Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1916-09-26
Anglo French Forces Score
the Greatest Success of
"Vast Offensive"
-
HUGE GAINS ARE MADE
Report Says Germans Lose
Ground to Depth of 1000
Yards on Line.

London, Sept. &c, q y. m.)-The
British have entered COMPLIES on
the SOmme front, the war office
announced today and are over.
coming the resistance of the Ger
mans.
Berlin. Sept 90, (by wireless 70
SayYflleD Success were achiey-
ed by the AnglO-French forces on
the SOmme last night TO the out
skirts Of EaucOurt L'Abbaye, north
Of Flers, says the official state
ment issued by the German army
headquarters today. The conquest
of the villages on the line of
GueduecOurt and BOuchavesnes,
the statement adds, must be rec
Ognized.
British front I'm France, Sept. 25, (via
London, Sept. 26, 6:5S a. m.)-This
has been another great day for the
Anglo-French forces on the Somme
AS a spectacle IL was the most splen-
did of all the attacks made by the al
lied forces since the commencement OF
the great offensive.
What either army was trying TO do
and how they were doing It were com
prehensible to the eye for a sweep of
10 miles.
Tonight the British have taken half
OF Morval, all of Lesbeoufs and have
advanced their line on a front of 5000
yards for an average depth OF 1000
yards; the French have stormed RAN
court and have pushed their line to
the outskirts OF Fregicourt. The Ger
man stronghold of Combles is virtual
ly isolated.
Earth Shaken Nv Gunfire-
The correspondent OF The Asso-
ciated Press went forward yesterday
over the ridge in the DEVILS Wood and
Ginchy region which the British had
fought for over two months to gain.
lie walked for two miles through an
area which reverberated to the blasts
OF the great guns. On the other side
OF the ridge he saw guns where he had
never seen them before. The guns
were close up to the British infantry.
On his return the correspondent
chose a gallery which took him past
many batteries which for two miles
were pouring out their share or the
raging tempest of gunfire.
Infantry Rushes Forward
Shortly after noon was the time
chosen for the infantry to rush for
ward under the cover of a final in
tensive chorus of shell from the artil-
lery. The ridges in front and on eth
er hand were decked with racing
sparks OF flame. Within an hour at
least $4,000 shells must have been
fired within sight OF the correspond
ent. Far to the south was Mont st.
Quentin, two miles from Peronne and
commanding the town. Directly in
front was Combles, which differed
from all the villages in sight in that
the walls of many of its buildings were
still standing. Also It formed an oasis
in the midst OF the storm OF battle.
Neither artillery nor infantry paid any
attention TO it. The gauge of battle
was the high ground around IL, the
possession of which means the com
mand of the town. Farther north lay
the ruins OF Ginehy and Guillemont.
Face German Cannon.
At the appointed time the waves OF
infantry surged forward to the attack.
Then the tremendous fire OF the Ger
man guns swelled 10 its utmost volume
until the whole field was lost in vast
clouds OF smoke. The attacking infan-
try vanished In that grim pail while
high overhead scores of sausage bal
looms and hundreds of aeroplanes.
their wings cleaning like silver I'm the
brilliant sunlight, strove vainly 10 see
what was passing beneath them. Then
across the dead fields arose a signal
from Moryal which told that the
British infantry had reached another
goal and that another village was TAX
en-.
Fight Now An Even One.
Presently the British wounded be-
gan TO struggle back The German
machine guns had stopped them for a
while at some point but generally re-
ports told OF every position being TAX
en- on the minute set I'm the program.
The British wounded said that OF
course they got there as they were
used 10 getting there. Their great
qualification was that IL was beeom-
ing an even fight since the Germans
had no more prepared lines but both
armies were lighting in the open. Ac-