In the early days of July, in the diversion section south of the
Somme, the French 1st Colonial Corps, having carried the three German
positions, faced south-east.
The French lines, resting on the western outskirts of Omiécourt,
followed the Somme Canal, encircled Biaches and La Maisonnette, turned
south-west, and passed in front of Barleux village, which, hidden in
a depression of the ground, had till then successfully resisted all
assaults. The lines ran towards Soyécourt (still held by the enemy),
then southwards _via_ Lihons and Maucourt.
From La Maisonnette to Maucourt, they formed the sides of an enormous
obtuse angle, the apex of which was Soyécourt.
The objective of the French 10th Army (General Micheler), disposed
along the sides of this angle, was to widen the latter by means of
continued thrusts in the direction of the southern end of the bend in
the Somme. Its advance being then stayed by the important stronghold
of Chaulnes, the latter was to be half-encircled, thereby seriously
threatening the rear of the German positions south of the town.
The French offensive was launched on September 4. The outskirts of
Deniécourt and Berny were reached in the first rush; in the centre,
Soyécourt was carried; on the left, Vermandovillers was partly captured
and Chilly passed by about half a mile.
On the 5th, the Germans counter-attacked unsuccessfully, and failed
to stay the French advance. On the 6th, half the village of Berny
was taken. In three days, 6,650 prisoners and 36 guns, including 28
heavies, were captured.
A fresh offensive was combined, with the attack of the 12th by the
Franco-British troops north of the Somme, and that of the 15th by the
British troops operating beyond Combles.
[Illustration]
On the 17th, the conquest of Vermandovillers and Berny was completed,
and on the 18th, the village of Deniécourt was encircled and captured.
On October 10th, the offensive was resumed after a heavy bombardment
between Berny and Chaulnes. The hamlet of Bovent, north of Ablaincourt,
was conquered, together with the western edge of Chaulnes Wood. Parts
of these woods were captured in October, and at the beginning of
November. The villages of Ablaincourt and Pressoire were also occupied.
Thanks to this slow but continuous advance, and to the capture of
these various villages, the fortress of Chaulnes was outflanked and
half-encircled.
However, the Germans managed to maintain themselves there, and the
French progress was held in this sector, as it had been further north,
by the stronghold of Barleux and the marshes of the Somme.
At the end of 1916, the front line of the sector south of the Somme
started from Omiécourt, left Barleux in German hands, and crossed the
Maisonnette Plateau. From there, it described a large circle _via_
Berny (French) and Chaulnes (German), skirting Roye and Lassigny _(see
sketch map, p. 29)_.