Omaha daily bee., 1916-09-30
British FORCES
MAKING FURTHER
GAINS ON SOMME
Positions Won by the English
Armies North of Thiepval
Are Strongly Bombarded
by the Enemy.
BOMBING PARTIES ACTIVE
Strongly Defended Point South.
west of LIE Sars Taken by
Storm, Says Report.
JoFFRE THANKS GEN. HAIG

London, Sept. 29.-An attack by
British troops on the Somme front
early today resulted in the capture OF
a strongly defended farm 500 yards
southwest OF lie Sars, the war office
announces.
The official statement follows:
"The night was quiet on the great
er part of our front. The positions we
have won north of Thiepval were
heavily shelled. Our bombing par
ties 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 southeast of LIE Sars was cap
tured by our troops early this morn
ing.
"North OF Ypres, two miles south
Of Bertincourt, and southeast of Ba-
paume, our aeroplanes observed a
huge explosion as if large ammuni-
ton dump had blown up. The smoke
ascended 5000 feet"
Joffre Congratulates Haig.
British Front in France, Sept. 20
(Via London. )-General Joffre, COM
mander-in-chief of the French army,
has sent a message of congratulation
to General Sir Douglas Haig, COM
mander-in chief of the British forces
in France and Belgium, on the recent
successes, in which the French gen.
eral says:
Following on the continuous prog
ress made by your armies since the
beginning OF the Somme offensive.
these fresh successes are sure guar
anty of final victory over the COM
mon enemy, whose physical and NOR
al forces are already severely shak-
en-"
After saying that the combined Of
fensive has bound still closer the ties
OF the two armies, and that "our ad-
versary will find therein a proof of
our fffm- determination TO combine
our efforts until the end to insure
the complete triumph of our cause"
General Joffre concludes: ,.-,
II bow before those of your SOL
diers by whose bravery these Sue
cesses have been achieved, but who
have fallen before the completion Of
our task, and | ask you to convey, in
my name and in the name Of the
whole French army, to those who
stand ready for the battles to come,
greeting, comradeship and conf
dence."
German Lines Will Hold.
London, Sept. 2o.-The allies can
not break through the German lines
on the Somme, Chancellor Won Beth
MANN -Hollweg told the Reichstag yes
terday, according to an account OF
his speech cabled to Reuters by
way of Amsterdam.
The German prime minister made
similar statement in regard to the
eastern front.
"The English and French, it is
true" he said, have achieved ad-
vantages. Our first lines have been
pressed back some kilometers and we
have also to deplore losses in men
and material. That was inevitable in
an offensive on such a mighty scale.
But what our enemies hoped to &C.
complish, namely, break through on
grand scale and roll up our positions
has not been attained. The battle
of the Somme will cost further sacri-
fees. Still another trench and an
other village may be lost, but they
will not get through"
In regard to the eastern front
where, the chancellor said the Rus
sans had renewed their offensive with
heavy attacks, he predicted the same
result. Here, too, the battle is pro.
ceeding,' he said, but just as surely
shall we hold our own"