SOMME BATTLE.

Lyttelton Times, Volume CXVII, Issue 17285, 28 September 1916, Page 7

SOMME BATTLE.

CAPTURE OF COMBLES. FRENCH AND BRITISH TAKE TOWN. IMPORTANT SUCCESSES. The High Commissioner reports:— LONDON, September 26. A British official message says.— Combles has been. entered, we overcoming the enemy’s resistance there. The enemy’s losses were severe. In yesterday’s capture we counted 1500 prisoners and much war material, and more prisoners are arriving. A strong redoubt between Lesbceufs and Gueudecourt, north of Morval, was captured. Tho garrison were taken prisoners.

WAR MATERIAL CAPTURED. Australian nnd N.Z. Cable Association. LONDON, September 26. Sir, Douglas Haig reports The preparation and execution of Monday’s attack by the artillery and infantry and their co-operation were in all respects admirable. . . We captured much war material. The amount cannot yet be estimated. Further progress was made during tho night.

FRENCH TAKE FREGICOURT. The High Commissioner reports - LONDON, September 26. ; A French official-message says:—We reached the borders of Fregicourt, taking the village ; n the night. We penetrated Combles cemetery, reaching the borders of the village, and one detachment established itself in a south-west trench,, taking prisoner a German company. German counter-attacks on new trenches between the Bapaume road and tho Somme were repulsed. We took prisoner 800.

BIG CAPTURES IN COMBLES.

Australian and N.Z. Cable Association, (Received Septemoer 27, 0.40 p.m.) PARIS, September 27. A communique says:— The battle was renewed north of the Somme. The Allies largely increased their gains and reached the objectives axed tor the second day’s figimng in revon .hours. Tbo Frer.cn in tne morning captured a part of Combles east and south of the railway and their patrols co-operated witn tho British who were cleaning up the north-west portion of Cbmon-s. ononay irienvarcis the whole of tho village was captured. Xiio booty was large as tne Uermans mid accumulated enormous munitions and supplies in subterranean galleries. A hundred abandoned German wounded were collected. Combles is full of German corpses. . )J 1

FURTHER GAINO./ (Received September 27j;1p.55 p.m ) PARIS, September 27 A communique says:— The French pusmng forward in tho afternoon sdjmt a small wood northward of Frogicftuvt and the bulk of the strong'y organised ground between tho wood and, the western point of St .Pierre Vaast woijd, eastward of the liapaumo roaA-

WHOLE OF COMBLES IN ALLIES’ HANDS.

PRISONERS AND BOOTY.

LONDON, September 27.

A French official mossage says:— The whole of Combles is captured. Twelve hundred prisoners have been taken, also thirty machine-guns and enormous booty.

THIEPVAL TAKEN.

IMPORTANT BRITISH SUCCESS.

(Received September 27, 6.50 p.m.) ' LONDON, September 27. Sir Douglas Haig reports:—We captured Thiepval and the high ridge eastward of the village, including the Zollern redoubt, 'liio successes in these two days were of very considerable importance.

As a result of the capture ,of Frtgicourt i and Morval the Anglo-French occupied Combles. Wo have beaten off lu'avy counter-attacks i; the neghbouihood of Morval and Lesbceufs with severe enemy losses. We have stormed the fortified village of Gueudecourt and have driven the Germans back in disorder. Zollern redoubt was a very strongly fortified and elaborate system of heavily-wired trenches. It was defended with desperation.

A BRILLIANT VICTORY.

THREE MILES FROM BAPAUME.

A RAPID ADVANCE.

(Received September 27, 11.45 p.m.) PARIS, September 27. The Allies celebrated tne anniversary of tho offensives in Artois auu Unampagae by a bniuaut attvance, culminating ‘in tne capture ot Uombies and Tniepval. The twelve miles offensive was the most extended yet attempted on the Souune. It included a Idouoie movement against Bapaume and reronne. The first two days of the battle was an excellent example of close co-operation between General Focli’s and Sir Douglas mig’s armies. It was impossible for the Germans to plead a surprise attack. The eight hours’ cannonade was the amplest warning, and yet the enemy in a few hours lost two important fortresses, five fortified villages and eight miles of trenches, between 4000 and 5000 prisoners, apart from the garrisons of Combles and Thiepval, the numbers of whicn are still unknown.

Lastly, tho offensivo has driven a deep wedge into tho angle of the high roads leading to Bapaume, upon which the whole German position on tne Somme pivoted. The British advanced posts are now within three miles of Bapaume. Regulars, Territorials and men from overseas all shared in tho victory. As a whole, the victory was cheap. The rapidity of the Allied success was due to the fact that the British are reaping the advantage of the capture of the heights from Thiepval to Combles earlier in tho month. The weather is glorious' and excellent for aviation work.

STORMING OF COMBLES.

DESCRIPTION OF THE BATTLE. STRONG GERMAN RESISTANCE SHATTERED. CAPTURES NOT YET COUNTED. (Received: September 28, 12.35 a.m.) \ PARIS, September 27. , At the commencement of the battle, or. Monday the British attackers were

massed five hundred yards beyond Flora and behind the crest beyond Ginchy, overlooking Gueudecourt and Lesbceufs in the valley. Then in the bend where the lmo tended southwards the Britishers massed in. Leuzo and Bouleaux, woods, threatening Morval and Gambles. The French gathered at Le Priez farm and in tho suburbs of Raucourt. They also overlooked Combles, lying in a pocket of low hills. Tho German 'resistance everywhere was determined, but tho most desperate fighting occurred in Lesbceufs, Morval and Fregicourt. Tbo Germans know that tho holding of these was tho last hope of saving Combles. Tho British guns in Bouleaux Wood had already mado Morval road useless, so that the road running from Fregicourt to Sailly was tho only Gorman retreat. After Lesbceufs was taken tho Germans coun-ter-attacked again and again, but in the end wore forced to fall back on ‘Sailly. ■ . Seeing tho Germans running the British, regardless of their own shell barrago, stormed through the northern part of tho village and woll out beyond. The defenders of Morval were covered by a height called Old Telegraph Hill, where the enemy had erected a number of batteries, macliine-gun posts and an extended system of wired trenches. This was a tough morsel. Tho British rushed the formidable line of trenches and then tho well fortified sunken road, but it was three hours before tlio western part was taken. The southern side of Morval was exposed to an enfilading fire from Combles, increasing the British difficulties. Finally a mass attack at five o’clock shattered tho German resistance, and by six tlie remnants of the defenders were fleeing round along tho Sailly road. Meanwhile the French made a less sensational advance east' of Combles, though there , was equally fierce fighting. The Germans early realised the hopelessness of the struggle, and while the French were attacking Rancourt they hurriedly removed some of the many guns defending Combles. The French met a most desperate resistance at a farm between Fregicourt road and the main road to Bapaume, which was strongly fortified with guns and ma-chine-guns. The French artillery for days vainly sought to demolish the defences of the farm. Once the infantry issued, but were forced back and finally it became a matter of bayonets against a hail of lead from machine-guns. The bayonets won. By 4.30 in the afternoon of Monday the Germans were flung beyond Fregicourt road. Fighting in the suburbs of Combles continued all night long, except in a narrow ravine running to 'the northeast, which was everywhere under the Allied guns. Combles was completely encircled and Foch and Haig determined not to delay the capture. Regardless of concrete subterranean shelters covering bombers, machine-gun emplacements and an extraordinary tangle of barbed wire, 'the British attacked the West side of tho town, while the Frjench seized tho cemetery easily. By night the wholo of Combles was captured, tho railway dividing the sections falling to . tho British and French attacks. Many of tho garrison attempting to escape strayed into the British lines. Others were killed by the Allied barrages. The captured guns and booty have not yet been counted.

CAPTURE OF LESBCEUFS.

BOMBARDMENT FOR EIGHTYFOUR HOURS.

(Received September 27, 8.55 p.m.) PARIS, September 27. An eighty-four hours’ bombardment, unprecedented in violence, preceded the genornl attack on Monday. The deafening rear of the guns;suddenly ceased at 12;30' from • Martinpuicli 'to 'Mho Somme. In' the deadly sileiico tho French and British sprang' from their trenches and advanced to the assault. The ensuing battle was possibly the bloodiest ever fought. Tho understanding between tho artillery and infantry was so perfect that the seventy-fives were sometimes hurling volleys only twenty-five metres in front of tho assaulters. The British gained the first success, the French having a ternblcl struggle with a Prussian brigade between Le Priez farm and Rancourt. The British carried Hill 150, east of Flers, in the most brilliant manner and penetrated the ruins of Lesbaufs, but tlireo hours’ hard fighting followed before they penetrated the part of the village that rests on the road between Frcgiccurt nnd Lesbceufs. Tho entire village was captured at six o’clock.

OUTSKIRTS OF GUEUDECOURT

REACHED

(Received September 27, 8.35 p.m.) LONDON, September 27. Mr Philip Gibbs writes The enemy n assed many machine-guns against us. h, was hard, fiorce fighting, and they did not yield easily on tho first and second lines, though afterwards,' when our men were on top of them, some ran if they could. The enemy guns were quick to barrage our lines, but our men along the Morval-Lesboeufs road v ent through curtain fire and trenches and villages in a rapid irresistible assault. The trenches were attacked by a bodv of troops already sorely tried by tlieir great successful achievements elsewhere. They were tired in body,but in spirit they were alert arid keen. They advanced grandly and the whole operation was carried out without} heavy casualties, except at one point, where machine-guns in strong emplacements caused a temporary check. By 3:30 all the south-west portion of Morval and the whole of the village of Lesbcmifs were in our hands. At five our airmen reported that the Germans were withdrawing their batteries higher up between Lesbceufs and Gueuaecourt. We have not progressed so much and the enemy is able to maintain his defence of the village! of Gucudrcourt, though the British forced their way to the outskirts in tlio face of machinegun firo-

THE GERMAN SIDE.

ADMIT ALLIED SUCCESSES,

LONDON, September 26

A German communique says:—

Yesterday was the fourth day of the artillery battle between the Ancre and the Somme, the French and British) combining in the attacks. The results which tlie enemy obtained by capturing tho villages on tho GueudecourtBouchavesues lino must be recognised, but before all we must think of our heroes who faced the Anglo-French forces and the massed employment of materials prepared by the war industry of xho whole world during many months.

NEW ZEALANDERS. GOOD WORK AT FLERS. , MR MALCOLM ROSS’S STORY. (Special from the New Zealand Official War Correspondent.) HEADQUARTERS. France. September 24. Further details of the fighting show that though it. waa not included in

their area the New Zealandors greatly assisted in tho capture of Flers. After oharging through the villago they advanced in the open and a subaltern with seven men fought a German field battery, knocking out one gun before they were shelled back from the position. The Rifles, making a splendid effort in the offensive, succeeded in penetrating 3200 yards into the enemy territory. The Wellington Battalion coming up held during the night the whole lino in front of Flers, thus greatly helping the division on their right. A Rifles captain who was killed greatly distinguished himself. The Canterbury Battalion has continued to fight with dash and great gallantry. After the bitter night fighting (as previously cabled) in which they wore victorious, they smashed a further attack led by German bombers from three directions. Owing to a difficulty in tho supply of our bombs, the enemy succeeded in driving our bombers and riflemon back. While still being heavily pressed the gallant captain referred to in my message or September 22 decided to meet tlie coun-ter-attacks in the open. Climbing out of the trendies tho men charged forward with magnificent elan. Tlie Germans, seeing their onrush, turned and fled, pursued by tho New Zealandors, who did' not stop till they had inflicted heavy casualties and captured a machine gun. Im* enemy left a hundred dead on the ground.'