THE ATTEMPTED BREAK-THROUGH.
The British Attack
On July 1, the front of attack, about 21 miles long, extended from Gommécourt to Maricourt.
The attack was made by the 4th Army (Gen. Rawlinson), comprising five army corps, and by three divisions of the right wing of the 3rd Army (Gen. Allenby).
The main sector of attack, lying between the Ancre and Maricourt, forms a 90° salient; the summit of which encircled Fricourt.
The first German positions included Ovillers, La Boisselle, Fricourt, Mametz and Montauban, and formed the objective of the attack.
The latter, directed generally towards Bapaume, was delivered against both flanks of the salient.
From the start, the attack was held before the western side of the salient, in spite of the great heroism of the British.
The right wing, on the southern side, succeeded in carrying the first German position.
Photo, Russell, London.
GENERAL RAWLINSON.
Photo, F. A. Swaine, London.
GENERAL ALLENBY.
In face of this result, Field-Marshal Haig decided to push home the attack on his right (three corps under Gen. Rawlinson), while his left (two corps under Gen. Gough) would continue to press the enemy, and thus form the pivot of the manœuvre.
THE DOTTED ZONES ON THIS AND THE FOLLOWING SKETCH-MAPS REPRESENT THE GERMAN LINES OF RESISTANCE.
The first assaults on July 1 gave the British Montauban and Mametz, while Fricourt and La Boisselle wore encircled and carried on July 3. Progress continued on the right, Contalmaison and Mametz Wood, reached on the 5th, were carried on the 11th.
Photo, "Daily Mirror" Studios.
GENERAL GOUGH.
On the extreme right, the British, in liaison with the French, reached the southern edges of Trônes Wood, and came into contact with the second German positions. Over 6,000 prisoners were taken. The Germane launched incessant counter-attacks without result.
In the diversion sector, north of the Ancre, the initial successes at Gommécourt, Serre and on the Ancre could not be followed up.
The Germans continued to hold Beaumont-Hamel and Thiepval in force.
The French Attack
The French 6th Army (Gen. Fayolle) attacked along a ten-mile front, astride of the Somme, from Maricourt to Soyécourt, in the general direction of Péronne.
North of the Somme.—The 20th Corps had to conquer the German first position, consisting of three or four lines of trenches connected by numerous boyaux to the fortified woods and village of Curlu.
This position was carried in a single rush on July 1, and consolidated on the three following days.
The second and third German positions were as strong as the first, and included the villages of Hardecourt and Hem. On the 5th, Hem and the plateau which dominates the village to the north were taken. On the 8th, the French, in liaison with the British, first carried, then progressed beyond, Hardecourt.
From July 1 to 8, the 20th Corps captured the first and second German positions and consolidated their conquest on the following days.
GENERAL FAYOLLE.
South of the Somme.—The attack was launched on July 1, two hours later than that on the northern bank. With fine dash, the 1st Colonial Corps and a division of Brittany reserves carried the first German position, including the villages of Dompierre, Becquincourt and Fay.
On the 2nd, the movement was continued on the left. Frise, outflanked from the south, was captured, Méréaucourt Wood encircled, and Herbécourt carried by a frontal attack, after being turned from the north. The approaches to Assevillers and Estrées were reached. The northern part of the second position was captured.
On the 3rd, the advance continued on the left. Flaucourt, in the third position, was carried in the course of an extraordinarily daring coup-de-main. Assevillers likewise fell.
Belloy was captured on the 4th; the divisional cavalry patrolled freely as far as the Somme, between Biaches and Barleux.
Biaches village and La Maisonnette observation-post fell on the 9th and 10th. The horses of the African Mounted Chasseurs were watered in the Somme, and the Zouaves gathered cherries in the suburban gardens of Péronne.
During these ten days the French troops, by carrying out a vast turning movement on the left, towards the south-east, had pierced all the German positions. A breach had been made, but the marshy valley of the Somme in this diversion sector made it very difficult to follow up the success; moreover, the objectives assigned to these troops did not provide for such exploitation.
The French attack had been carried out with great dash. In addition to the many lines of defences, villages and fortified woods conquered, 85 guns, 100 machine-guns, and 26 minenwerfer were captured, and over 12,000 prisoners, including 235 officers, taken.
The gallant troops, which had thus inflicted a stinging defeat on the enemy, included the famous 20th Corps, which, a few months before, in a veritable inferno, had barred the road to Verdun.
THE SITE OF MONACU FARM ON THE MAUREPAS ROAD NEAR HEM WOOD.