rst trench, had their progress
arrested by machine guns. On the right, however, in spite of the
obstacle presented by four successive trenches, each of which was
covered by a network of wire entanglements and was concealed in the
woods, where our artillery had difficulty in reaching them, the
attacking troops gained nearly two kilometres, capturing seven hundred
prisoners, of whom seventeen were officers, and seizing two guns of 77
and five guns of 105.

The advance recommenced on September 27, 1915. The left took possession
of the woods lining the road from Saint-Hilaire to Saint-Souplet as far
as the Epine de Vedegrange. Along the whole extent of the wooded heights
as far as the western side of the hollow at Souain the success was
identical. Notwithstanding the losses they sustained, notwithstanding
the fatigue involved in the incessant fighting, the troops pushed
forward, leaving behind them only a sufficient force to clear the woods
of isolated groups of the enemy who still remained there. Between 4 and
6 p.m. we arrived immediately in front of the second German position.

[Sidenote: Second German position penetrated.]

[Sidenote: Results of attack in this sector.]

On the 27th we penetrated into this position at two points. We took
possession of a trench about a kilometre wide, called the "parallel of
the Epine de Vedegrange," which is duplicated almost throughout by
another trench (the parallel of the wood of Chevron), and the wirework
entanglements of which were intact, and precluded an assault. Further
east our soldiers also continued, thanks to the conformation of the
terrain, to penetrate into the enemy trench to a depth of about four
hundred metres. But it was impossible to take advantage of this breach
owing to a concentration of the German heavy artillery, a rapidly
continued defence of the surrounding woods, and the fire of machine guns
which it was not possible to capture and which were directed from the
trenches on the right and left of the entry and exit to the breach. The
results attained in this attacking sector alone may be stated thus:
fifteen square miles of territory organized for defence throughout
nearly the whole of its extent; on September 28, forty-four cannon,
seven of 105 and six of 150, and more than three thousand prisoners.

(2) _Sector of Souain._ The enemy lines round about Souain described a
wide curve. In the immediate vicinity of our trenches, to the west at
the Mill and to the