The Bennington evening banner. (Bennington, Vt.) 19??-1961, 1916-07-03

The fighting lines extend between a
great number of small villages which
are usually devoted to textile in
dustries, while the outlying agricul-
tural sections are level fields chiefly
devoted to beet culture for the ex-
tensive sugar production of France.
The intense bombardment of the
last four days was the signal for an
advance over these level fields begin
ming at 730 o'coclk Saturday morn
ing. The allied artillery then
heightened the range so as to shut
off all communication between the
first German line and the German re-
serves in the rear This made it inn
possible for the Teutons to utilize their
perfect organization for the shifting
of troops and for the bringing up of
reinforcements. French military OBJ
servers think the Germans mis-
calculated the intentions of the en-
tente allies and expected the attacks
father north.
The villages which the French cap
tured in the first sweep include
Dompierre, Becquincourt, Bussus and
| Fay, and these and the towns taken
by the British-Montauban and
Mametz-were all found to have been
strongly fortified by the Germans.
The allies quickly threw up strong
earthworks around the villages thus
taken in order to protect them against
counter-attacks. 1t was not before
| night, however, that the Germans
| were able to deliver any couter-at-
| tack This was centered against the
French position on the outskirts OF
Hardecourt and it was repulsed with
heavy losses, ending in a preciptate
retreat;
Throughout Saturday night the
| French continued their drive, captur.
| ing the village of Curlu, of which they
already had occupied the outskirts
| and progressing south of the Somme
between Herbecourt and Asseyillers.
In addition to the military sue
cesses, the terrain overrun by the
entente allied troops has an exception
lstrategic importance. Four of the
towns captured by the French are
only seven miles west of Peronne, the
chief rail righway from the Ger
man center at Cologne to the German
front in the region Of Noyon and Sois
sons
The German headquarters is at ST
Quentin, % miles southeast o
Peronne Already the French forces
threaten Peronne, with the eviden
purpose of cutting the trunk railwa!
there, which is an Indispensable arter.
for German military reinforcements.
The speed of the advance of the al
lied troops Is taken as showing tina
the perfection of artillery prepara
tons exceeded anything yet done II
the destruction of field works.
The concrete-sheltered machin
Guns that had stopped the French il
. Artois and the Champagne had al
been demolished here, and 1t wa
chiefly man against man with riff
, against bayonet at which style OF ief
ing. the officers say, the French an
. British both showed superiority, rus
ing over the ground with such rapit
, ity that in an hour and half froi
Z the moment the first order was give
= the German first line had been carrie
o over most of the 20 miles OF front.
a Petrograd, July 2.-Desperate al
c tacks against the Russian line at var
=, ous points have been definitely r
: pulsed. according to official statement
y issued today at the War Office, q
e though preceded by gusts OF fire" an
;; made by infantry in mass formatio
u General Letchit2ky's army, after 1
o tense fighting, has captured by stor
!, the Austrian positions in the regiC
b. west of Kolomea, in Galicia. Up
d the present 1000 prisoners have bee
n taken in this section.
% Berlin. July 9. tyia London.) TT
~ ~ following official communication I
porting operations on the Russii
front was issued by Army lleadqua
20 err today:
TO Army of General Won Linsingen
D" The attack Is going forward. T
I'd number of prisoners has been
creased by seven officers and Ia
men. At various points enemy COT
ter attacks were easily repusled,
Army of General Bothmer-Germ
.. and Austro.IIungarian troops storm
RI the hill of Vorobijowka. hein
southwest of Tarnopol, which recent
Of had been occupied by the Russians n
Nd took from the enemy seven officers a
sol men. Seven machine guns a
on two mine throwers were captured.