Evening capital news. (Boise, Idaho) 1901-1927, 1917-03-20
ENTIRE ASPECT OF
WAR NOW CHANGED
Kaiser's Armies, in Falling
Back to the New "Hinden-
burg Line" Had Not
Counted on Such Ener-
getic Pursuit by French.
BY HENRY WOOD.
United Press Staff Correspond

WIFI Cne FRENCH Armies
Advancing From Roy e,
March 2O.-One hundred
and sixteen square miles Of
territory, burned black and
rent with wanton explosions,
has been the prize wrenched
from the Germans by the
French III the one little dis
trict from around Chaulnes
to the Disc. 1t is merely a
part of a vast territory re-
patriated by the French
troops after hot pursuit of a
German retirement that for
precipitate haste resembles
the retreat from the Marine.
This 116 miles, however, is
typical of German ruthless
ness in retreat.
1t has been a retirement
by the Germans marked by
wanton destruction and de-
vastation exceeding even
that of the original German
invasion.
Travelling over the highways in
every direction on the 13-mile front
around Roye, Chaulnes and the Disc
today, one finds roads everywhere
blown up, trees and fences cut down,
houses and all other buildings RACED
and the very land itself damaged to
as great an extent as possible.
WHOLE CITY MINED.
The whole city of Roye was mined
to impede the French army. But the
date which the German commanders
had fixed for their evacuation had not
arrived before French forces rushed in.
Their sudden and unexpected appear
ancc caused the Germans to touch off
their mines at o'clock Saturday
morning-and without any warning to
the civil population. Inhabitants of the
village were hurled from their beds;
great craters 40 feet wide and some
80 feet in depth were blown in the
principal streets.
Into these great holes tumbled the
principal buildings of the city. The
magnificent town hall with a score of
others is a mass of ruins. The quick
arrival of the French enabled cutting ,
of wires connecting mines which had
been laid under whole streets of the !
city so that some buildings were saved |
At the moment of their departure
the Germany wrcaked final vengeance /
on the city by entering houses and
smashing furniture, dishes-eNery- ;
thing breakable.
GERMANIZED THE CITY.
The invaders had Germanized the /
city during their occupancy-or at
least had attempted it. All the streets !
had been renamed after such army
heroes and generals as Hindenburg .
Mackenzen and others.
But the townspeople themselves /
were far from Germanized. Twenty |
four hours after the Germans evac-
uated Roye, the 500 remaining of the !
city's civil population had unearthed ,
long hidden French flags. The tri- /
color was waving everywhere when the /
French troops entered.
From Roye to Nesle there is de- !
struction and devastation everywhere
Aviators report whole towns and viii
lagos burning.
WHOLE ASPECT CHANGED.
The rapid French advance has now
changed the entire aspect of the war.
For two years the troops have been
all but immovable in trenches. Now
this inaction has magically disap-
peared. The troops are pressing for
ward hurriedly. French cavalry, in
fantry, artillery and aviation squads
aid in harsssing and pursuing the
enemy.
All is movement-and yet so meth
odically is it executed that beyond
Roy the Parisian newspapers were be-
ing distributed to the soldiers today
with the same regularity as in Paris
itself.
The tiger like onslaught which the
French are making on the German rear
Is partially explained by the fact that
ever since the Somue offensive the
French have known that a retreat has
been under preparation. The Somme
of last fall convinced the
Germans of their inability to Withstand
another such attack from the allies,
especially If that offensive was to be
on more extended front
this spring.
Therefore. the Germans began con-