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Show BRITISH POUND ENEMY OUT OF STRONG LINE Plough Their Way Through Mud in a Driving Rain ONDON, March 15, 3 a, m. L Newspaper correspondents at British headquarters in France describe the operations of Wednesday as having been carried car-ried out with a heavy rain beating in the faces of the British troops, who sometimes were unable to sep more than a few yards, though during dur-ing occasional brief lulls in the storm the men plowed doggedly forward through the clinging mud and their advance was hardly affected. The Germans are now holding a line of about the same strength as that they had deserted, and there, according accord-ing to the correspondents, are taking breath while the British push up and register their guns on the new targets. tar-gets. The British outposts are now before the Immediate defenses of Bapaume, and at some points are only a few hundred yards from them. Evacuation Not Voluntary The correspondents describe at length the positions abandoned by the Germans and state emphatically that the evacuation was not voluntary, but that the Germans were pounded out of them by the British guns. From the Loupart ridge, which was held by the Prussian foot guards, it is said that the defenders ran away, leaving intact the dugouts which the British artillery had spared. Explosive charges and detonators which had been prepared pre-pared for wrecking the positions were found by the British. The British found villages taken much less damaged than they had expected. ex-pected. GrelvIUers, to a great extent, was not damaged. Many houses In Miraumont were only slightly Injured. Abandon Wine and Cigars i The Germans sacrificed considerable ; ammunition and supplies in their re-1 re-1 treat Some of the dugouts contained a quantity of champagne and other I wines and cigars. j The TImes's military correspondent, commenting- on the German retreat, says; "The enemy evidently wishes to fight on clean ground, where we shall have the worst of the deal, and seems to have prepared such a position posi-tion on what is known as the Hinden-burg Hinden-burg line, which appears to Vun on our front near Iens through St. Quenttn and toward Faon. . Naturally., Natural-ly., it takes Fome lime to make fresh dispositions after a German retreat, " but, far from incommoding, this retreat re-treat is precisely what we desire." Assuming that the present German movement is not a main operation, the writer discusses other possible Intentions. In-tentions. He believes that Von Hin-denburg's Hin-denburg's great strategic reserve Is still In the interior of Germany, owing to the severe winter having Impeded transport. Therefore, he says, the Germans may have been compelled to postpone their plans, and continues: German Reserve Is Gigantic 'TVHh at least 700,000 more men In the field than he had a year ago, the enemy is capable of hitting hard provided pro-vided he retains the necessary physical physi-cal and moral momentum, and provided pro-vided the allies have not placed in the field equivalent reinforcements. "If the German leaders really believe be-lieve their submarine warfare will have the effect they promise their people, then the strategic reserve may j be retained in the interior for a I counter-offensive when the allies at- 1 tack; but If the hope placed in the submarine war proves extravagant, then an offensive alone can give the Germans the decision. "Evidence continues to point to the western front as the most probable theater for the next great effort. We must also regard Italy as an extension of the French front j and remain alive to the chances of changes in the Italian theater. All hypotheses concerning the enemy's action, ac-tion, however, are subordinate to the Initiative we may assume. On this matter nothing can be said." |