Atlanta semi-weekly journal. (Atlanta, Ga.) 1898-1920, 1916-07-11
GERMAN THIRD LINE
PIERCED BY FRENCH;
NOW NEAR PERONNE
French Critics Believe That
Capture of Important Town
Is Now Only a Question of
Few Hours
(By Associated Fress.)

(By Associated Fress.)
PARIS. July 10.-The French ad-
vanced their line south of the Somme
yesterday a mile and a half. capturing
the German third positions along a
length of three and one-half miles and
are now within a mile of Peronne.
French critics believe that the capture
of Peronne now is a question almost
of hours.
The new French drive south of the
somme river yesterday had been pre-
pared by artillery bombardments for
more than two days, and the COM
plicated system of German defenses in
the loop to the northward made by
the river had been disorganized. The
task Of artillery preparation had been
carried through rapidly and the infan-
try attack probably would have been
made sooner but for the bad weather.
Yesterday morning the rain stopped
and the signal for the assault was
given. The French troops began to
move along a two and a half mile front.
The left wing rested on the bridge over
the Somme one mile east of Sormont
a
north of Belloy. The left wing and the
center crossed the German trenches with
a single bound. The Germans resisted
snergeticaIly, but finding themselves in
danger of being surrounded retreated
up the left bank of the river by the
Jerome road. At 2 o'clock the village
was in the hands of the French.
tIn4l h. dob A.
Germans into disorder and arrived at
the outskirts of Barleux. where the Ger
man situation now appears to be pre-
carious.
BRILLIANT OPERATION.
French military opinion characterizes
the capture of Biaches as a brilliant
and important operation. Whether the
Germans are still holding on to the
network of canals or have retreated to,
the other bank of the Somme the French
position on the last plateau before the
Somme and the important point of sup
port afforded by the capture of Biaches
give them direct command of the VAL
ley Immediately above Peronne.
Under the system of interlocking
echelons 1t was the turn of the right
wing to push forward, the other echelons
on center and left being saved to eff
feet the moves required of them. The
troops south of the Somme apparently
had made good use of their breathing
spell. When the word was given they
moved forward with the. precision of
a well-oiled machine. They swept
across the northern of the two plateaus
which fave Peronne clearing out the
German positions and establishing them
selves solidly in the trenches, which
had been turned into quagmires by the
combined effects bof bombardment &
incessant rain.
The Germans offered the best resist
ance they could but the French artillery
has been keeping up a formidable drum
fire upon their lines of communication
making it almost impossible for them
TO get either reinforcements or food
in suitable quantities.
SUCCESS IMPORTANT.
Yesterdays success is important IN
that ii should enable the French heavy
artillery to push forward into a posi-
ton whence it can pour a fire into the
flank and rear of the Germans who are
resisting at Combles, four miles to the
north and at Clery, half mile north
on the other bank of the Somme.
These movements of the French paved
the way for the next move of central
echelon for which preparation continued
steadily all day, virtually without in
reference from the Germans.
A new attack was launched in the
Champagne by the French last night.
The war office today announced the cap
ture of trenches over a front Of 500
meters.
On the Somme front the French took
a line of German positions in the neigh
borhood of Barleux. In this section $50
Germans were captured yesterday and
last night The Germans made attacks
at five points simultaneously in the
Vosges, but all their assaults
checked completely by the fire of French
machine guns.