Highland recorder. (Monterey, Highland County, Va.) 1877-1972, 1916-07-21
BRITISH Smash
GERMAN LIiIE:
Cut Foes Second C9fonCaS
North Ct SOTn11.
CAPTURE STA5HG POINTS
Teutons, Including Many officers, Sur
render Freely, Says Report From
the Front.


the Front.
The second phase OF the British OF
fensive on the SomIe front was open
ed Thursday, and in the course of al
intense struggle throughout the d.!
the British forces gained impoftan
successes.
They penetrated the German secont
line CT de. ences over a front Of abou
four miles, captured the towns o
Bezentine-le e-Grand, BaZentine-le-Petit
and Longueral, all strongly defended
positions, and made substantial gains
in rrones wood and at number o.
other points.
A despatch from Renters Correspon
den: on the British front says that the
German second line was carried VIII
small loss, and the Germans surrena
cred freely. He reports that one regi
mental commander and his staff, three
artillery officers and about l50 infantry
officers and men had been brought II
10 one camp. The prisoners taken i'll
ciu1e two cCloEclS.
One hundred English soldiers who
had been surrounded in Troncs wood
by Germans and hal held out we1t
rescued in the rush.
Bazentinc'ePe.it was taken by
storm. Fighting also is proceeding
around Ovillers AMI virtually the ea
tire village IS in tie hands of the Brit
ish. The struggle is coatinGing in tEs
wood beyond Longreval and on ths
high points Of the ridge.
Several German counter-attaclts
against the positions just won have
been rcpulsed by the British, who arr
now consolidating their gains. Tho
British troors are in high spirits over
their successes.
While it was expected the British
would not allow any great length OF
time to elapsa before continuing theil
operations, it was hardly believed the
second German line would be alta. k
cl after only Cne day of artillery prep
aration; for it was only Oh wednesday
that they completed capture of the
first line in the region between Harde
court and Ovil!ers.
The direction Of tie attack, too, was
something Of surprise, for instead
Of pushing en- toward Combles, Gen
eral FaiE chose 10 attack the flank o.
the Germans who faced Conta!maisor
and OviIlers and those who still occu
py Pozieres. The advance to Tongue
val and Ba2cntine ne-leGrand, gives the
British possession Of other important
roads running in various directions
which have been a great help to the
Germans in supplying their army di
rectly south of the river Anore.
4 despatch from the British from!
says:
"After their methodical day-by-day
approaches to within striking distance
Of the second line Of German defences
ard after having brought up material!
ard guns the British were ready fol
the big attack. and at $50 o'clock
yesterday morning the infantry was
sent forward The assault seems tC
assure the taking of the villages o'
cngueval and BaZentinele-Grand, the
rataking of Trones wood and the gain
ing OF ground beyond Constalmaiscn
AL tie piercing Of the second German
line at every ruint of attack.
~ correspondent, watching the ar
tillery preparation at night, was abe
tc see the British, as dawn came, ir
possession CT a coveted ridge, where
German shells were bursting, in al
effort on the part of the German gun
ners to prevent the attack from pro
ceeding further.
"Acconnts received at this earlJ
hour indicate the German resistance
is much weSl;or than or the first line. :.
Fer twenty-four hours the German
positions had been bombarded with
the utmost violence by guns of al.
calibres before the infantry attacks
were launched. Then the British le
gions rolled forward in irresistible
waves overrunning the blasted trench
es which had been reduced by shells
10 series Of cTaters.
At last accounts the French were
preparing to resume their offensive
south of the Somme, while the Ger
mans were still hammering at the de
fences Of Verdun. The opinion is held
in France, however, that continuation
of the Somme battle will compel the
Germans to s!acken their efforts al
Verdun, which now have been in pro.
gress nearly five months, especially
as the French estimate the Germans
lost 1900 men in counter attacks Oh
CoutalmaisOn.