The sun., 1917-03-18
GERMANS BEGIN
BIG
About to Yield 2,OOO,Square
Miles of French Terri
tory. Is Belief.
RETREAT ALREADY ON
Line 35 Miles Long Falls Back
Two to Four Miles
Bapaume Yielded.
RETREAT ALREADY ON

LONDON, March IA tremendous
German retirement In France has almost
certainly begun. 1t Is believed the Ger
mans are about to give up to the En-
tente Allies more than 1000 square
miles OF conquered French soil. 1t will
be the greatest event on the western
front since the battle OF the Marne.
This great retreat. a direct result OF
the Somme offensive, began to-day. The
Germans retired before both allied
armies. French as we'll as British. on a
front totalling thirty-fve miles. giving
way distances from two to four miles.
The movement Is still going on.
As a result of this, the first of the
"momentous events that have been pre-
dicted by correspondents at the front.
cities. towns. railroads strategic posi-
tions OF all kinds. have fallen into the
bands OF the Entente
Into New Positions.
one here and in Paris is convinced the
Germans are going pack to the "Hinden-
burg line hoping there to make
stand. This line is estimated to he 100
miles long and Is situated on an average
twenty-five miles behind the line the
Germans have held for two years and
are now evaCuating
The fall OF Blpauine, long desired by
every one has paled to insisnifioance
before the immeasurably greater eN-
ploits now reported and the tremendous
possibilities opened up. No fewer than
sixteen villages, two OF them highly i'm
fal tn
the British alone.
The great question now is whether the
Germans can effect their retirement with
out disa ster. a retreating army. even
though the retreat evidently has been
carefully prepared. is particularly vul-
nerable to all manner of attack. This is
a great chance for British and French
TO cut through somewhere. to break the
receding German waves and bring on
perhars the greatest and most decisive
battle OF the war.
Noyon salient Aba andOned.
1t is the new German retirement be-
fore the French, rather than the con-
t;nued retirement on the Somme before
the British. that is taken in all military
circles as proof positive that the Ger
nlHrSe are giving up the whole Noyon
salient. This is a totally new region OF
retreat nearly thirty miles away from
the Sommc- -Ancre front. where the Ger
mans already have been slowly giving
way since last month.
The French have taken Royc and are
practically in Noyon. AS these lines
are written the poilus may be marching
through the streets OF that highly inn
portant French town. Lassigny has
been occupied by the French. These
positions. at the apex OF the famous
Noyon salient. would not be given up
unless the great retirement We're OIL
and there has been no French offensive
there to force the Germans out.
Orc fact that thrills France is that
the trenches and towns that the Ger
mans have yielded to the French mark
the nearest point TO Paris occupied by
the GerTaNs From the Noyon region
to the French capital is only nifty miles.
That the Germans are giving up this
position is taken as sure evidence that
the German hope OF drive direct on
Paris has been given up.
In their advance the French have
gone forward on a front of twenty miles.
occupying the whole German defence
system. fortified and !ntrenched for two
years. The British advance has been
made on a front OF sixteen miles south
of the Somme and of number OF miles
front.
Railway junction Taken.
Besides Bapaume the British have
taken such strong points as lie Transloy,
Achiet -le-Petit and the important rail-
road junction OF Achiet-lc-Grand. The
German communications Immediately
behind the northern Somme front are
cut and south OF the river the British
have cut the railroad from Peronne to
Chaulnes. south OF the Somme.
When the French marched into Roye
they were greeted enthusiastically by
about 500 of the French inhabitants.
who were overjoyed to have been lib
Grated after two years under the Ger
mans. In Bapaume the British found
complete destruction. The town Is n
mass OF ruins. Everything OF value had
been carried away or burned. In re-
prisal French aviators have bombed the
big German city of Frankfort the
Main.
The forces OF Emperor William appar-
entity have been compelled to give up no.
sitions which they have occupied for
more than two years because OF the ter
rife bombardments to which they have
been subjected The British forward
movement on the Somme front began on
February 25, when Petit Miraumont
along the Ancre was occupied. and the
French began pressing forward from the
Andechy- -Lassigny line on March IL.
Retirement Accelerated.
In the early operations one by one
small villages were evacuated by the
Germans, whose withdrawal was slowly
| and watchfully followed by the British,
| consolidat ton OF the new positions and
preparations for a further forward
movement being most carefully attended
| TO. In the last few days both the re-
| treat and advance have been consider
! ably accelerated.
! The Germans evacuated more than a
score OF villages In the Somme area be-
fore retreating to the Bapaume line and
they have now given up that town and
villages to the north and south of 1t from
Essarts TO lie Transloy,
From Petit Miraumont eastward to
Bapaume is six miles and from CONNIE
court, north OF the Ancre. eastward to
| Ablainseville Is four and ne-half miles.
The Germans also have given up viii
lages south of the Somme and south of
Peronne. which Is now invested from
three sides. There has been little ac-
tivity OF moment south OF the Somme
since the line there was taken over
by the British. In the capture OF
fterpigny they have now reached the
Somme canal and the railroad paralleline
| n both Of which were impOrtant tra n a.