The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1916-10-23
MORALE OF BRITISH TROOPS ION SOMME IMPROVES AFTER MONTHS OF HARD FIGHTING.
Copyright. 1916. by The Associated z Preas.)

Copyright. 1916. by The Associated Press)
 British Front in France, Oct. B, via ILondon.LMore than three and one half months battle on the Somme front which combined the use of artil- ilery, infantry and every type of war material and the most shllful and desperate fighting the world has ever Known, has resulted in marked devel- topInent of the British fighting eff1- ciency and means for freducing the losses of the attackers In the way or concrete achievements, the British have taken 3O,O00 prisoners, or a little less than 1900 for each of the 21 villages captured with 9 population of about 300 souls. They have taken 125 guns, 100 trench mortars and 429 machine eufs. They have not lost a gun.
 The task of the British was made especially difficult by the fact that they were confronted at the outset with a most powerful line of trench i Notifications. Moreover, every village was fortress which had to be be- fefeEed and stormed. The British have driven back the Germans on front of il miles, to depth of four to eight miles. When spring comes peasants will blow and sod ground behind the lines which for two, years had lain fallow under the storm of shells within Fr1ecourt and Mametz villages taken ' on July l, trees with their trunks torn and their foliage blasted by shells have bravely thrown out fresh shoots while brisk crops of grass are hiding the shell craters in neighboring fields and carpeting the scanned earth trod- den by the British in their early charges. Former residents of the cap- ,tured villages are requesting that they be allowed to return to them and build new homes on the ruins of their old ones. !; The offensive has consisted of inter- walls of preparation and siege work af- ter each big general attack, to prepare what is called a jumping off, place for another general attack. Through the valley, owing to the heavy cost of taking the first line trenches, the Brit lish casualties probably were heavier than the Germans. Throughout when over large part Of the front when the Germans were out of their second as well as their first line systems of defense and the battle became out of digging and fighting in the open for both sides, casualties were about even. As the British kept up the offensive Itheir exposure necessarily was greater. Yet from all information the corre- ispondent can gain. both from, British officers of all grades who have been in lthe fighting and from German prison Iers, the German losses were not less than 25 and possibly 50 per cent. higher than the British during the month of ISeptember, when the British gained
 most ground.
 The offensive at every step proved that no army can have too many guns
 which will kill and ,demora1ize an enemy with projectiles from a distance
 from anywhere from 2,000 to 10000 yards distance. The great value has
 also been proved of portable machine
 guns manned by skillful and cunning
 soldiers. Men posted in craters
 with these weapons have formidable
 power whether their side is acting on
 tho defensive or offenrdve.
 Not in ground gained nor prisoners s or guns taken does opinion at the
 front lay most emphasis after nearly
 four months ceaseless fighting, every
 day bringing it's lesson. Officers are
 always using the word morale which
 means the spirit and team play an
 Arn.y puts into its work. It is the