e attack took place
in the most perfect order. The assailants were already swarming in the
German lines when the enemy artillery opened its defensive fire. Our
counter-batteries hampered the German pieces and our reserves in the
rear suffered little from their fire.

[Sidenote: La Poche position surrendered.]

[Sidenote: The York trench occupied.]

At 9.45 a.m. the two columns which were attacking the extremities of the
salient of la Poche joined hands. The position was surrounded. These
Germans who remained alive inside it surrendered. At the same time a
battalion was setting foot in the defences of the southern edges of the
wood of Trou Bricot. The battalions that followed, marching to the
outside of the eastern edges, executed with perfect regularity a "left
turn" and came and formed up alongside the alleys of communication as
far as the supporting trench. At the same moment, in the open country to
the north of Perthes, the troops surmounted the three first-line
trenches and, preceded by our artillery, made a quick march towards the
York trench and occupied it almost without striking a blow.

[Sidenote: Cleaning up the sector.]

Further to the East, along the road from Perthes to Tahure, their
advance encountered greater difficulties. Some centres of the German
resistance could not be overcome. A sheltered machine gun continued its
fire. An infantry officer, with a quartermaster of artillery, succeeded
in getting into action a gun at a distance of three hundred metres from
the machine gun and in firing at it at close quarters. Of the troops
which were advancing to the north of Perthes, some made for the eastern
border of the wood of Bricot, where they penetrated into the camps,
ousting the defenders and surprising several officers in bed. Late in
the afternoon one of our regiments had reached the road from Souain to
Tahure. Other units were marching straight towards the north, clearing
out the little woods on the way. They there captured batteries of which
the artillerymen were riveted to their guns by means of bayonets
(notably ten pieces of 105 and five of 150).

[Sidenote: Progress hindered by weather.]

The same work was being performed in the woods extending east of the
road from Perthes to Souain and Tahure, where batteries were charged and
captured while in action. At this spot a regiment covered four
kilometres in two hours and captured ten guns, three of 105 and seven of
77. But, from twelve o'clock