The Oklahoma City times. [volume] (Oklahoma City, Okla.) 1908-1984, 1917-03-21
CAVALRY CHARGE
UPSET PLAN FOR
GERMAN RETREAT
Much Ammunition Abandoned
by Surprised TeutOnS,

BY Staff Correspondent of the As
sociated Press.
BRITISH HEADQUARTERS IN
FRANCE, March 2l,-The pursuit of
the Germans by the British troops con
tinucs and at places Sharp fighting en-
sued yesterday. This was particularly
true in the neighborhood OF Ctolsilles
(northeast OF Saint Leger), which Is
still strongly held By machine gun
companies The armies have been IN
such close touch at other places that
field fighting tactics have been en-
ployed, the men firing from sklrmish
lines.
Wherever the British penetrate ter
ritory formerly held by the Germans
they encounter the same conditions OF
destruction and devastation as IN Ba-
paume and Peronne Only few VII
lagos have escaped the Germans III
these instances having been compelled
to leave before their plans to lay waste
could be carried out
Cavalry Surprises Germans
The use OF cavalry by the British
and French seems to have taken the
Germans BY surprise, upsettlng' their
calculations. In one village, supper
which had been LAID out, was aban'
dCned together with much ammunition
and in other places newly opened
boxes OF high explosives were found
with which the Germans had planned
to destroy the villages before leaving
That the wholesale devastation was
| SyStematized in manner characteristic
OF German thoroughneSs was shown by
captured orders on the subjects These
directed the blowing UP OF all houses,
wells and cellars except those occu-
pied BY rear guard outpoSts, the rear
guard being held responsible for max
ing their shelters uninhabitablc before
falling back. All farming implements
were burned or destroyed. Wherever
building was spared it was first
rendered filthy. The orders also di-
recied the assembling OF filth in the
ncighborhood OF all we'll, for the pur-
pose OF Communicating the water.
The destruction Of fruit trees now
apparently covers the entire belt OF
evacuated territory, even those cling
ing 10 the walls having been stripped
off. in one abandoned position a
large black cat was found nailed TO
an upright board a cap was on its.
head and cigar in lis mouth
A British observation party working
forward today on horseback was at
tackled with machine gun irre'by three
German airplancs which swoopcd very
low but failed TO hit any Of the party.
Prisoners Are Bewildered.
Prisoners recently taken appear en-.
tirely bewildered when told OF the eS-
tent OF German retirement They s%d
they thoughth It great Joke when
they first heard Of the German retire.
ment they supposed it was solely for
the purpose Of getting the British
deeper and deeper into the mud OF the
Somme But when II came to aban-
donlng positions that had been forti.
fed with months and years OF labor
there was much depression in the
ranks Most of the German guns that
formerly doomed along the Sommc
seem to have been utterly swallowed
up
There is no longer doubt that the
main German forces had already in
stalled themselves on line before
Cambrai and 81 Quentin, but today
fires could be seen beyond this line, As
IL the re,rea, had not yet been carried
out to the full limit. Meantime the
picture behind the British lines is one
OF creates, activity. The movement has
given the army wonderful JOY