Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1916-09-26
Defenders of Virtually Sur
rounded Town Have Only
One Avenue of Escape.
EVEN IN THIS MUST COME
UNDER GUNS OF ENEMY
British and French, Attacking
simultaneously, Push Forward
for Notable Gains.
SMASHING BLOW VI GERMANS
Except i'm France. No Important En-
%a@cmcnts on Any OF Nari-
Gus Fronts.

LONDON. September Attaching
simultaneously on an arc OF fifteen
miles, running from Martinpuich to the
Sommc. THE british and French forces
have delivered another smashing blow
on the German lines aud pushed ror
ward their positions for notable gains.
From Martinpulth to Coinbles. n dis
tancc of siN miles. tho British have
driven in their wedge TO :, depth oc
more than Il milo and captured in the
attack the important strategic towns
Of Los Bucufs and Morval, tho laticr
scaut mile north OF comhlc&.
+" til" French fell the town of Ran
court. two miles east. and the outskirts
of r'rcGicourt, one mile northeast of
Combles. In addition, trenches near
Fresicourt, in the vicinity OF Boucha-
vesnes and 10 the south from the
vicinity Of the Canal du Nord TO the
SummH were taken.
The capture OF Morval by the British
and of part Of Fregicourt by the
French apparently seals the fate of
Combles, which the Germans have de-
tcrmnedly held for weeks, despite the
violent attacks thrown against II. The
defenders OF the virtually surrounded
town have left to them for escape only
the valley mile in width, running
north h-northeast, and in the traversns
OF which they must come under the
guns of the British and French. re-
spectivcly, from Morval and the vicin-
ity OF Fregicourt.
Another notable step in their ap-
proach upon Peronne is marked in the
| capture by the French OF trenches in
the Canal du Nord region.
NO IMPORTANT ENGAGEMENTS
ON ANY OF VARIOUS FRONTS
Except in France. there have been no
important engagements on any OF the
various fronts.
Berlin reports the rcpulse of Russian
ATTACKS in Volhynia and the Carpa THAN
Mountains.
pctrograd Is still silent as to the
opera tionS on the eastern front, but
unofficial adviccs say the Russians
have been Il new offensive on q large
scale in the hope OF putting down the
connterattacks Of the Tcutons ana
piercing their front before winter sets
in.
The Roumanians arc stin STRUGGLING
for supremacy over the Tcutonic allies
in the SZurduk and Vulcan Passes of
the Transylvanian Alps. but, according
To Berlin. all their attacks have been
reDulscd.
IN the Macedonian campaign con-
'inued reports OF successes for tl!e
entente allies come from their various
war chanccllories. West OF h''ori0
the Russians nave captured Il hill from
tho Bulsars, the SerbianS have crossed
the frontier into their own country and
reached Il position north OF Ercuso-
grad, while tho French uorthcast II
Florina have penetrated the outskirts
Of Pctorak. The British to the noril,
of Lake Tahinos. on the eastern end
of the battle line, also report an ad
vance, but Berlin says that all their
attacks were rcpulScd.
Aside from 'hc capture from tho Ital-
ians of an important moumtaia peak
OF the TrcntinO front. only hom0ard-
merits have taken place in the Austrn-
Ttu'ian thcatcr.
Notwithstanding the loss vc two
/cppclins in an air raid on Eastern
England Saturday night, the Germans
on Monday night again returned 10 the
attack with airships and dropped
bombs in the northern and north mid
land counties.