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. [Illustration] 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. [Illustration: THE SITE OF MONACU FARM ON THE MAUREPAS ROAD NEAR HEM WOOD.] THE BATTLE OF ATTRITION (North of the Somme). In the main sector of attack the German line had not been completely broken. This attempt to break through was succeeded by a battle of attrition, in the course of which the Allies, working in close collaboration, dealt the enemy repeated blows. _North of the Somme._--After July 11, the Allied front between the Ancre and the Somme, held by the strong German positions of the Thiepval Plateau, passed in front of Contalmaison and Montauban. On the southern edges of Trônes Wood it turned southwards towards Hem. This line formed a salient to the east of Trônes Wood--a narrow space bristling with guns. From the high ground of their second position in the north, and that of Longueval, Ginchy and Guillemont, the German firing line formed a semi-circle round this salient, which was threatened by incessant counter-attacks. While maintaining the pressure on the west, it became necessary for the Allies to widen the angle and enlarge the front, or, in other words, to obtain greater freedom of movement. This was the aim of the various Franco-British thrusts during the second fortnight of July and in August. 1.--Widening the Front _(July 14--September 1.)_ In order to support the forthcoming French thrust towards the east, a British attack to the north-east was deemed necessary. The German second positions from Contalmaison to Trônes Wood, and the crests of the ridge of the plateau formed the objective. On July 14, the 4th British Army, by a clever manœuvre, took up positions in the dark at attacking distance. Trônes Wood was carried on the first day. Longueval, stormed from east and west, was partly captured. In the centre, Bazentin-le-Grand with its wood and Bazentin-le-Petit were taken. To the left, the southern outskirts of Pozières were reached. [Illustration] [Illustration: BRITISH GRAVES IN TRÔNES WOOD _(p. 85)_.]