Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1916-07-03

IN the course rOl.LHS niSAt oh @3oh
tauban, fivetmilesseast of Albert, wa:
repused with heavy loss to the at.
tackers. The British troops are II
excellent spirits. -
French troops captured the village
of Curlu, about seven miles south
east of Albert.
A heavy German counter-attack
upon the village of Hardecourt, one
and one-eighth miles north OF Cpr'
lu, was repulsed. After repeated as
saults tn Germans there were oblig'
ed to retreat in disorder, according
to the French statement.
The official British dispatches re-
port the continued success OF the
combined Anglo-French offensive.
The German lines in some places
have been penetrated TO a depth OF
two miles north of the Somme,
where the French and British arm
les make contact, various points OF
tactical value having been taken.
The German official report gen
orally confirms the success of the
first days British operations, ad-
hitting the withdrawal of the Ger
mans from their first line trenches
and the abandonment of heavy ma
terial therein.
The British public still displays
the same quiet ethusiasm, deter
mination and Confidence, fully under
standing that no great drive like
that carried out by the Russian COM
mander, General Bl,usiloff, is pos
sible against the depth, strength and
rail power Of the fornlidably organ
lied German front and that great
sacrifices and possible setbacks must
be prepared for.
Many regrets are heard that
Kitchener had not lived to see the
results of his work. This is the
first great battle in which the mill
tary legions he created are being
put to the test.
Paris, July 3.-The battle of the
Somme, now in full progress, marks
the opening offensive, long expect
ed as critical, if not the decisive,
stage of the war.
Early reports show that the En-
tente Allied forces are sweeping for
ward along "a 25-in:le Ion. rhe
French already have taken more
than 5000 prisoners, while the Allied
lines have enveloped within the last
"a hours nine villages and so square
miles of French territory held until
now by the Germans.
The great offensive was expected
and eagerly awaited in the last 10
days, but the exact point where the
blow was to be delivered was care
fully concealed. It was believed that
It would be north of Arras, with LlleI
as the objective, but it was finally
decided for strategic, rather than
for sentimental grounds, to execute
the moves south of Arras at a point
where the piercing of the line wouio
operate more seriously in the dlslo-
cation fthe German forces.
The theatre Of operations for the
British forces runs between CONNIE
court, north of the river Ancre, to a
point Just north of the Somme'
while the French attacked on both
sides of the Somme and southwark
toward Rove.
Thus the Entente Allied armies
present front of 25 miles, with the
British on the left for IS miles and
the French on the right for 10 miles
The region of this supreme con-
test is one favorable for military op'
erations. 1t virtually all Is within
the Department of the Somme
which is level plateau OF chalk5
formation.
The fighting lines extend betweer
great number of small villages
which are usually devoted to tex
tile industries, while the outlying
agricultural sections are level fields
chiefly devoted to beet-culturc fol
the extenive sugar production o.
France.
The village which the French cap
tured in the first sweep include Dom
pierre, Besquincourt, Bussus and
Fay, and these and the towns take1
by the -Montauban and Nam
etz were all found to have beel
strongly fortified by the Germans.
The Entente Allies, profting b,
their experience in the war, quickl,
| threw up strong earthworks aroun'
the villages thus taken, in order t
! fo o/,l-