Hopkinsville Kentuckian. [volume] (Hopkinsville, Ky.) 1889-1918, 1917-03-22
ALLIES NEAR
ST. QUENTIN
French Cavalry Four Miles
From Strong German
Position.
IA VILLAGES CAPTURED
Berlin Explains Somme With
drawal as Stratagem to
Force Decision in Open.

LOlluOll, mdE. El.- DtSplle lut
less favorable weather conditions,
says the official report from British
headquarters in France tonight, 1--WE
made considerable progress again
along the greater part of the front of
our advance south of Arras, and an
additional fourteen villages have been
cleared of the enemy.
"Our troops now have passed the
general line of Canizy, Estree-en-
Chausse Nurlu Velu, and st. Leger.
British troops now are within IL
miles Of st. Quentin.
French cavalry has advanced to
within about four and a half miles of
ST. Quentin, one of the larger towns
believed to be strongly defended by
the Germans.
Further progress BY the French is
reported in the official statement of
the war Office issued, and consider
able territory has been re-occupied
between the Somme and the Aisne.
BERLIN'S EXPLANATION.
"The German evacuation of Bapa-.
ume, Roye, Noyon and Peronne is
but part of great strategic under
taking which promises to revolution
ize warfare on the entire western
front and constitutes one of the most
decisive moves in the war.
"Just as month ago the Germans
evacuated an important sector on the
Ancre, but kept the fact secret for
week while the British bombarded
the empty trenches, so today's report
shows the most important develop
ments of 1917 on any front. The
sector including the evacuated cities
virtually covers the great Somme
battle front. Reports from this Sec
ton of the front tell of effective work
of destruction carried out before The
occupied land was given back to the
French and British, so that it will
avail them nothing.
with the enormous amount of
enemy territory held by our troops,
said high German military author
ity, there is no particular military
attached to any especial
section of the enemy's territory.
Therefore, we can give up portion
of the western front, secure our
troops that freedom Of movement
needed and end trench warfare. That
is what this really amounts to. We
are now getting the enemy out of
their trenches.
"The giving up of this portion of
our front puts an end to all their finely
laid spring offensive plans. Ever
since November, hundreds of thou
sands of men have been at work
building trenches, munition depots,
railroads and cable lines to prepare
for the biggest spring offensive of the
war. Now at one blow all that is
gone, for nothing. In the face of our
withdrawal, all this is useless. Four
work Of millions upon mil
lions of dollars in value has been rem
dered valueless while more important
still all the enemy plans are likewise
of no worth. They must make en-
tirely new ones to cope with the new
situation. This is a difficult matter,
entailing weeks, yes months Of work,
and requiring an enormous quantity |
of new observation. Meanwhile the !
enemy is left at the mercy of our
plans.
at is most important to remember
that the new positions we are taking |
up back of the old front are built with |
the aid Of every possible device de-
in two and half years of
warfare. The old positions were the
result of the breaking off of unfinished
offensive towards Paris. Many por-
tons of our positions were held only
with the greatest difficulty. The