CHAPTER LI

THE BRITISH ATTACK (CONTINUED)

The British captured the fortified villages of Mametz and Montauban on
July 1, 1916. This success, as will have been noted, put the British
right wing well in advance of their center; and to make the gap in the
German position uniform over a broad enough front it was necessary to
move forward the left part of the British line from Thiepval to
Fricourt. At this time the extreme British left was inactive, in the
circumstances it seemed doubtful that a new attack would be
profitable, so what was left of the advanced guard of the Ulster
Division retired from the Schwaben Redoubt to its original line. The
front had now become too large for a single commander to manage
successfully, so to General Hubert Gough of the Reserve, or Fifth
Army, was given the ground north of the Albert-Bapaume road, including
the area of the Fourth and Eighth Corps.

Sunday, July 2, 1916, was a day of steady heat and blinding dust, and
the troops suffered severely. At Ovillers and La Boiselle the Third
Corps sustained all day long a desperate struggle. Two new divisions
which had been brought forward to support now joined the fighting. One
of these divisions successfully carried the trenches before Ovillers
and the other in the night penetrated the ruins of the village of La
Boiselle.

The Germans had evidently not recovered from their surprise in the
south, for no counterattacks were attempted, nor had any reserve
divisions been brought to their support. Throughout the long, stifling
July day squadrons of Allied aeroplanes were industriously bombing
depots and lines of communication back of the German front. The
much-lauded Fokkers were flitting here and there, doing little damage.
Two were sent to earth by Allied airmen before the day was over. The
Allies had a great number of kite balloons ("sausages") in the air,
but only one belonging to the Germans was in evidence.

With the capture of Mametz and positions in Fricourt Wood to the east,
Fricourt could not hold out, and about noon on July 2, 1916, the place
was in British hands. Evidently the Germans had anticipated the fall
of the village, for a majority of the garrison had escaped during the
night. But when the British entered the village, bombing their way
from building to building, they captured Germans in sufficiently large
numbers to make the victory profitable.

On Monday, July 3, 1916, General von Below issued an order to hi