The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1916-07-16
British Now Claim Full Control
of Air. Bringing Down Many
Fliers
BERLIN ADMITS
LOSS OF GROUND
Russians Nearing Holy City
OF Mohammed. Last Fort
Protecting Mecca Said to
Have Fallen

London, July 15.-Sanguinary flxiit.
Ding with dashes here and there of tho I
picturesque. resulted, in further ex-
, tensive gains today for General HAIRS
English troops in Picardy. The vtlss
lage of Longueval. which last niEht
marked the apex of the British SAL
lent, has been left behind while north
I OF Basenttne ie Petit the BrifiaE
troops have broken through the Gers
man third line defense and hold part
| of the powerfully fortified Jaurex
wood. To the north. pushing forward
/ from the direction of Ovillers th0
British are fighting in the outskirts 0f
! Posleres. junction point OF tavo mill
fary roads and main obstaevi to an
advance on the heights of Martin.
puich. which command the surrounds
ing battle ground.
! In the Basentine lie Petit sector e.
tending their gains of yesterday. the
English have won control of the en-
tire forest which takes it name from
the village. Here a Bayarian high
officer with the whole of his staff fell
prisoners. The advance of the Brffis6
is marked by fighting unlike anything
4 before seen in western Europe during
this war, The romance OF other days
/ Is being renewed.
sition strongly held by Germans
armed with portable machine guns.
there was q cavalry charge by the
famous dragon guards. Not sincos
the German legions first swept down
through Belgium has the eastern
front seen horsemen advancing %
the charge. The trench warfare nut
an end to that Bur the charge Won.
The guards dashing over a texrsans
pocketed with shell holes 1WU
through the German ranks. and. tuxi 4
| ing. swept back The Germans A&4@
from the position they were organixy
ing. The British losses were small
Duels in the Air.
/ And while this picture brought u
| staring infantrymen vision of other
days scores OF duels were hetnk
fought above earth by British ansss
German aviators LOW hangia9z
clouds handicapped the fiiers and the
battles were fought within easy sight
| of the foot soldiers beneath Ger
eral Haig tonight announces that
seven German machines have heSIa
shot down in the last day. and init.
mates that the British for the frSf
time in the war hold control OF the
air.
The heaviest fighting Of the dAy
took place on the four mile front boz
tween Posieres and Guillemont. Her-
lin in an official statement issued nj
the German main headquarters this
morning admits the loss of ground oflg
this front
General Haig this afternoon srnf
word that the German third line haN
been ~"ached Tonight 10 announced
that the English had gone on through.
Advanced Fonr Miles.
The war office has given ont state.s
ment received from the commanding
general u Oh ha tN rfx
In the two weeks OF fighting have
advanced four miles from the German
first line
Two successive systems Of powers
r'l'" ORGANIZED positions including
held wor. redoubts. trench laby~s
rinths ana dusouts. supported h~ 4
number of fortified villa oes have been
carried.
Prisoners Number 10000,
The number of prisoners taken ~
the British in the fourteen days 81
hghtin@ approximates 10000 1n4s
cluding the captives taken by the
French more than $4,000 unwounded
Germans have been retired frorn
acton during the Picardv offensive.
oi the German casualties no estt-g
mate is possible at this time but ID
generally believed that they have been
heavy. This is indicated by a diS-
pateh from the correspondent at the
front OF La Idpert, the ParIs news.
paper, who wires as follows.
The British found 1900 Gerrnan
bodies in Basentine lie Petit and caa,.a
tured complete company AT Basen.
tine lie Grand they took 400 prisoners
while a complete regiment OF stan
fell into their hands
AT Longueval a further 400 pris~
oners were captured On the Contals
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT road the booty IN
Iciudes many heavy batterles.''
The advance of the British has now
drought them on even terms with
the French army of General Fochs5
south of the Somme. leaving that
commander tree to resume his drive
on Peronne upon which he is LOOKING
down from the crest of hill No. 81, III
river palisade. ss
The French front today continuo4
quiet, only small actions, undertakes
:. for the sake of strengthening this ftN19
and allowing firmer organization. 49,
n ing fought. A new simultano0p1f
push" by the French on Peronne ant
the British on Bapaume Is now lixelyks
i Oficial reports OF the dghting lofs
low:
Night Headquarters Report.
i Heavy lighting continued all dax III
the Posieres-G uillemont sector Of NE
German second line of defense, o(&Q X
result Of which further important
cesses were gained BY our troopo
East Of LonguovAI In Upite 81
desperate rcsigtAnce o1 the onemysM
lcaptured tho whols Delvt11e Noo