J . 
L A i\ D l\: W a r E R 
July 6, 191 6 
Battle of the Somme 
IT is as yet too early to form any estimate of the 
ultimate effect of the Anslo-French offensive. Its 
immediate objecti\e which is, as Mr. Belloc points 
out in another column, the " crumbling " of the 
enemy lines until his resistance is exhausted, implies 
a prolonged process of hammering which is by no 
means likely to be confined to the present area. 
It is worth noting in detail what has been done so far. 
Last week we heard of a very prolonged and general 
bombardment, accompanied by the " feeling " of the 
opposing front by means of a series of sharj) attacks or 
"SLJLJFMi&s 
raids on the enemy trenches. In the course of Saturday 
last we learnt that the offensive of the Allies had begun. 
It was launched at the point where the English and French 
lines join, the field of battle covering roughly the 
sector between Arras on the North (held by the British) 
and that part of the French line which lies over against 
Peronnc, a town which the (lermans still occupy. The 
accompanying sketch map will show the proportion this 
area bears to the whole line between Verdun and the sea. 
The first news which we got concerning the success of 
these operations appeared in the French communique 
issued on Saturday night and in Sir Douglas Haig's 
despatch on the same evening. These communications 
show that both Allied armies had made notable advances. 
The British attacking from the South where the line 
turns eastward from Fricourt captured the two villages 
of Mametz and Montauban. This necessarily put into 
imminent peril the German forces which were hanging 
on to Fricourt itself, which now became a very pro- 
novmced and dangerous salient. At the same time the 
F'rench attacking beyond the Somme where the line once 
more takes a turn southward, were able to announce the 
capture of Dompicrre and of the villages of Becquincourt 
Bussus, and Fay, while to the North of that river their 
forces occupied Curlu. 
So matters appear to have stood at the end of the first 
day's serious fighting. 
Meanwhile, the British were attacking the northern 
side of the salient now formed around Fricourt and a 
despatch issued late Monday night announced the capture 
of what was left of the little village of La Boiselle, situated 
to the north-west of I'Yicourt. This rendered the re- 
tention by the enemy of Fricourt itself impossible and 
his troops were withdrawn under cover of a violent 
counter-attack upon the Mametz-Montauban line. In 
the course of these operations considerable captures of 
prisoners and guns took place, the total of the former 
reaching at that date something over 4,300. 
To the south of the Somme during the same period the 
French successes had continued. They had seized the 
village of Herbecourt and the Bois de Mereaucourt, both 
to the east of Frise, thus rendering the retention of that 
position impossible. By Monday evening they had 
captured the village of Fouilleres on the Somme, while 
some four miles further south tliey had established them- 
selves in Assevillers, the outskirts of which they had 
reached and occupied on the previous day. This broufjht 
them well over the second line of the German defences, 
while the subsequent capture of Buscourt, about a mile 
east of Feuillores and of Flaucourt, two miles f\nther 
south, lca\es them only three miles away from Peronne. 
In the extreme north of the theatre of battle the 
advance of the Allies has been at once less regular and 
less extensive. There has been vigorous fighting to the 
north of the Ancre, especially around the villages of 
Gommecourt and Serre. In this region the conflict is 
described as " still fluctuating." The French semi- 
official statement attributes the more vigorous German 
resistance in the northern part of the battlefield to the 
greater facilities for reinforcements. 
Briefly summarised, the position up to date appears to 
be as follows : 
North of the Ancre, though some successes have been 
secured, the fighting has so far been on the whole in- 
decisive. 
South of the Ancre the British forces have made a very 
marked advance between La Boiselle and Montauban"; 
the whole salient of Fricourt being now in our hands. 
We inflicted heavy losses upon the enemy, captured 
many prisoners and much war material. 
To the south of Montauban, our Allies have established 
themselves in full possession of the second German line 
o\'er a front of over nine miles, as far south as Estrccs. 
It would, however, be a mistake to estimate the im- 
portance of these operations in terms of mere mileage. 
What the Allies are attempting is not the mere pushing 
backward of the (k-rmans, but the weakening of their 
line until it should become imtenable, and our estimate 
of their success in that direction must depend largely 
on the niunber which they have been able to put out of 
action. So far it is estimated that the Allies have taken 
over 13,000 prisoners ; and this implies a high measure 
of loss in killed and wounded. ()ur own losses have 
doubtless also been heavy, but there is no reason 
to think that they have been disproportionately heavy — 
the enemy has taken nothing like the same number 
of prisoners— and we know very well that our ability to 
bear such losses is now far greater than his. X 
P.S.^ — Since the above summary was written, the 
French have rounded off the south end of their line bj 
the capture of Estr^es and Belloy-en-Santerre. 
