Lines at the beginning, later launch-Ing sturdier attacks.
Small Losses Formal assurances were given [Havas today that French Army Tosses were slight as compared 10 the important results, achieved, During early attacks, French me fantrymen encountered innumerable traps, mine fields, obstructions, antitank' barricades, barbed wire folds Jand reinforced concrete blockhouses with automatically-controlled guns.
But no big offensive was ordered before all passible precautions had Seen taken, the mila quarters "Trap-Infested. German ground wor first steadily shelled "to. wipe "out as many obstacles as possible and to "neutralise" the enemy in. forti-fled works. Mincflelds were set off by these bombardments.
'Further' caution was exhibited by the French Command, "which was not to be enticed into iragle reckless ness, Lorries, loaded with sandbags fand with the accelerator pedal tied down, were sent driverless cress enemy ground before infantrymen, Dummy Lorries 'The lorries set off mines whicn ggeaped artillery bombaramenis moreover, only single companies, protected' by shell barrages, were then sent out to reconnolire the ground. Regiments were deployed behind these small groups of advance troops, Final, mopping-up precautions were taken by soldiers who, armed with Jong sticks, quartered' the ground and set off ate distance all explo ives that might still' have been eft behind, the military. observers concluded.
"Today there was activity of our reconnoitring elements, a curt, French Headquarters. communique announced this evening—Havas.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.