ins on a front of 1,000
yards, captured a strong fortification known as the Danube Trench on a
mile front, and also the strongly defended work at Mouquet Farm which
had been fought over for several weeks. On the same date the French
made a spirited attack south of the Somme, wresting from the Germans
what portions they still held of the villages of Vermandovillers and
Berny, the ground between the two, and also between Berny and
Deniecourt, breaking up all counterattacks and taking 700 prisoners.

On September 18, 1916, the British on the Somme front continued to add
to their gains of the previous days. Northwest of Combles they
captured a strongly fortified German work and, beating off numerous
counterattacks north of Flers, took six howitzers, two field guns and
lighter pieces, as well as some prisoners. South of this the British
took another section of German trenches, and by a counterattack won
back trenches to the east beyond Mouquet Farm which they had lost on
previous days.

On the same date the French took the village of Deniecourt, making the
third village captured by them in two days. During these operations
over 1,600 prisoners were taken, including twenty-five officers.

Owing to the weather conditions, little progress was made by the
Allied forces on September 19, 1916. Raids were successful, however,
on enemy trenches northeast of Bethune, and the French made some
advance and took prisoners east of Berny. The Germans made five
spirited attacks against the French front in Champagne where the
Russian detachments were posted, all of which were repulsed with heavy
losses by the guns and machine guns. From 9 in the morning until
nightfall of the following day the Germans continued their assaults on
the French lines, but only here and there did they make even temporary
progress.

On Thursday, September 21, 1916, the British line in the west was
again advanced. A section of the German front about a mile long was
attacked between Martinpuich and Flers. Two lines of German trenches
were captured in this push. Meanwhile the French continued to develop
their hemming in of Combles, nibbling their way forward, taking
prisoners and guns, a slow but determined advance that the Germans
could not restrain.

British guns displayed great activity on Friday, September 22, 1916,
when they destroyed ten hostile gun pits, damaged severely fourteen
others, and blew up five ammunition pits. About the same time fifty
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