the main assault. The 2nd and 3rd Colonial divisions, advanced between XXXV Corps and the river and overran the first line of the German 121st Division, holding the line south from the Somme, in fifteen minutes, taking Dompierre and Bequincourt. On the French left flank, Frise held out until the village was re-bombarded and then taken by a second attack at The 2nd and 3rd Colonial divisions began probing of the German second position held by the III Battalion, Infantry Regiment 60 around Assevillers and Herbécourt. Assevillers was captured at Herbécourt was attacked from the north-west at and captured, then lost to a German counter-attack. The colonial divisions took for very few casualties. The attack on the south bank had advanced . XX Corps North of the Somme, the French XX Corps consisted of the 11th, 39th, 72nd and 153rd divisions, with of heavy artillery. The 11th and 39th divisions attacked at the commanders of the 1st Liverpool Pals (part of the 30th Division (XIII Corps) and the French 153rd Infantry Regiment advancing together. At , north-west of Curlu, which contained many machine-guns and was protected by Menuisiers Trench further forward, the attack went "like clockwork". The 79th Regiment, whose final objective was beyond the start line, found that the French bombardment had destroyed much of the German fortifications and that the creeping barrage kept the Germans under cover. Only at (in the 39th Division area, where part of the wood was held by the Germans for several days) and at Curlu (in the 11th Division area on the north bank) were the Germans able to conduct an organised defence. The 37th Regiment (11th Division) attacked Curlu and received massed small-arms fire; the regiment was repulsed from the western fringe of the village before attacks were suspended for a re-bombardment, by which time the village was outflanked on both sides. Bavarian Reserve Infantry Regiment 6 (BRIR 6) recorded the first attack at after drumfire (so many shells exploding that the reports merged into a rumble) which began at followed by two more until drumfire fell again at and the remaining garrison was ordered to retire. Most of BRIR 6 was thrown in piecemeal from the Somme to Montauban and destroyed, suffering The French did not exploit their success, because the British did not advance to their second objective beyond Montauban. Four counter-attacks from Hardecourt were repulsed and by mid-morning had