Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1916-09-05
French By Assault Push El
Along TWelve-Mile
Front in West
TAKE $4,000 CAPTIVEs
Advance Extends From Barleux TO
chaulnes-Progress Made East of
Forest

Paris Sept. 5.-"A bloody bat
lie is going on on both banks OF the
sommef says the official commu-
.nication issued by the War Once
last night. "The French have made
fresh progress east of the village OF
Forest north of the river, and on the
south have successfully attacked OBJ
;ectives on a front Of 20 kilometres
l12 1-2 miles), from Barleux TO
Chaulnes.
"The village of soyecourt was
brilliantly carried by assault as wen
as part of Vermandovillers. More
than $4,000 prisoners have been tax
en- north and south of the Somme IN
the last two days.
Progress also was made on tne
right bank of the Meuse (Verdun
sector), in the Fleury region"
Operations Sunday night and the
earlv part of yesterday were retard-
ed by bad weather. The french
spent the comparative lull in organ"
izine the positions taken yesterday.
According to the days report, Ia
guns were captured in Sundays ac-
tions.
London, Sept. 5.;-As the result OF
the fighting Sunday north OF the
River Somme, in France, says the
British official statement issued yes
terday, British troops captured Ger
man defenses on 3,OOO-yard front
for an average depth of 800 yards
and including the village OF Guile
mont.
The whole of Ginchy at first was
captured. but. the British We're COM
PEELED to give ground, retaining aold
of part of the village despite heavy
counter-attacks in the course OF the
night. More than 800 Germans we're
taken prisoners.
Berlin, Sept. s. In an extensive
and bitter battle developing from
The Anglo-French attacks begun Sun
day. says the German official state
ment, the Germans retained mastery
over all their positions on both sides
of the Ancre brook and recaptured
ground which they had lost near
Mououet farm. South of the Somme,
the statement adds, German artillery
broke down French attacks except
in the sector southwest of BarleauX.
Between Ginchy and the River Som
me- the Germans contested yard by
ward the completely destroyed Ger
man first positions, which were en-
tered by the British, and, the state
ment says, stemmed the attack on
the second line. Guillemont and
Forest were captured from the Ger.
mans.
With the British Army in France
Sept. 5.-As fuller reports come IN
there is general elation at army head
quarters over the results of the Brit,
ish and French attacks against the
German positions in the Somme re-
gion.'
A chill, heavy rain is falling this
morning, drenching the German pris.
oners in the collecting stations anc
the wounded, which are still being
brought off the field. On most part:
of the line the night was one of con
tinuous fighting.
The Germans had massed grea
forces against the British and re
sponded with prompt counter-attack
under cover of an immense volum
of artillery fire. British guns lai
their sheets of crashing blasts O.
the German trenches 4up to the YER
moment. that the British infantr!
reached the German trenches, an
no sooner We're the infantry in tn
German trenches than the German
turned the same kind of "a hurrican
on them.
With every action the artiller
seems to become more powerful an
accurate and%th infantry more cur
ming in working in cooperation wit
it, and Sunday from .Ginchy sout
to the Somme, where the crux of tn