Evening star., 1916-07-20
GERMAN TRENCHES
. ON W|DEFRONT ARE
SEIZED BY FRENCH
Gen. Joffre's Men Driving Hard
North and South of
the Somme.
BARLEAUx- -S0YEc0URT
LINE overwhelmed
Also Carry Trenches Along Combles-
clery Railway, Near
Hardecourt.
BRITISH KEEP UP BLOWS
Gain Further Ground in Delville
Wood, Which Is Deemed Vital
Point, and at
Longueval. !.

LONDON, July 2o.-The
French have resumed their driv-
ing offensive along the Somme,
in northern France, forcing back
the Germans on a wide front
both north and south of the river.
The British war Office announced
today that the British had gained
further ground in Delville wood
and Longueval. The British last
night reported the recapture at
these points of most of the ground
taken by the Germans Tuesday
night.
According to this afternoons
Paris bulletin the German first
line trenches from Barleux to
Soyecourt, south of the Somme,
a distance of five miles, fell into
French hands.
North of the river the French
attack pushed east from Harde-
court, and carried trenches along
the Combles-Clery railway. The
operations here are close to the
right flank of the British advance,
Combles itself being little more
than. three miles southeast of
Longueval.
The French push forward at
Soyecourt marks the farthest
southwark point carried by them
in their offensive.
North of the Longueva1-B -Bazen-
tin position the British pushed
forward their line. East of the
Leipsic redoubt bombing parties
made a substantial advance dur
ing the night.
Wood Deemed Vital Point.
What the Trones wood was after tho
first big advance by the British, the
Delville wood promises to become after
the second, the Germans considering it
equally vital to their present line of de-
fense South Africans. including both
British and Beers, took it most gall
lantly after the British broke the sec
los
oyer-brave eager and inexperienced in
this kind of warfare.
In the last twenty-four hours the
Germans have been massing troops and
developing counter attacks with the
result that something OF the same kind
of see-sawiEg as at Trones wood has
taken place among the fallen trees.
branches underground and shell era
ters.
The Germans threw division at the
South Africans Tuesday night, aiming
to recover both Delville wood and the
village of Longueval. with the result
that the South Africans. who insisted
that they could hold the wood without
help, were outnumbered and had to
give ground. The Germans got pos
session of little more than half of the
wood and some houses of the village
along the side of the wood. British re-
Inducements coming up soon checked
the attack.
French Report Successes.
The text of the French communica.
ton of today follows:
ION both sides of the Somme our in.
fantry this morning attacked German
positions and gained notable advan-
tages North of the Somme we cap
tured enemy trenches from Mamelon-
Hardecourt as far as the river. and
carried our line clear to the east of
along the railroad to the
narrow road which runs from Combles
To Clery. In this part of the battlefield
we have thus far made 400 prisoners
South of the Somme, between Bar
leux and Soyecourt all the first line of
enemy trenches fell into our hands.
In the Champagne we penetrated
into a German trench to the north OF
Auberive and took a number of prison.
ers.
Germans Are RepuIsed.
"In the Argonne the Germans at
tempted yesterday toward o'clock a
coup de main upon our small posts in
the Bolante salient After a lively
hand grenade battle the enemy was
repulsed.
..IIpon the left bank of the Meuse
continues in the regions
of Ayocourt and Chattancourt, together
with hand grenade fighting on the
slopes northeast of Hill 304.
.1On the right bank of the Meuse we
made progress during the night west
of the Thiaumont works. To the south
Of Fleury a powerfully fortified work
held by the enemy was attacked and
captured by our troops, who took pris-
oner several officers and $50 men.
I'm the region of the Somme a Ger
man aeroplane was brought down yes
terday afternoon by one of our pilots.
East of Peronne another enemy ma.