Evening star., 1916-09-29
NEW ALu|EDDR|VES
GAIN MORE GROUND
|NSOMME REGIONS
French Smash Forward Be.
tween Fregicourt and Nor
val Toward Sally.
BRITISH SEIZE FARM
SOUTHWEST OF LIE SARS
Also Take Most of Schwaben Re-
doubt, Overlooking Ancre
Valley.
ADVANCE NEAR C0URCELETTE
German Commander Praises Enemy
Efforts-Teuton Ammunition Prob
ably Destroyed by Explosion
North Of Ytres.

LONDON, September 2o.-
New drives made by the French
last night and the British this
morning resulted in the capture of
additional ground on the Somme
front by the allies.
The French gain, as reported
in the afternoon Paris bulletin,
was effected between Fregicourt
and Morval, in the. direction of
Sally, on the Peronne-Bapaume
road north of Rancourt, where
the wedge being driven into the
German lines between Bapaume
and Peronne is almost at its
sharpest point.
The new ground won by the
British, as reported by Londor,
lies something more than quar-
ter of mile southwest of lie Sars,
on the Pozieres-Bapaume road,
northeast of Courcelette lie Sars
is about three and one-half miles
from Bapaume, toward which the
British in this sector are deter
minedly pressing. The captured
territory comprised a strongly de-
Tended farm.
Gain Most of Redoubt.
The British late yesterday attacked
Schwaben redoubt, most of which Is in
their hands. In the last twenty-four
hours in this area nearly 500 prisoners
were taken. The redoubt occupies
crest 500 yards north of Thiepval and
represents the highest ground on the
Thiepval spur, with full view over the
northern valley of the Ancre.
Elsewhere the British consolidated
ground and advanced lines north and
northeast of 'Courcelette.
British aeroplanes, as usual in the
last two days co-operated brilliantly
done to enemy batteries and there have
been many instances of their aero
planes attacking troops and transports
on the ground with machine gun fire.
German Lauds British.
A captured report of the fighting on
the Somme, issued by the commander
Of a German corps which participated
in the battle, contains tribute to the
quality of the British troops as fol-
lows:
"'The British infantry is smart in at
tack, largely because of immense con-
fidence and great artillery superiority.
One must admit the skill with which
they consolidate themselves in a newly
gained position. They show great te-
nacity in defense Small parties. when
once established with machine guns in
the corner of a wood or a group of
houses. are very difficult to dislodge.'
The following sentence shows the ef-
fects of our artillery:
".Hitherto our instructions, from ex-
perience gained in defense and attack.
were based on a carefully constructed
trench system. The troops on the
Somme front found actually no trench
es at all.
London Official Report.
The British official statement of to-
day follows:
The night was quiet on the greater
part of our front The positions we
have won north of Thiepval were heav-
lily shelled. Our bombing parties were
active in the neighborhood of the
Schwaben redoubt and the Hessian
trench. parts of which are still held by
the enemy.
"a strongly defended farm 500 yards
southwest of LIE Sars was captured by
our troops early this morning.
North of Ytres and southeast of Ba-
paume our aeroplanes observed huge
explosion as if large ammunition
dump had been blown up. The smoke
ascended 5000 feet"
A Reuter- dispatch from Amsterdam
quotes German war correspondents as
admitting the German loss Of Combles.
The Frankfurter Zeitung says that
the defenders. a regiment strong, escap-
I'd to the German lines during the night
despite the fact that they were sur
rounded by the Anglo-French forces.
Herr Wegener. in the Cologne Ga
Zette, says that Thiepval was volun.
.arily evacuated.
French Communication.
The text of the French statement
"On the Somme front our troops
scored fresh progress between Fregi-
court and MorvaL Both north and
south of the river there have been ar
illery engagements of varying in
.ensity.
Everywhere else the night was
luiet.
During the day yesterday a Fokker
leroplane was attacked by our pilots
ind crashed to the ground north OF