Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1916-09-26
Strategic Point Held by
Germans on S0mme Line
is Captured.
ANGLO-FRENCH ARMY
ENCIRCLES TOWN
Strongly Fortified Position Stood in
Way of General Advances Of Allied
Armies Captured At Heavy cest to
eritish-Larss Part Of German De-
fender. Evaeuats Town 1.fors Re-
/ treat 10 complstsly Cut on.

British and French troops today
reached the town Of Conbles on
the Somme front, after having vir-
tually pocketed the place In
struggle Of many weeks duration
and are fighting to gain possession
OF It.
The Combles salient. doggedly
maintained by the Germans. has
long been q serious menace to the
allies, hampering them In their Of
fensive on Bapaume and Peronpne.
Bombs dropped IN last nights All
raid on England caused the death
OF twenty nine persons.
The Germans last night attacked
the French line near verdun, driv-
ing on the Thiaumont work ana
Fleury, east Of the Meuse. Paris
today announces that the German
assaults were repulsed.
Berlin today admits an entente
advance on the Somme front on the !.
limo from Geuedecourt to Boucha-
@ yNsnes, distance Of six and a half
miles. This lihe includes the
Combles sector.
ON the eastern front, In the Car
pathians. Berlin comedies the sue
cess Of the Roumanians in forcing
Y their way again into the Skurbuk
Il and Yulcan passes.
@ London, 0sDe. 3s.-The British have
entered Combles on the Somme front.
tho war Office announced today after
overcoming the assistance Of the Ger
mans.
sCombles, q town Of some 1000 popu-
iation before the war, had been rem
dered Of no small strategic importance
to ths allies by their long continued
ssc..c..a< ,noyement. It has been Of
notable valus 70 the Germans because
u lons a. they clung to It the Franco
British freedom Of action In pushing
offensive movements toward BApAume
and Percnne on either side OF 1t was
hampered.
Turned into a strongly fortified posi-
tion by the German defensive ingenuity
ii mas persistently held fast like rock
in a turbulent stream that had to be
blasted loose before channel could be
opened.
costiy Effort Of Allies.
This has been accomplished only
after costly effort on the part Of the
allies. Driving In from the south. the
French successfully swept beside
Hardecourt Naurepas. LeForest and
finally. reached Fregicourt mile east
of Combles. More slowly but none the
less surely the British have pushed
their advance on the north Of the Ger
man salient. Their struggles to reach
and hold Ginchy and Guillemont were
expensive In time and men. but finally
the ground north Of Combles and some
distance TO the east was occupied, put
ting the town in pocket Of which the
opening was constantly being narrowed
by the drives Of the entente armies.
Make Combined Effort.
Yesterday came the combined effort
of the-F'rench and British to close the
opening. Attacking from the north
General Haig's forces pushed to and
occupied Morval, cutting the northerly
road running to LeTransloy.
Striking from the south, the French
pushed their line to Fregicourt, sever
ing communication with Combles over
Iu6 SOulWcIly IOdU-lQdI SlT0IC0lnS
toward Sally. The gap between Nor
val and Fregicourt, q mile and half
In width. and reaching back toward
Conbles, was swept from either direc-
ton by the combined. nre Of the French
and British guns.
It Is not thought probable that any
considerable force OF Germans remain
ed In Combles. as yesterday they were
reported to be withdrawing guns from
It
More than 1900 prisoners. taken in
the fighting Of the last twenty-four
hours. have already been counted. and
large amount OF war material ha 5
been captured.
Yesterdays operations were entire
" successful" the statement says
..The cooperation between the artil
iery and infantry was in all respects
admirable. More than 1900 prisoners
have passed thru the collecting sta
7ssbns and more are arriving. Much ma
teriai has been captured.
Our troops entered Combles from
the west and are overcoming the
enemy. resistance. The enemy's losses
were very severe
Take 900 Prisoners.
Paris, ept.26.-Continuing their Of
$40 c1x,a - tha Il,