The Mankato free press., 1917-03-23
GERMANS FALL BACK TO
POSITIONS PREPARED
ory From Berlin Calls the Back Up
Master Stroke; Claimed That Plans
OF Allies Have Been Thwarted; viii
Be Up Against Wall, Like Of Which
They Have Not Seen; Some War
Zone Information

Berlin, Germany, March 21.-EBy
Wireless to The United Press. J.
The German retreat is another great
victory of the Hindenburg strategy.
The retreat was a mastery stroke.
The Germans have thwarted the
plan Of the allies for their great
spring offensive against the German
line. The Germans have retreated
to new positions, that have long
been prepared for the purpose. The
allies must now learn their lesson
all over again. They will be against
something the like of which they
have not seen.
Close to Hindenberg Line.
UNITED Press Dispatch
London, Eng, March 21.-It is be-
lieyed that the retreating Germans
have nearly rea ched the Hindenberg
line, as that line has been mapped
out by London military critics. There
has been general slowing up in
the retreat of the Germans all along
the line. This is true on both the
SBritish and French fronts. The re-
istanCe of the Germans to the
Ecench and British drives is stiff
Bening. 1t is believed in London that
shen the Hindenberg line is reached,
he Germans will make another
Ltand. In some places the German
Troops are already within two or
r.ehree miles Of the Hindenberg line.
K There is contrast between the
or,o OF nf Dvit icL ot,-
din following the retreating Germans
T, The French are pressing the, Ger
mans with all possible speed. The
British, on the other hand, are fol-
lowing with more deliberation, and
are engaging part of their energies
in reconstructing the devasted ter
ritory that the Germans have va
Gated.
Advance Has Continued.
UNITED Press Dispatch.l
London, Eng, March 21-The adj
vance of tho British forces towards
the Hindenberg line continued today
despite cold weather and resistance
that was put up by the rear guard
forces of the still retreating Germans.
This information was contained in
dispatches received today from the
British front in France
Take Fourteen More Villages.
London, March 1-Notwithstand.
ing bad weather and almost insuper-
able conditions of terrain and the OBJ
stacles placed by the Germans to pro-
tect their retreat both the British and
French armies in France have made
further notable gains.
Fourteen additional villages have
Teen entered by the British forces
rom Arras southwark to Ham and
lhey have passed the general line Of
fGanizy, Entree-en- Chaussee, Nurlu,
] Velu and st. Leger. The forward
march beyond Entree-en-Ch -Chaussee
places the British troops within twelve
miles of ST. Quentin.
On their part of the line, however,
the French have thrown their cavalry
to within four and one-half miles of
ST. Quentin and also have reoccupied
considerable territory between the
Somme and the Aisne. ~
Paris reports that the losses of the
French troops in their pursuit of the
Germans have been insignificant.
Berlin in it's official communication
says that in the retreat of the Ger.
mans they have rendered the field Sc.
lected for the coming engagement
{. with the entente forces useless from
a military standpoint.
Germans Spoil Entente Plans.
A high German military authority
said that the maneuver of the Ger
mans had ended the plans of the en-
tente for their spring offensive and
that from strong new positions the
Germans will give battle to the British
and French as they come across the
devastated battlefield.
From none of the other fronts has
there come report chronicling par
! ticularly sanguinary engagements.
There has been an increase in the
outpost skirmishes in Russia.
On the Austro- Italian front the
usual artillery duels and minor in
fantry operations are still in progress.
Nothing new has come through cor
cerning the operations against the
Turks by the Russians in Asia Minor
: and Persia and by the British ip Meso'
potamia.
Berlin reports the sinking in the
Mediterranean Monday by German
submarine of French battleship OF
the Danton class. This class of YES
sells displaces 1S,02S tons and carries
681 officers and men.
A German gunboat in the harbor OF
Tsingtau, China. has been blown up
and sunk, a Reuter- dispatch from
Hongkong says
a.N sS,.,-A,., sa,r~ ~s,s,,x