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GREAT FRENCH VICTORY.

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GREAT FRENCH VICTORY. I Villages Won on a Wide Front South of Somme. 5,200 PRISONERS TAKEN. I l. Monday night's French official records •'splendid n-e-w victories on the Somme front and to the south. The total number of prisoners taken in the new offensive north and south of the river is given as 5,200. The new gains are ag follows: Villages ,.Of Soyecourt and Chilly and outskirts 4 Bernv (south of the Somme) captured, Hospital Farm (east of Le Forest and i.orth of the Somme) outflanked, the crest west of Marries Wood occupied. The I I 'wrhtirwj hz46 bee,n extended to the south of j Chatilnes, 12 miles south of the Somme. The British have gained further ground "north, of Falfemont Farm. FRENCH OFFICIAL. Peris, Monday (received Tuesday).—The official French communique, issued this ^evening, says:- On the Somme front the action which was opened yesterday by the Anglo-French forces developed to-day on the two banks j of the Somme, and was continued through- out the day with great stubbornness. to re-capture the whole of the ground which had been temporarily abandoned. We captured about 100 prisoners. In the afternoon, further German attempts to the cast of Chenois were repulsed. The num- ber of unwoundcd prisoners captured yes- terday and to-day in the region of Fleury i?, so far as can be ascertained at present, over 500.-Press Association War Special. BRITISH OFFICIAL. I Monday, 10.25 p.m.-Tliis morning the: enemy made a counter-attack against our newly-won positions north-west of Mou- quet Farm, but was easily repulsed. North of Falfemont Farm our troops gained further ground during the after- noon. and heavy fighting continues on this port ion of our front. Beyond heavy artillery action between the Ancre and the Somme there is nothing further to report. ¡ A SWEEPING SUCCESS. Prisoners Number at Least 6,000. ParLs. Tuesday.—Writing last ni?M.  tLepxpprt''ommprt?tr)rp?''s:Th? bril- liant success gained on Sunday north of To the north of the river our 6iiecesses continue. We have made great progress „to the east of the village of Le Forest, out- Hanked the Hospital F&rm, and occupied ¡ the crest to the west of Bois Man ieres. Violent German counter-attacks directed i against our new positions to the north of -*Combtes, debauching from the village, were broken by our machine-gun and bar-j rage the, which inflicted upon the enemy very heawy losses. i All the ground which we have eonquered ,was fully held. The number of prisoners counted bo far .I the north of the Somme during the last two days amounts to 2,500. T-o-dity Ae, captunad about ten machine guns in addi- tion to-those which were recorded yester- day. To the south of the Somme the French troops attacked the enemy organisationB .<m a front of about twenty kilometres, ->extendjn from Baillux to the region ot -the soath of Chanloes. Everywhere the j ""bravea-y of our troops and the strength of our artillery enabled us to attain our ■objectives. On the Barleux De Niecourt front we carried the first line of enemy trenebt--q and established ourselves in the outskirts, of the village of Berney and the northern outskirt-a of Deniecourt. On our right the village of Boyeeourt, i attacked from the north and south-west, was entirk-ly carried in a brilliant assault. Further to the south from the Vermando- villers to Chilly, after very violent. fight- ing. the infantry carried for an extent of over four kilometres the whole first lilH) positMn of the old German front, includ- ing several defence lines very strongly organised. The whole village of Chilly •was captured, aud we occupied to the east Hill 86, as well as the western bordolrs of: the Bois De Chadnes. The village of Ver- i, mandovillere, of which we hold a part, was obviously outflanked from the north and from the south. Our heavy artillery caught under its fire and dispersed enemy troops which were marching on the Liauoourt-road. Tho number of unwounded prisoners captured by us to-day south of the Somme amounts to over 2,700. On the right bant of the Meuse, in spite of a violent enemy bombardment, we in- creased our gains of yesterday, advancing about a hundred meires. In the region east of Fleury, the Ger- mans, shortly before nine o'clock, de- livered a very heavy attack on ouj- posi- tion in the Cendis Wood. This attack at first succeeded in carrying a small fort on j Vaux-road and trenches to the west, but! out brilliant counter-attacks enabled us I the Somme hy the French troops oserating in conjunction with the British forces, developed victoriously to-day on both banks of the river. It. was an operation in the grand style, for the battle proceeded in a desperate manner on a front of about forty kilometres, and was successful at all points. The following balance of an excellent day is more eloquent than any commen- tary. North of the Somme, on the Bri- tish sector, the town of Combles, which the Germans had transformed into a regular fortress, is now closely pressed on the south by the French line, and on the north by our Allies, who yesterday also seized a part of Ginchy and the whole of II Guillemont. On the French front adjoin- ing. our infantry realised a fresh advance of about 1,500 metres east of Le Forest, passing the Hospit-a IFarm and extending) to the hillocks which protect the Marri- cres Wood. On the west all our gains of ground in this region were maintained in their entirety, despite furious enemy attacks, which were mown down by our lire, at the approach es to Combles. South of the Somme. the battle front extended over about 20 kilometres, from Barleux to the south of Chauln«s. Every- where our infantry, hy marvellous rushes, preceded and supported by powerful and accurate bo m hard men t, overcame the obstacles accumulated by the enemy, and carried all the objects of the assault. From Barleux to Soyeeourt, the first I German position, fell into our hands, as well as the village of Soyeconrf, which was carried by a rapid converging at- tac k. Further south, Vermand-Ovil'ers was widely outflanked, and partially occu- pied. From t.his village to Chilly a whole network of solidly fortified enemy trenches; was carried on a width of four kilometres by our battalions, which, in a very sharp struggle, triumphed over the obstinate resistance of the enemy. Finally, the village of ChiEy itself was completely re-occupied. Apart from the ground gained, a, large amount of booty has fallen into our hands I in ilie last 48 hours, now comprising 14 gung and 60 machine-guns, on the French front alone. Prisoners were also pouring in. The British had already counted over 800 this afternoon. This evening the French com- ( munique announces 5,200 on the Somme and 500 before Verdun, w here we repulsed serious German attacks and realised some progress. Altogether, therefore, at- least 0,000 Germans have been taken in two days, and thif; figHre alone proves the ir-iportance of the result obtained, which is excellent for the present, and augurs ) even better for the future.—Press Asso- eiation War Special. THE ENEMY'S ADMISSION. Amsterdam, -lion(lav.-The omoial com- munique issued in Berlin to-day say?*:— Anglo-French attacks, beginning early- yesterday morning in the Somme district, j developed into a battle on a great wale and ot great violence. North of the Somme I the battle raged on a front of about 30 I kilometres from Beaumont to the Somme., Despite repeated attacks by the enemy on both ides or the Anere. and especially on Thiepval and north-west of Pozieres, our brave troops, under General von Stein and Baron Marshall, maintained their posi- tions. and recaptured by a rapid c'nii ii to r- attack the ground which v.~as temporarily lost at Mow] net Farm, north-west of Pozieres, and inflicted on the enemy the heaviest losses Further east our strong artillery fire held down the enemy in his storming posi- tions. Only at night did the enemy succeed in attacking the Fourenux Wood, but was I repulsed. After an artillery preparation surpass- ing anything previously experienced a ¡ battle began between Ginchy and the ^omme, and raged there late into the evening. In their heroic resistance, our brave, troops under General s TCirchhach and Von Fassbender contested, every inch of the ground against the enemy, who !>enetrited our completely battered down first position, and arrested the criemv storming columns in the second line of I defence. Guillemont and Le Forest re- mained in the hands of the enemy. South of the Somme. art from the dis- trict smith-west of Barleaux, our artillery succeeded in preventing the French frr, TD- carrying out their attacks. The enemy forces attacking at Barleux were repulsed i with bloody losses. On the right bank of the Meuse enemy I attempts to make attacks asrainst Thiau- mont Work and south-east of Fleury failed. At the Soville defile, after careful .preparation, the enemy salient jutting out into our hne wa5 cleared of the enemy. We caotured 11 officprs and ?'? men, and repulsed repeate d enemy counter-attacks. 'I | —Press Association.

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