Grand Forks herald. [volume] (Grand Forks, N.D.) 1916-1955, 1917-04-06
GERMANS RETREAT IN
CAMBRIA NDST.QUfNT|N
(By Philip Gibbs

War Correspondents Headquarters,
March 10 dispatch to the London
Daily Chronicle. )-Refusing to give
battle the Germans retired still fur
Their over the open country east Of
Bapaume ana British cavalry patrols
are in touch with their mounted rear
guard on a line west of Cambria and
st. Quentin. The exact location is
vague as the movement continues and
the British cavalry is in small units,
moving cautiously between a large
number OF burning villages which are
everywhere alight.
Small parties of Germans were en-
countered asst night in the open near
Ypres and Bethincourt. Some snipers
In Bus opened fire upon a cavalry
patrol, and were scattered by an air.
plane. which swooped low, sweeping
them with machine-gun bullets.
South of the Somme British cavalry
got in touch with German cavalry at
Rouy and with German cyclists at
Potte. All bridges have been Destroy
ed to cover the German retreat, as at
Rouy and Breuil. and all wells have
been filled with filth and rubbish, be-
sides those more damnably poisoned.
1t is the most extraordinary expert
ence in line to follow up through this
abanonded country from which the
Germans have fed. as l have found
today in tramping through the district
of Peronne and into that deserted and
destroyed town. A few weeks ago 1
described the journey to the new lines
we had taken over from the French
south of the somme. Then 1t was un-
der the full blast Of shellfre. and not
a day passed without the Germans
finging high explosives into the ruin
ed villages of H%ennecourt Estrees,
Flaucourt, and Biaches.
From Mont st. Quentin, on the
flank Of Peronne, he had observation
Of all the British ground so that it
was horrible to see that hill staring
down on one. and in daylight in the
open country n moved always un-
der the menace of death. Today that
menace had gone, the evil spell had
lifted. and we moved freely in sight
Of Mont st. Quentin, ~unafraid and
with a strange sense Of safety. The
Germans had gone from there yes
terday morning. At the. same time
they had crept away from the trench
es at Biaches and acros their wood
en- bridges to Peronne and out Of this
town to the open country, hurryine
British pursuit.
I went down into Biaches's wild
chaos of trenches and dugouts and
ruin and passed through the front
line held by British troops until abou,
$3.50 o'clock yesterday morning. and
went with difficulty through the Ger.
mar barbed wire, still uncut. so that
We tangled and caught in 1t. Then
I passed into the old German lines
and went across the wooden causeway
built by them over the marshes down
to the bank Of the Somme. On the
other side of the, river loop I saw for
the first time Peronne, taken by the
Germans in the autumn Of 1914 and
fought for %furiously by the French
who regained 1t for a while and los
It again. It was dead quiet ovel
there. No shell burst over it, but 8
little smoke rolled above it's houses
From that distance. the broad rivers
width, 1t did not look much destroy.
ed. 1t was only afterward that I saw
how much.
Several wooden bridges spanned the
somme and I tried two Of these to
get across, but there were great gap,
which / could not jump. Before leav.
ing the Germans had broken them
and tried to hide the damage from
n British airmen by putting up
straw screens. All the trees in tht
Marshes a been FLASHED by the
foated in the water with broken boat,
and one old barge called Nptre Dame
d'Amiens blown in halt. snipers' post.
had been built %outfacing the British
lines. and German ammunition and
bombs and coiled wire and q great
litter of timber lay about.
managed at last to got into Pc.
rome by q wide curve through the
Faubourg de Paris. ever piled stones
| NJ n hPnknn h~AA-> -aAA -1--a..-----
the gaps put there by British solder
so that the Germans could be follow
ed In pursuit. They had been careful
70 check the British ~ long a. posi-.
Die. although It was not very lokg. for
~ heur afte1 eAely geto4 men ef q