Show LOSE POSITIONS ON 3 FRONTS FONTS fAll RACK ACK N f FOURTH RTH S M LINE British After Stubborn Fighting Manage to Expel From Town Near Bapaume l Kaisers Kaiser's 5 Defenses Bet Between Between Be Be- tween t veen Morval and the St. St Pierre V aast Wood Captured d by French By B Associated Press LONDON Oct 4 The The war office announced today that the town of Laucourt on the Somme front for possession of which heavy fighting has been in progress for or several days i is now entirely entirely entirely en en- in the hands of the British The announcement follows has been cleared of the enemy and is entirely In our hands During the night there was d table hie shelling on o our r trant frant south o othe of ot the Otherwise there thero was no nf change A heavy rain min has fallen since morningAn morning An official statement issued here to today to- to I th the day gives details of the fighting lighting on Somme front after the advance of September September September Sep Sep- 15 describing the capture of ot villages including inc Combles Gueudecourt Gueudecourt Gueudecourt court and and proceeds CAPTURED These victories victories brought our front frontline frontline line at more than one point within a amIle amile amile mile of German fourth position west of the Transloy Bapaume road Tho The statement continues The enemy has fought stubbornly to check our advance an and September September Sep Sp 15 seven seyen new divisions ha have hav been brought against us and fl against the French The severe severo and prolonged struggle demanded on the part of our troops very great mi- mi nation and courage At the end of September the situation situation situation situa situa- tion may be summarized summarize as folI 0 S Since the opening of tho battle battlo on July 1 we have taken prisoners and engaged thirty eight German divisions divi divi- alone of which twenty-nine twenty about men have been ben withdrawn ex exhausted tX cx- hausted or broken We ve hold the halt half halfmoon moon upland south of the oc occupy occupy occupy oc- oc cupy every height of importance and so have direct observation ground round to t the east and northeast The enemy han hn ha fallen back upon a fourth line behind a low ridge just west of ot the Bapaume Bapaume- Transloy road COSTLY COUNTERS The Importance of the three months months' offensive is if not to be Judged bv hy the distance nce advanced or the number of enemy trench lines taken talen It mu must t bo bf looked for in the effect upon th tb the enemy's strength and numbers material material mate mate- rial and morale The enemy has used up his reserves in repeated costly and unsuccessful counter attacks without causing our allies or ourselves to relax our steady methodical pressure In this action troops from every part of the British empire British I Islands have been en engaged ared All behaved he- he haved with the discipline and re resolution tion lion of veterans Our aircraft have havA shown in the highest degree the s spirit of ot the offensive They have re regularly far behind the enemy's enemy lines linE's and have fought many battles battlE's in the theair theair air with hostile machines and many manyI I with enemy troops on the ground round For ForI or I every enemy machine that succeeds In crossing our front it is safe to say 00 British machines cross the enemy's front PARIS Oct Ocl 4 A 4 A strongly fortified line of German defenses between M Morral Mor- Mor r- r vat val and the St. St Pierre wood on the Somme front has been captured by bythe bythe bythe the French the war office announced toda today Three hundred prisoners were wera taken BERLIN BERLIK Oct 4 Via London The London The allied attack along the tho Somme front resulted yesterday in further fighting near Thiepval and 1 farm Tho Llo repulse of the British Is reported in to today's today's today's to- to days day's official announcement |