The Hawaiian gazette., 1916-09-29
Striking From Three Directions
FranCo-Brltish Troops Sweep
Away German Base and Com
pei Garrison To Surrender
DRIVE LOSES
KAISER STRONG ZONE
River d'Ancre Positions Of Invad-
ing Armies CrumbIe Before Fu-
rious Offensive and Now Ba-
paume Stronghold Is Menaced
Associated Press by Federal wlrsl.su.s

(Associatsd Press by Federal wirslssse .
~ ARTS, September - Striking
from three direction the French
and British troops yesterday cap
tured the heavily fortified town of Com.
bles from the Germans under the com.
mand of Crown Prince Rupprpchet, of
Bavaria, and cOmmanheT.in chief of the
German troops operating at the Som.
me front.
The fall Of Comblrs, most powerful
OF all the minor Teutonic positions in
this section of the western front, WIS
preceded by the capture of Thiepyal
and the famous Hohcnzollcrn redoubt
which for. so long held back the British
efforts TO advance south Of the River
d 'Ancre, Gueudecourt, Morval and
Freg1eourt by the troops under Sir
Douglas Haig, while the French were
driving the Germans out of their po-
ations between Fregicourt and Mory.
al, completing the cutting Off of the
German garrison of Combles. =
Hand.to-Hand Battling ~" +Gsi
The attacks upon Combles, launched
as they were in overwhelming force.
broke down the German resistance and
forced the surrender of the garrison.
which had been entirely surrounded by
the encroachments of the Allies In
their rear. As the British advanced.
so did the French, and bitter hand TO.
hand fighting between the Allies and
the TeutOns followed. II did NOT Last
long, for the strength of the allied eoI.
umn ni completely outnumbered the Teu.
tons. .g,,l, ', II 4. z r. ~
The results ats Of. o the day aghtiRe ara
gained since the big drive Of the Allies
stnrted last July. They now have the
entire crest Of the so.ealled plateau
overlooking Bapaume in their hands,
and from now on until they strike the
valley Of the Ancre river they viii be
moving down hill, commanding the
German trenches from above with
heir artillery. IL, Il
Battle All Night Long .e.E VA. al 4,
The fighting that ended Ia the can
ture of Combles and Fregicnu-t legan
Monday night and lasted with hardly
break during the night and through
the day. By morning the British at
tacks from the vicinity " Morvhl. TO
the north of the town ana the French
thrusts from the neignbithsoa ~ LIE
Prick farm and Rancourt, captured the
day before, had been successful in
cutting the lines of communication by
which the Combles garrison had been
receiving their supplies and reinforce.
ments y '
Then the Allied wave sufged for
ward, and, heralded by an snormoas
outburst of artillery fire, swept over
the remnants Of the German trenches
and obliterated them. Morning saw
the villages of Morval and Les Boeufs
in the hands of the British, who had
advanced their lines an average Of 1000
yards over q width of 5000 yards.
The French, while this was going for.
ward, had driven up from the south
and finally, before noon, the Allies met.
Allies Attack Combles ~. .,
Then came the concerted attack upon
Combles itself. From three directions
it came, and though the garrison made
desperate fight they could not muster
strength to resist the attacks and died
or surrendered where they stood
Hundreds of prisoners were taken in
the final assaults, the French reporting
that they took 500 in positions around
the Combles cemetery alone. The Brit.
ish also report having captured large
numbers of prisoners and quantities Of
war booty.
Along the rest of the western front
there was but little ID report, record.
ng to the official Communicates issued
yesterday afternoon and evening by
the British and French war oiIiees. The
Germans attucked heavily at points be.
tween Fleury and Thiaumont, north.
'ast of Verduu, but the French report
that they were repulsed with heavy
osses E-E
Russian Attacks Pail
Berlin and Vienna reported that the
Sighting on the eastern battlehelds YES.
terday was for the most part in favor
OF the Central Powers, heavy Russian
attacks having been repulsed in the
GLliciau aud Volhynian sections OF
the eastern front. In the Carpathians
also the Teutonic forces beat back Rus
sian attacks, inficting large losses up.
on the assailants. w. tat}+.
Petrograd issued no statement re.
garding the situation III the east.
OF the struggle in the Transylvanian
Alps Berlin reported yesterday Dc.
feat for the TeutOnie arms. The o.
fetal statement issued by the German
general STAFF announced that the Rumap.
lans have again occupied the heights on
both sides of the Szuduk and Vulkan
passes through the mountains into
Pennsylvania.
Berlin said that the Germans had re-.
pulsed all of the Ruma nian attacks in
the passes, but were withdrawn ty or.
der of the hiph commond -