The Bemidji daily pioneer. [volume] (Bemidji, Minn.) 1904-1971, 1916-07-03
BRITISH IN BIG
OFTEN FEN NsIVE TAX
!. FORTIFIED 1OW|
Fricourt is Taken After q Desperatl
Battle; French Capture
Corfu.
BATTLE GROWING INTENSER
WITH ARRIVAL OF RESERVE
Germans Take Damloup Works Neal
Verdun and Later Forced to
$1,000 Retreat.
lBY United Prassl

- 80
~ z 2 bEA ------s
(By United Press
London, July Binder blazing1
sun, the Allies are pushing forward
across rotting farm fields in thel
Somme region in a battle which is del
.veloping into the greatest conflict inl
the history of the world. The battleI
is growing more intense with the ar
rival of the German reserves and
threatens to spread along the whole
of 10O-mile front.
Is aa .8as Take Towns.
London, July 3..-All the allied
armies made steady advancement
Saturday night and Sunday against
formidable resistance. The British.
took Fricourt, an important fortified
town three miles east of Albert The
French captured Corfu. The French
took 5000 prisoners and the British
took $500. The dead has not been
estimated. Germans and French
statements both claim Thiaumont.
The Germans are pounding at Yer
dun with both artillery and infantry
The German, French and British air.
craft battled over the allied 'front.',
Berlin reporting that 15 allied air.
craft being destroyed.
Claim 1000 Prisoners.
British Headquarters, France, July
3. Pressing on the east of Albert
the British are today occupying FRI
court, taken from the Germans yes
terday. Four thousand prisoners
were taken 5.s
Take Trenches.
Paris, July -3.-(Oficial) THE
French in heavy fighting. have cap
tured on the three-mile front the
German second line trenches from
the Miercourt woods to Azevilleirs.
The French captured the village Of
Herbecourt.
q s..s Forced to Withdraw.
:, Paris, July 3.-(Oficial) The
Germans captured the Damloup
works near Verdun city early this
morning. The French Immediately.
counter attacked and drove them
out. ,-,.. . .s.g...,.~<-ts
L. s5. Japs Buying Steel.
! Pittsburgh, July with the war
orders from Europe dropping, the.
Japanese government has stepped in
and is buying steel. Orders for
28,000,000 tons were placed with the.
Westinghouse, Cambria and allied
Allies Advance Analysed.
sss.@eA.s (By j. w. T. Mason.
New York, July. 3.-Under initial.
circumstances that are highly favor
able, the long awaited Anglo-French
offensive is now in full operation.
The final stage Of the war, In fact,
probably will be dated from today.
The brunt of the fighting in the
western sector is falling on the
British. armies. The attack of the
French troops on the right is little
more than a sympathetic movement
and a protection for the British
flank. 100
A Large Victory.
The meager official statements
suggest that the British have gained
an average depth of perhaps two
miles along 16-mile front. This
is large victory for the first few
hours of the fighting. It is not
probable that the British armies ex-
pect to progress continuously at SO
rapid rate; but "a few advances
of this nature will throw the Ger
man western front into. q serious
confusion.
It is as yet too early to determine
whether the British are succeeding
co-ordinating the various movements
that enter into major offensive. Lack
of coordination has been the most
hampering fact of previous often
sives and special attention has late
ly been given to this difficulty by
the British general staff.
May Save Verdun.
But whether the German western
front is pierced or not, the present
British movement may well save Yer
dun and it will uneuestionably pre-.
vent a large German force being sent
to support the Austro- Hungarians In
the east.
News may now arrive at any time
that the Russians are crossing the
sCarEathians and are amid the grain
! fields and cattle pasturages of Huns
gary. Whether in fact Hungary Is
to remain secure from the Slavs, de-
ponds fully as much on the persist
ance Of the present British offensive
In the west as on the continued pres
sure Of the Russians IL the east.