Norwich bulletin., 1916-07-03
Battle of SOnme
 in Full Progress
CRITICAL IF NOT DECISIVE
 STAGE OF THE WAR.
ALONG 25 MILE FRONT
French Have Retaken Fifty Square Miles of French Territory Which Had Been Held by the Germans Have Captured Nine Villages.

Have Captured Nine Villages.
 Paris, July ?, 5 p. m.-The battle of
 the SOmme, now in full progress,
 marks the opening of the Franco
 British offensive, long expected as a
 critical if not the decisive stage of
 the war.
 Early reports today show that the
 entente allied forces are sweeping for
 ward along a 9 mile front. The
 French already have taken 5000
 prisoners, while the allied lines have enveIoped within the last 24 hours
 nine villages and 50 square miles of
 French territory held until now by the Germans.
 Great Offensive Was Expected.
 The great offensive was expected and eagerly awaited in the last 10 days, but the exact point where the
 blow was to be delivered was carefully concealed. It was believed that it would be north of AITas, with Lille for the objective, but it was finally de- Cided for strategic rather than for sen timental grounds to execute the move south of Arras at a point where the piercing of the line would operate more seriously in the district location of the German forces.
 Theatre of Operations. The theatre of operations for the British forces runs between GOmme- court, north of the River AnCre, 10 a point just north of the Somme, while the French attacked on both sides of the Somme and southward towards Rove.
 Thus the entente allied armies pre- sent a front of p miles, with the British on the left for 15 miles and the 1 French on the right for 10 miles. The region of this supreme contest 1 is favorable for military operations. Virtually all of it is within the de- 1 partment of the Somme, which is a i level plateau of ChaIky formation. The fighting lines extend between a great number of small villages which | are usually devoted to textile indus 1 tries, while the outlying agricultural | sections are level fields. chiefly devoted [ to beet culture for the extensive sugar production of France.
 1 Intense Bonbardment for Four Days. The Intense 'bombardment of the l last four days was the signal for an ] advance over these level fields begin | ming at 7.30 o'clock yesterday morning. l The allied artillery then heightened the 1 range so as to shut off all cOmmuni- | cation between the first German line | and the reserves in the rear This made it impossible for the TeutOnS to 1 utilize their perfect organization for | the shifting of troops and for the l bringing up of achievements French l military observers think the Germans niSCalculated the intentions of the en- 1 tente allies and expected the attacks | farther north.
 Villages Captured by French. 1 The villages which the French cap l tured in the first sweep include Dom 1 pierre, BeCquincOurt, Bussus and Fay, l and these and the towns taken by the 1 British-MOntaUIban and Mametz- were all found to have been strongly ! 10
 1 The allies quickly threw up strong l earthwOrks around the villages thus | taken, in order to protect them against i cOunter-attaCkS. It was not before | night, however, that the Germans were | able to deliver any cOunter-attaclzs. l This was centered against the French position on the outskirts of HardecOurt 1 and it was repulsed with heavy loss i es, ending in a precipitate retreat. 1 Throughout last night the French | continued their drive, capturing the 1 village of Curlu, of which they already | had occupied the outskirts, and pro- l gressing south of the Somme between 1 HerbecOUrt and Assevillers. l In addition to the military successes | the terrain OVerrun by the entente al 1 lied troops has an exceptional strategic l importance. Four of the towns cap l tured by the French are only seven ! miles west of PerOnne, the chief rail l highway from the German center at | - 1 zion of Noyon and SoissOns. Trying to Cut Trunk Railway.
 The German headquarters is at St. l Quentin, 25 miles southeast of PerOnne. | Already the French forces threaten i PerOnne with the evident purpose of | cutting the trunk railway there which | is an indispensable artery for German 1 military endorsements.
 1 The speed of the advance of the all 1 lied troops is taken as showing that | the perfection of artillery preparations
 exceeded anything yet done in the de-
 struction of field works.
 l The concrete sheltered machine guns l that had stopped the French in ArtOis 1 and in the Champagne had all been 1 demolished here, and it was chiefly l man against man, with rifle and bayO- l net at which style of fighting, the of | f1cers say, the French and British both | showed superiority, rushing over the 1 ground with such rapidity that in an | hour and a half from the moment the 1 first order was given the German first | line had been carried over most of the 1 25 miles of front.
 Desperate Fighting Around Verdun. 1 Desperate fighting continues around 1 Verdun and although this field of ac 1 ton is separated by nearly 100 miles l from the fighting in the nOrth Nerdun | is considered part of the vast military | plan now unfolding.
 1 The French have now taken the az gressive at Verdun, today's report l showing an attack on Dead Man Hill with heavy German losses and the
 taking of prisoners. The French are
 thus keeping the Germans fully occu-
 pied at Verdun and are preventing
 them from sending endorsements to
 relieve their weakened line in the north
 On the other hand, the Germans 1 pride themselves with being able final | ly to take Verdun and are concentrat- 1 ing their chief effort in the south. Now They'll Get Him.