Nelson Evening Mail. MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 25, 1916. FRENCH PRESSURE IN THE WEST.

Nelson Evening Mail, 25 September 1916, Page 4

Nelson Evening Mail. MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 25, 1916. FRENCH PRESSURE IN THE WEST.

TO-DAY'S cables report further progress by the French in the vicinity of Combles. It would seem that the fall of this fortified town may be expected anyday now. Situated just off the eastern flank of the famous ridge on which the Allies got a footing by the capture of Pozieres, and which the fall of Ginchy put almost entirely in their hands, Combles is a fortification centre of some considerable importance. The place is practically surrounded, but the Germans still have two roads in their hands. One runs northward, through about the last point on the Pozieres ridge; the other runs north-east through Freycourt. Even these roads are not of much use to the Germans, for the Allies' artillery can sweep them in certain directions. The , importance of Combles is. said to lie in the fact that it is an obstacle that has to be passed, on the way to higher things. When Combles has been captured, attention of a similar nature will be turned to Peronne, which, with Bapaume, is the main objective here. When, ' in the early days of the the French surged up as far as Briscourt and Biaches there was some question whether the attempt might not be made to storm Peronne. But the town is reported to be fortified and machinegunned to the last outhouse. Also, its capture would put the German line [farther south, especially Chaulnes and Roye, in a particularly awkward position. Though, as a matter of fact, the position of Chaulnes and Roye must have already been affected by the fact of the Peronne-Chaulnes-Roye railway coming under French big gun fire. At any rate, when Peronne has been taken, even if the Chaulnes-Roye part of the enemy j line still holds out, it should be able to I offer only a. comparatively weak barrier j to the attack which is practically certain j to be almost immediately launched against it. However, Peronne is still German, though it is threatened. Peronne is desribed as being built on low ground at the southern edge of a broad, low rise., upon whose highest point stands the village of St. Quentin. The whole rise and the town as well, the description runs, are enclosed on three sides by three rivers. The Sonune flows past from south-east to north-west, and with it the Somme Canal ; no doubt the banks of both are strongly fortified. On the south and east the town and rise are bounded—though the edge of the town strays across the boundary a little —by the Cologne River, a tributary of the Somme. And the boundary on the north-west is the Tortille, another tributary of the Somme. This leaves a wide area to the north-east uncrossed, by any stream, and through this wide neck of land run four roads back into German territory, all of which are no doubt used for communications. St. Quentin and the height, though it is not much of a height, on which it stands, is due north of Peronne and only a mile from it. A little to the north again and just across the river is the village of Alloines, and further on and (higher up is the captured village of Bouchavesnes. The Telegraph expresses the opinion that from Bouchavesnes there should be no great difficulty in an advance to the edge of the Bouchavesnes ridge overlooking- the Tortille River; at any rate one would not expect the enemy to try to hold a. long strip, of territory with the Allies on one flank and a- valley and river on the other. And the Allies' guns on this ridge would no doubt command St. Quentin. But an infantry advance from this direction would, have to leave the ridge, cross the valley and the Tortille at its bottom, and climb the elopo en the other side before St. Quentin could l he taken. It does not follow, hecause guns on the Bouchavesnes ridge would command l St. Quentin and St. Quentin. overlooks Peronne, but an. attack is going to be made this.way. It is quite possible, says this journal, that instead the Bouchavesnes advance may bo pti.vh.ed considerably farther to the east, with the idea of cutting the four

roads that cross the neck of land between the Tortille and the Cologne, and compelling the evacuation of the town without the need to storm it. In this case there would have to be also a further advance to the south of Peronne.