Missouri Valley times. [volume] (Missouri Valley, Iowa) 1874-1931, 1917-03-15
COUGH PLAN
MAKES R)(jI
or RE I I RE:AT
Smash. Yields Territory Mile
Deep ON Front Of Three
and a Half Miles
ON Scmnne.
DOMINATING RIDGE TAKEN
Soldiers See First Touch of Civ
ilization in Months Back
of Former German
Line in France.


Paris. March 15--Great Importance
is attached by French military writer's
to the continued British successes on
the Somme The Matin says that it
looks very much as il the Germans do
not think they could hold Bapaume
and Peronne any longer and are pre-
pairing to evacuate the two cities. Re-
ports from aviators show that all along
their inner lines the Germans are blow
ing up bridges and culverts, burning
munitions and provisions. while trying
to mask the withdrawal of heavy guns
by heavy firing with field guns.
German staff headquarters on the
Somme front is said to have been
moved back 10 miles. The Matin thinks
that the German staff at first planned a
strategic retreat so as to delay and up
set the British plan of attack, but that
this scheme was frustrated by the tao
tics of General Cough.
Instead of using cavalry against his
retreating foe General Cough main
tanned contact by the methodical and
destructive use of artillery The result,
according to the Matn, was that the
Germans were caught in their own trap
and their retreat, which was at first
I! Intentional, became almost q rout un-
Ger the continuous pressure of an ad-
/ versary superior in material and initia-
| tive.
| General Cough, who is mentioned in
the Paris newspapers as the field com
mander in the British operations
against Bapaume. is presumably Mai
Gen. Hubert DE La Poer Cough, COM
mander of the third cavalry brigade.
/ General Cough is an Irishman, and
prior to the war, then a colonel, re-
I
| who threatened to resign if British
troops were ordered to force Ulster into
acceptance of home rule In the early
| days of the war he was praised by
/ Field Marshal French for his conduct
in the fighting following the battle of
the Marine, and was promoted to be
major general in November 1914
London. March 15-The official re-
port from British headquarters in
| France announces the abandonment by
the Germans of their main defensive
| system west of Bapaume, on front of
three and one-half miles. The British
troops drove back the German rear
guard to depth of a mile and occu-
! pied Grevillers and Loupart wood.
| A further retirement of the Germans
on front of between 1000 and 5000
| yards and to an unknown depth is re-
ported by Reuter- dispatch from the
lIOIlL III IduCe lie movement
was still in progress when the dispatch
i was sent.
The British have gone right through
strong German positions in Loupart
wood and seized the village of Grevil-,
lers (west of Bapaume). The retir-
ment followed heavy British bonn
bardment
(Staff CORRESPONDENT Associated Press)
British headquarters in France,
March 13, (via London, March 14).-
The ridge overlooking Bapaume from
the northwest, which has come to be
looked upon by the British as sort
Of promised land ever since the battle
of the Somme, began last July, passed
into the hands of General Haig's troops
today. For the yirst time since the
great struggle on this front opened
the British have the advantage of this
highest ground and can now look down
upon the famous German stronghold
and wide extent of the country be-
lyond.