INTERMITTENT CANNONADE ON THE SOMME.

Colonist, Volume LVII, Issue 14139, 15 July 1916, Page 5

INTERMITTENT CANNONADE ON THE SOMME.

BATTLE OF THE MEUSE.

VIOLENT BOMBARDMENT ON THE

EAST BANK

THE SOUVILLE STRUGGLE

(Australian and N.Z. Cable Association)

Paris, July 13. [ A communique reports- an intermit-1 tent cannonade on the Somme. We! penetrated a salient in the neighbour- 1 hood of Prosnes, in the Champagne, 1 and took a number of prisoners. There was an intense bombardment during the night of the sectors of Souville, Le Chenois, and La Laufee. The enemy attack in the Vosges south of Carspach was repulsed after a lively grenade struggle. The "Petit Parisien' 5 says that the Germans, hoping to surround Souville Fort, subjected the whole of the Verdun front to a 36 hours' bombardment. The infantry attack began at 10 o'clock on Wednesday morning, when 18,000 men were . employed on\ a three kilometre front southward of the village of, Fleury. They faced a rapid curtain fire, but, regardless of losses, crossed the barrage of fire and advanced towards Souville. After "a hard struggle they were compelled to halt, owing to the storm of bullets from hundreds of machine guns on the slopes of Souville Plateau. The nearest German line was 800 yards from the fort. The German front at other points advanced 500 yards, but this gives no cause for uneasiness.