The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1916-1920, 1917-03-21
GERMANS YIELD IN WEST
TO BLOCK ALLIES PLANS
Berlin Announces Retirement of Forces on Somme
Ruins Enemy Preparations for Elabo-
rate Spring Offensive.
Prom a stag Correspondent Of the Associated

From stor Correspondent Q, the Associated
Press
BERLIN, March is ,oy, wireless. via
Tuckerton. y. j.. March 2o).-The Ger
man evacuation of Bapaume. Roye. Noyon
ana Peronne Is only part OF a great
strategic undertaking which promises TO
revolutionixe warfare on the entire west
ern front and constitutes one OF the most
decisive moves in the war
Just month ago the Germans evacu-
ated an important sector on the Ancre,
out Kept the fact secret for a week while
the British bombarded the empty
trenches. so to-day's report shows the
most important development Of 1917 on
any front. The sector including the
evacuated cities. virtually covers the
great Somme battle front. Reports from
this section Of the front tell of effective
Work or destruction carried out before
the occupied land was given back to the
French and the British. so that II will
avail them nothing as captured soil, ac-
cording TO views expressed here.
With the fronts as long as they are
In this war and with the enormous
amount Of enemy territory held by our
troops" said a higher German military
authority to-day. there is no particular
signif'cs nee attached to any special sec
ton of the enemy's territory. Therefore
We can sive up . portion Of the western
front. secure our troops that freedom Of
movement needed and cad treaeh war.
fare. That Is what this really amounts
TO. We are now getting the enemy out
Of their trenches.
Rains spFinE Plans.
THE giving up of this portion OF our
front puts An end TO all their finely laid
spring offensive plans Ever since No
vember hundreds OF thousands of men
have been at work building trenches,
munition depots. railroad. 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
months work. OF millions upon millions
of dollars In value. has been rendered
valueless. while. more important still all
the enemy plans are likewise Of no worth.
They must make entirely new ones to
cope with the new situation. This is a
difficult matter. entailng weeks. yes.
months Of work and requiring an enor-
nous quantity of new observation
Meanwhile the enemy is left al the mercy
of our plans.
at is most important TO remember
that the new positions We are taking UP
oack OF the old front are built with the
aid OF every possible devic. developed by
two and a half years Of warfare. The
old positions were the result OF the
breaking off OF the unfinished offensive
toward Paris. Many portions OF our
positions were held only with the great
est difficulty. The trenches were dini-
cult TO maintain and the artillery obser-
va ZION points. so important in this kind
OF warfare, were few.
BattleneId Devastated.
The new positions are laid out in
the best possible locations, with the nm
est of observation points and deep con-
{ rete shelters for the battery positions.
While the enemy is coming up to them he
will be in the greatest possible difficulties
himself in the devastated battlefield.
81 regret exceedingly that this move
T.. forcing a great destruction OF beau
tifil bart of France. Yet the destruc-
ton is not so great az the devastation
inflicted BY the British and the French
on the Somme battlefield. and when the
Entente refused our peace proposal II
took the responsibility OF this destruc-
ton upon itself II is a war measure.
We are compelled to take IL TO carry
cut military plan TO meet the big Of
fens.ye the Entente had planned. We
have destroyed nothing except out OF
military necessity. We have saved
everything we could We did not wish
to destroy homes or other structures
which offered no military advantage to
the enemy but We had to make battle
field out of the territory We were giving