FALL OF COMBLES AND THIEFVAL

Dominion, Volume 10, Issue 2888, 28 September 1916, Page 5

FALL OF COMBLES AND THIEFVAL

' * fresh" brilliant advance — ENORMOUS BOOTY THE CHAOS IN GREECE VEIZELOS'S BOMBSHELL '.' AT ATHENS ..- RUMANIAN SUCCESSES Another brilliant day on the Soranie. Tho Allies' terrific bombardment culminated in a sweep forward, ,tho capture of small villages, and the fall of Combles and Thiepval—a fitting measure in token of the anniversary of the 1915 attacks in Artois and the Champagne. . There is no news of the Russians at the time of writing, • and very little of tho Italians. In tho Balkans, the enemy in the Dobruja has been obliged to give way beforo the Russo-Runianian pressure. The Rumanians are advancing in Transylvania, and there has been lively figthiug on the Allied lino near the northern Greek border. Further news from Greoco discloses some interesting details of the surprise which M. Venizelos sprang upon tho public. A Greek destroyer has slipped out of Wo harbour, and gono ■ over to the National Revolutionary movomont. GREAT BATTLE FOR BARRIER FORTS HOW COMBLES AND THIEPVAL FELL MANY PRISONERS AND ENORMOUS BOOTY i . . ■ The High Commissioner reports :— London, September 26, 2.55 p.m. Tho British official report says: "Combles was entered, the enemy's resistance being overcome. His losses were severe. Yesterday's captures amounted to 1500 prisoners, and much war material. More prisoners are arriving. A strong redoubt between Lesboeufs and Guoudecourt has been captured, and the garrison made prisoners." London, September 27, 1.5 a.m. The British official report states:—"On our right the French and British have jointly occupied Combles. We repelled heavy counter-attacks in the neighbourhood of Morval and Lesboeufs, inflicting severe losses on the enemy. We stormed the fortified village of Gueudecourt, and drove the Germans back in disorder.. i _ • '-We also captured Thiepval.and a high ridge eastwards of the Zollern redoubt. The ridge was very strongly fortified and was defended with great desperation., • Our recent successes are of very considerable importance." /■ ' ' ~' ' . SIR DOUGLAS HAIG'S- REPORT. (By TeleßraDh—Press Association—Copyright), AustraJion-Ncif 1 Zealand. Cable Association. ..'._• London, Septedfber 26. Sir Douglas Haig reports: The preparation for the oxecution of Monday's attack by the artillery and infantry, and their co-oporation, were in all respects admirable. We captured much war' material, but the amount cannot yet be estimated. "Further progress was made during the night and this morning. We captured a strong redoubt which' had hold out between TJesboeufs and Gueudecourt, and took the garrison prisoner.. Our troops entered Combles from tho west. The German losses were very severe." . ' EVACUATION BEGUN EARLY. (Beuter's Telegram.) ' „.: , . Paris, September 26. Trior to -yesterday £ infantry attacks, the Germans commenced to evacuate Combles, withdrawing many guns and much material. FIERCE STRUGGLE FOR LESBOEUFS 'Australian-New Zealand Cable. Association. (Rec. September 27, 8.35 p.m.) / a' • tu„* i. .i. t j , r ' Parts, September 27. . An- eigntg-four hours bombardment of unprecedented violence preceded the general attack on Monday. The deafening roar of tho guns suddenly ceased at 12.30 p.m., and from Martinpuich to the Somme a deadly silence prevailed. The French and the British sprang out of their trenches, and advanced to the assault. The. ensuing battle Was possibly the bloodiest ever fought. Tho understanding between the artillery and trie infantry was so' perfect that the French "Seventy-fives" were sometimes hurling vo'llevs onlv twenty-five metres in front of the assaulting line. The British had the first success.' The> French were having a terrible struggle with a Prussian brigade between Le Priez and Rancourt. The British carried Hill 150, east of FJers, in the most brilliant manner, and penetrated the ruins of Lesboeufs but three hours' hard fighting followed before they penetrated the part of the villago wesb of the road between Freqicourt'and Lesboeufs. The entire village was captured by sis o'clock. FRENCH CAPTURE FREGICOURT VILLAGE OUR ALLIES. REACH COMBLE& The High Commissioner reports ■:—- London, September 26, 3.30 p.m. The French official report says: "We reached the borders of Fregicourf ta.king the villago during the night. AVo penetrated the Combles cemetery' reaching the borders of the village. One-detachment established itself in tho south-west trench, and niado prisoners'of a German company. The German countor-attacks on , our now trenches between Bethune lload and the Soninin wore repulsed. We took 800 prisoners." London, September 27, 1.5 a.m. The French official report states: —"Our Allies gained in a few hours the objectives they had fixed for the seoond day of tho struggle. The bootv captured at Combles is enormous, comprising munitions and provisions of all sorts. One hundred German wounded were taken prisoner." Wo found Combles full of German corpses. Since yesterday wo have captured 1200 unwounded prisoners and 30 machine-guns." FRENCH PUSHING ON Australian-New Zcajand Cable Association, (Rec. September 27. 10.30 p.m.) ~ . . . Paris, September 27. '£ French official, communique statos:—"Tho French, pushing forward in the afternoon, seized a small wood northward of Fregicourt and tho bulk of the enemy s_ strongly-organised ground between the wood and the western point of the Saint-Vaast Wood, eastward of Bothuiio Road.'' i GENERAL PICTURE pF THE BATTLE THE RESULTS REVIEWED (Rec. September 27, 11.45 p.m.) Paris, September 27. The Allies celebrated the anuivorsary of thoir offensive in Artois and Champagne by a brilliant advance, culminating in the capture •of Combles and Thiepval. Their twelve miles offensive was tho most extended front they have yet attempted on 'the Somme, and included a double movement ■ against Bapaumo and Peronne. Tho first two days of tho battle furnished an excellent example of tho close co-operation of Foch's and Haig's armies. It was impossible for the Germans to plead a. "surprise attack," for nur nighty-hours' cannonade gave tho amplest warning, yet tho enemy in a few hours lost two of his important fortresses, five fortified villages, eight miles of trendies, and between four and five thousand prisoners, apart from tho fIS-rrieons pf Combles and Shiepral, of .which &ho number ib fttill unknown

Lastly, tho offensive "has driven a deep wedge, into the anglo of tlio higl roads leading to Bapaume, upon wliich tho whole of the German position on the Somnio is pivoted. Tho British advaucod posts are now within tlirco miles of Bapaume. The regulars, Territorials, and men from overseas, all shared in the victory. As a whole, the victory was cheap. Tho rapidity of tho Allied success was duo to tho fact that the British worn reaping tho advantage of tho capture of heights at Thicpval to Conibles ill the earlier part of the month. "Tho weather is glorious, and excellent for aviation work." Tho Opening of the Battle. At tho commencement of the battle on Monday tho British attackers were massed five hundred yards beyond and on the crest beyond Ginchy, overlooking Guedecourt and Lesboeufs, in the valley. Further south tho Britishors wero massed in the Leuzo and Boulcaux Woods, threatening Morval and Combles, tho French wero gathered at Le Priez Farm and the suburbs of Rancourt, and also overlooked C'ombles, which was lying in a pocket of low hills. The German resistanco everywhere was determined, but the most desperato fighting was at Lesboeufs, Morval, and Fregicourt. The' Germans knew that the holding of these was their last hope in the saving of Combles. The British guns in the Bauleaux Wood had already made tho Morval Eoad useless, so that the road running to Fregicourt and Sailly was the only avenue for the German retreat. _ After Lesboeufs was taken tha Germans counter-attacked again and again, and in the end were forced to fall back on Sailly. Seeing the Germans running, the British, regardless of their own shell barrage, stormed through the northern part of the village and well out beyond. A Tough Morsel. The defenders at Morval were corered by a height called the "Old Telegraph Hill," where the enemy had erected a number of batteries and ma-chine-guns forts, with an extensive system of. wired trenohes. This was a tough morsel. The British rushed a formidable line of trenohes, then a wellfortified, sunken road, but it was throe hours before the western park, was taken. The'sou them sido of Morval was exposed to an enfilading fire from Combles, which increased the British difficulties. Finally, a mass attack, delivered at 5 p.m., shattered the German resistance, and by six o'clook the roinnants of tho defondcrs wero fleeing round along the Sailly road. The French Advance. Meanwhile the French, less sen3a t j ona rj y) had advanced east of Combles. Though there was equally n6ro e fighting thore, the Germans early realised the hopelessness of at further struggle. While the French were attacking Kancourt the cnomy hurriedly som6 0 f the many guns which were defending Combles. _ J-U Q p renon mo j; t Qe mos s desperate resistance at the farm betwen Fregicourt r<Jad an( j fh e to Bapaume, which was strongly fortified by guns a Q(i macn j ue .g Uns . The French artillery for days had vainly sought to mo ]i s h the defences of the farm. Oncetho infantry issued, but were torcou and fina]ly ifc became a matter nf havonets against the hail \om tho machine-guns. The bayonets won By 4.30 p.m. on the afternoo of Monday GeTmms had been fiW beyond tho Fregicourt road. A 'ghting went on in the suburbs of ConTbles all night- long, except in * ruiming to tlle ward, which everywhere wero under the Allied guns. Combles was complete- 1 ly encircled. Geanerals Foeh and Haig wore determined not to delay the capture, regardless of the concrete subterranean shelters covering bombers and machine-gun emplacements extraordinary." The British attacked west of the town, while the French seized the cemotory, to tho east. By night tho whole of Combles had been captured. Following tho British and French attacks, many of the garrison, attempting to escape, strayed into the British lines. Others wero killed by tlio Allies', barrages. The captured guns and booty have not yet boon counted. HOW THE GERMANS PHRASE THE NEWS "TEE RESULTS MUST BE -RECOGNISED."-" • London, September 26. A' Gejjnao official communique states: "On the fourth day of the artillery battle between -the Ancre and tho Somme the French and British made combined attacks. The results which the enemy obtained by capturing the villages on the Gueudeooivrt-Bouchavesnes line must ho reooguised. But before all wo must think of how our heroes faced the 1 Anglo-French forces massed for the employment of materials prepared by the war industry of the whole world during many months." ENEMY SUFFERS AT VERDUN FRONT ' \ _ ' London, September 26. ■A French communique states: "The enemy made a violent attack on the Thiaumont work and at. Floury, but the attacks failed, with serious losses." \ THE WHEELING SQUADRONS IN THE AIR •FORTY-SEVEN COMBATS FOUGHT IN OTB-DAYy London, September 26. A French official communique states: "Yesterday our aviators fought 47 combats. Our squadrons bombed many railways and factories." (Eeutor's Tfllesrani.) - Paris, September 27. From July 1 to September 23, 250 enemy aeroplanes were destroyed or brought down. AMERICAN OPINION ON RECENT EVENTS "WE ARE LOOKING ON GERMANY IN DEFEAT." Australian-New Zealand 'Cable Association. New York, September 26. The: "Tribune," in a leading articlo occupying three columns, analysing, the war, says: "It is patent to the least-trained military eye ttuit Germany is beaten. She had her chance, but failed to win. She did not succeed in crushing _ unprepared and inferior foes, who are now superior in numbers and preparation. Tho Allies are bleeding her, while they no longer have the 6mallest_ doubt as to tho outcome, although few expect peace bofore 1918. Meanwhile, we are looking on Germany in defeat, and the evidences of defeat mount up daily." •■ .. . GERMAN OFFICIAL VISITS TO UNITED STATES MINISTER . '■ ■ ~ NO INFORMATION AVAILABLE. .„.',_ ■■, „~. New York, September 26. A United Press message from Berlin states that several other members of the German Government visited tho American Ambassador (Mr J W Gerard) yesterday evening, following on the visit of Hen- von Jagbw (German Minister, for Foreign Affairs). Mr. Gerard may postpone his trip to America. All information has heeu refused. - . GERMANS TURN. ON' THE WAR 'CENSORS ' PRESS DEMANDS RIGHT TO COMMENT ON THE WAR. ,„.■ v v , „ n v •„ ~ . New York, September 26. Ihe New lork limes correspondent m Berlin telegraphs that leading German editors are assailing the censors, demanding the right to express opinions on the conduct.of the war. They cite England's example, and contend that tho suppression of free discussion is inimical to Germany's interests.. ! J ' , P , ~ ' „ ' , . , Amsterdam, September 2C. I he German Press Conference passed resolutions declaring that the censorslup restrictions are becoming worse, and demanding uniformity. BELGIAN WOMEN BEING DRIVEN INTO HOLLAND. ("The Timas.") mi i . j i --™ ~. L °ndon, September 26. Ihe Amsterdam correspondent of ''The Times" states: "The- 'TeWraaf earns that women m Belgium, hitherto rofused permission to leave, are now being expelled to Holland." ANOTHER SIGN. OF A CRISIS.' „..'.' , ' . , New York, September 26. According to ofhcial dispatches which havo been received in Washington the increasing arrivals of largo numbers of German children, in Holland he:auso they are foodless in Germany, is causing the fear of a serious food shortage in Holland. Germany has given a strong indication that the prohibition of the entry of her children into Holland will he regarded as an unneutral act.