guns fired for registration, No 2 at Fricourt Farm. Then on 26 June the battery joined in the preliminary bombardment for the attack on 1 July. The two howitzers each fired 45–68 rounds per day at Fricourt and Fricourt Farm; at one point No 1 gun crew achieved seven rounds (each weighing ) in 11 minutes. The recoil was so great that the railway embankment from which No 1 gun was firing began to settle, and it had to cease fire until the Royal Engineers (RE) could shore it up. Despite the weight of shelling the first day's assault on Fricourt was a failure, and its capture had to be completed on 2 July. While No 1 gun fired at Contalmaison, No 2 gun moved near to Bray-sur-Somme on 5 July, then No 1 moved alongside on 8 July. The bombardment of the German second line began on 11 July: No 1 blew up an ammunition store while No 2 was reported to have set fire to Martinpuich Church and to have destroyed an anti-aircraft gun. The attack on the second line (the Battle of Bazentin Ridge) went in on 14 July and the guns fired on Martinpuich and Bazentin-le-Petit. Over the next three months of the Somme offensive 44th SB continued to engage targets such as High Wood, Delville Wood, Switch Trench, Guillemont, and Ginchy, each the scene of bitter fighting. Firing was often in cooperation with observation balloons and occasionally with aircraft. On 31 August the No 1 gun (No 10 in order of manufacture) was showing signs of wear and was allocated its last 50 rounds. It was replaced by gun No 34 on 6 September, but this lasted only 152 rounds before it suffered torn rifling and was also condemned on 15 September during the Battle of Flers–Courcelette. While No 2 gun continued firing at Gueudecourt, No 1 was sent to Le Havre for replacing. No 2 gun was condemned on 27 September for scoring of the barrel after 1956 rounds fired, but gun and mounting No 40 arrived on 30 September as the battery's new No 1 gun. XV Corps' participation in the Somme Offensive ended with the Battle of Le Transloy (1–18 October), after which 44th SB was transferred to 69th Heavy Artillery Group (HAG) on 23 October. It continued firing at various targets until the end of the year. Vimy The practice at