The daily banner. (Cambridge, Md.) 1897-2008, 1916-09-05
ALLIES SMASH
GERMAN LINE
Teuton DetenCes Taken For
Distance Of Six Miles.
GET NEARLY 5000 PRISONERS
British Capture GuiIIemont and French
Take CIery and Forest in Hurricane
of Shell Fire.

of Shell Fire.
London, Sept. 5.-In severe stroke
on the Somme Sunday the German
front for a distance of six and one
half miles from Ginchy to Clery, was
smashed.
Three towns were occupied by the
allies-Guillemont by the British, who
also won hold on Ginchy, and Forest
and Clery by the French.
Two thousand prisoners were cap
tured by General Joffre's troops, and
more than 500 by General Sir Douglas
Haigs forces. The French report
chronicles the seizure of fourteen can.
non and fifty machine guns in the
sector of Forest alone.
AS the result of fighting the Brit
ism official report says British troops
captured German defences on a 5000
yard front for an average depth OF
500 yards, including Guillemont. The
whole of Ginchy at first was captured,
but the British were compelled to
give ground, retaining hold of part Of
the village despite heavy counter at
lacks in the course of the night.
Operations have been retarded by
bad weather, the Paris war office says.
Prisoners continue to arrive at the
rear.
East of the Meuse on the Verdun
front, the French took 400 prisoners.
"All fresh attempts by the enemy
against our positions in Vaux-Chapi,
tire wood" the statement says, wee
stopped. Further east an attack in
great strength by Germans was caught
by our curtain of fire. The enemy was
obliged to return precipitately to his
trenches, having sustained appreciable
losses"
The wide assault on the German po.
sitions on the Somme was made at
midday. At some points the allies
swept over trenches and strong posi-.
lions to a depth of over three-fourths
Of a mile. The French troops in their
advance reached the outskirts of Com.
bles, one Of the allied detectives,
which is also menaced by the British
drive from the north.
Kitchener's new army charged the
flower of the German army, the Prus.
sian guard four divisions (4S,000 men)
of which were concentrated before the
British to stay the British offensive.
In places the German emperor's favor.
tie troops were driven back, counter
attacked, and again had to yield their
crimsoned, shsll-wrecked trenches to
stubborn English, Scotch and Austria
lians, most of whom two years ago did
not know how to form tours, and who
fought all the harder because of the
known prestige of their foe.
Guillemont was the prize the British
sought. Two weeks ago this village
was the most completely devastated Of
any on the front and the British had
been pounding it day after day with
every calibre of gun. Guillemont no
longer is village, but an iron and
lead mine. Twice the British had car
ried their charges into it, and ever
through 1t, only to be forced out. 1t
is estimated that 100000 shells were
fired into 1t and that 100000 OF bus
lets traversed it.
Probably the British took about
1000 prisoners who reached the collect
ing stations alive through the success
i've curtains of fire. Nearly all the
Germans in the Guillemont sector
were killed. The wounded who sought
cover in shell craters were killed by
another shell.
The British still are holding fast to
the sunken road beyond Guillemont
and in the pelting rain fighting contin.
ues at Falfemont farm and the wedge
of woods where a section of the Prus,
sian guard still holds out. Without
cessation German guns have kept up
a terrific volume of shell fire on Guile,
mont.