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Show BIG DRIVE OF ALLIEDJORCES London, Sept. 3. The "big push' of the allies on tho Somme is once more in full swing. It was set into motion again at noon today, when in one of the most rapid and best organized assaults yet witnessed in the Picardy campaign the French and British pushed their lines forward in an irresistible on rush against the German positions on a front of more than six miles, roughly, rough-ly, from tho village- of Ginachy down to the river Somme. The lion's share was achieved by the French, but the British, too, gained considerable and important ground. The net strategic result of the day's battle is that tho Franco-British line has been straightened out considerably, consider-ably, and that the French now stand at the very outskirts of Combles, the important railway town, to hold which the Germans have concentrated the Pick of the kaiBer's troops and the most powerful guns. Ferocious ' Battle In Progress. A battle, of unprecedented ferocity is still In progress on the whole front. In detail the day's results are: The French captured by storm the fortified villages of Le Forest, east of Maurepas, and Clery Sur Somme, holding both against violent German counter onslaughts. They took the whole German trench system north of Lo Forest, along the road to Combles, Comb-les, carrying the fighting to the outskirts out-skirts of that town. They pushed ahead to tho east at several points between Le Forest and Clerj', thus adding to the menace of Peronne from the north. They took more than 2,000 unwounded prisoners. British Gains. The British, on their part, captured at last the whole of the long and bitterly bit-terly fought-for village of GuillemonL They took part of the village of Gin-chy Gin-chy and gained further ground east of the Moquet farm. Several hundred prisoners were taken by them. The close co-operation between the French and British armies is empha sized in the official statements issued by both sides tonight. The Germans ninde a desperate but vain attempt to wrest from the French the fruits of the latter's assault as-sault A counter-attack with "strong effectives" broke from under the French fire and the Teutons drew back in disorder, "leaving numerous dead in the field," in the words of the Paris night communique. Furious Fighting at Verdun. At Verdun the day developed a series ser-ies of furious battles, as a result of which both sides made gains. At sundown sun-down the fighting was still raging with the utmost violence. The French war office in its night statement admits ad-mits that after a series of unsuccessful unsuccess-ful and costly assaults the crown prince's Infantry gained a foothold In a salient In the French line at Vaux Chapitre, wher the Germans are trying try-ing to break through toward Fort Sou-ville, Sou-ville, the last, but most powerful, still separating them from Verdun proper on the right bank of the Meuse. This German success was counterbalanced, counter-balanced, however, by the French, who took several trenches east of Fleury village and part of the crest dominating dominat-ing both Fleury and the Thlaumont field work, making 300 prisoners, Including In-cluding five officers. |
