Forest City press. (Forest City, Potter County, D.T. [S.D.]) 1883-19??, 1917-03-16
Day and Might the Pounding
Goes on With Never Rest
for Kaiser's Forces.
Simonds Says.
RETIRE FROM BRITISH TRAP
Present Retreat in France Due
to Encircling Plan of Brit
ish Raids Through
out Winter.
BY a II.

BY RAN n. S!MOMDS.
copyright. 1917. The Tribune Association)
In February it had been arranged
that i should visit the Somme battle
field, and General Jacob. who COM
nlands a corps in the pend OF the Ancre
river, had arranged to take me to
Thiepval. the scene Of the most des-
perate fighting during the summer
battle. BY some accident the appoint
ment was not kept, and / visited
other position of the field and reached
General Jacobs headquarters somewhat
later in the day, thus missing a glimpse
Of what was at that moment becoming
a vitality interesting point in the west
ern front, for on this day the Germans
began the retirement which is still go
ing forward.
When did reach General Jacobs
headquarters the heavy artillery was
booming at a terrific rate. n his little
chateau, we'll out of range, shook with
the reverberations, n at luncheon the
dishes on the table jumped with the
tremendous uproar. Yet, on the British
n the bombardment was the daily
shell ration that Sir Douglas Haig Is
serving to his German foes from Bel
GUM to the Somme.
Trapped by Nibbles.
1t is interesting now to recall h a at
this time General Jacob showed me ex-
actly h trap into which the Germans
had been maneuvered by n successive
British raids and nibbleS at the Ancre.
From Gommecourt to Miraumont a net
had been drawn around the extreme
western point 70 the German ines in
France and there was preparing a move
to complete the circle and cut Off the
Germans within the net from the crown
princes ines.
Come round about February Is and
I will have a nice little show" was the
parting word of the general, but the
Germans did not want a show; they
were, iE, fact, already drawing out of
the trap, and their retirement is still
going on.
The next day at British headquarters.
Sir Douglas Haig showed me on his
nap the first stage of the German
withdrawal. the evacuation of Grand
court, which had taken place the prev
ious night.
"a year ago. said the British COM
manderinchies, pointing to h newly
taken territory, 80 extensive an adj
vance would have awakened comment
all over the world. but now it means
little to the world, which has grown
used to German -retrogression.
Cost to Germans in Men.
Then he brought out the maps which
| indicated the gre of the British at
lllC Ollll llAO Soo GU 1loS
| by the gain of territory but by the draft
upon the German numbers. On this
day, February z, the Germans had on
the western front, or behind it, 1884, di-
visions, not less than 10000 0 men,
and already, as Sir Douglas Haig ex-
been signalled as returned from Ru-
mania. BY color schemes, he showed
me the rumor of German divisions that
had appeared twice, those that had
came back even for the third time, an
| eloquent witness to the efficiency of
the British pressure, since the divisions
that had retired, returned, retired and
| come back had gone through two COM
plete congratulations.
AS / have said, the German retire
ment, which is now he big fact in the
war, had just begun, but l recall that
asked Sir Henry Rawlinson, who
commands the SOmme army, on the
preceding day, if a general German re-
tirement in France were possible and
both had agreed that it was both DOS
sible and unlikely, what they did think
possible n likely was what seems to
have happened now. that the Germans
might retire locally from dangerous
salients and angles.
Trenches Back to the Line.
But ehind their present lines they
have other systems all the way back ia
the French frontier, and we nave COM
plete maps and information concerning
each Of these systems Sir Douglas
Haig told me-.
The next complete system, believe
runs from Arras southeast through
Cambria, st. Quintin, La Fere. and
thence to the Aisne.
Now, when the retirement has come
it is possible that it is a real retire
ment to this line, but even this strikes
me as unlikely in view of what l heard
in France or the guarded statements
now coming from London. Rather it
seems probable that the Germans are
drawing out Of that salient created
south of Arras n north of Bapaume
as a result of the Somme fighting OF
last summer. Certainly it would be q
+, tremendous surprise to the British Il
there were any general retirement by
the m even upon the Arrais
Cambrai-St st. Quentin line.
Before l wen to the British front and
talked with the British commanders.
heard the view of most uniformed oh
servers from afar that the main pnr-
pose of British strategy and tactics
alike was to pierce the German lines. ia
force the Germans out of France nv
some swift. complete stroke-I believed
that his was a possible thing.