Middletown transcript., 1916-07-22
GERMANS ATTACK
WITHNENGAssHELL
Launch Effort to Regain DeviIIe
Wood.
THE BRITISH PUSH ON
Advance On Enemy Under Gas Clouds.
Furious Hand-To-Hand Engage
ments Reported BY Gen.
eral Haic.

| London.-Furious fighting on front
| of more than two miles around the
ruined village of Longueval and in the
shell-swept Delville wood, north of the
Somme is going on. The Germans are
striking heavy blows at the new
British front in an effort to- recapture
the village and forest.
The first German attack was launch
ed after a day of wind and rain. The
thick weather had interfered seriously
with the British artillery and had
cloaked the German preparations.
Gas Used In Attack
High explosive shells rained down
on the trenches, while shells blinded
the men who held them. In addition,
| the wind carrying toward the British
trenches, the Germans loosed great
clouds of noxious gas, and then, under
| cover of the clouds, advanced to the
attack
British Gain Near oViIlers.
The commander-in-chief's earlier re-
port announced a gain of considerable
proportions. In this attack the British
were able to advance on a front of two
thirds of mile north of Ovillers, driv-
| ing the Germans from several strongly
defended positions and capturing pris-
oners and machine guns.
The region Immediately contiguous
to Ovillers has seen during the last
few days some of the hardest fighting
of the Picrady offensive. 1t has result
ed in the British gaining control of the
long stretch of the Albert-Bapaume
highrOad. The village of Ovillers itself
was captured only after two pitched
battles which lasted two weeks. The
second and decisive struggle began on
July Z. The town was defended by
two regiments of the crack Prussian
Guard. Only 124 men of these regi-
ments were left, according to CORE
spondents at the front, when the Brit
ish finally won the town.
Germans Rally In South.
South of the Somme, as well as
against the British north of the river,
the Germans are delivering determined
counter-attacks in an effort to win
back lost ground. The Berlin state
ment makes the claim that Bianches,
La Maisonette, Soyeocurt and Barleux
are again in German hands. This is
denied by the French War Office at
Paris.
The French communiQue states that
strong German night attacks on front
stretching from Biaches to La Maison-
cite were repulsed and that the Ger
mans were not able to gain possession
of the former village despite their
utmost efforts. That the Teutons did
win footing in Biaches is indicated
by the midnight communique from
Paris, which states that they have
been dislodged from houses they had
held in the outer sections of the vii
lage.
Haig Would Widen Gap.
The strategy of General Haig, ac-
,cording to correspondents at the front,
now is being concentrated in efforts to
widen the four-mile gap cut in the
1CulOn IlOlI HOIlu VI the OOQlLl6, real
izing that the driving forward of small
wedges here and there, as the British
have done in previous offensive efforts,
only gives the Germans an opportunity
to hammer in such salients later on.
The steady pressure exerted against
the Germans and the continued sue
cess of the British strategy is reported
to have so alarmed the Teuton gen
erals and the Emperor himself that
Field Marshal Won Hindenburg. genius
of the German arms, has been called
to the western front for a conference.
This information comes in a dispatch
from Amsterdam, which adds that fol-
lowing the conference, it is likely Won
Hindenburg will be placed in supreme
command Of all the German and Aus
trian armies on the eastern front