reached the German wire without a shot and passed over the front line, some of the following waves becoming engaged by Germans who emerged from underground shelters. A German counter-barrage began and fell into Caterpillar Valley, well behind the infantry. On the right flank, the 26th and 27th brigades got across two belts of barbed wire, cutting by hand in places but the 10th Argyll were held up until the left flank company broke through and rolled up the German defenders. All four battalions crossed two trench lines, except for a short delay at the south end of Longueval, where the Germans were also rolled up from the flank. The infantry kept going and the support battalions arrived to consolidate. The Germans in Longueval made a determined defence but by the 9th Scottish Rifles had taken their objectives, except the north end and a strong point in the south-east of the village, which resisted until attacked with support from the 7th Seaforth and the 5th Cameron Highlanders at It proved impossible to capture Waterlot Farm in the second position so positions were taken in Longueval Alley, in touch with the 18th (Eastern) Division. At the 9th (Scottish) Division HQ was erroneously informed that the village had been captured but by then the captured part of the village had been consolidated; a source of water was found before the Germans could counter-attack. On the 3rd Division front, the 8th Brigade found much uncut wire in the first belt and the second untouched. A company broke through on the left and bombed down the German front trench and the troops held up cut their way through or climbed over the wire to rush the trenches. On the 9th Brigade front on the left, the wire was on a forward slope and had been well cut. The British rushed the German trenches, where a sentry of I Battalion, Bavarian Regiment 16 had spotted the British at and alerted the battalion. The troops breasted the ridge through machine-gun fire from Bazentin le Grand, captured the trenches and brought up trench mortars against the village; the 1st Northumberland Fusiliers passed through and captured the village. In the 7th Division area, the 20th Brigade captured the German trenches as soon as the bombardment lifted, finding the wire and trenches destroyed and the Germans in The Snout dead. The troops moved towards the second line and rushed