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Show Dispatches From English En-glish Front in France Declare Retirement Followed Heavy Bombardment Bom-bardment ; Movement of Unknown Depth Is Still in Progress. u 4 ALLIES CAPTURE STRONG POSITIONS Main Defensive System West of Bapaume for Three and One-half Miles Abandoned; Village Vil-lage of Grevillers and Loupart Wood Taken. LONDON, March 13, 10:10 p. m. A further retirement of the Germans on a front of betiveen 4000 and SOOO yards and to an unknown depth is reported by a Eeuter dispatch from the British front in France. The movement was still in progress Tvhen the dispatch was sent. The British hare gone through strong German positions in Loupart wood and seized the village of Greviller3 (ivest of Bapaume). The retirement followed a heavy British bombardment, and was made under cover of hazy weather. Abandon Trenches. The official report from British headquarters head-quarters in France announces the abandonment by the Germans of their main defensive system west of Bapaume on a front of three and one half miles. The English troops drove back the German rear guard to a depth of a mile and occupied Grevillers and Loupart wood. The report reads: In consequence of our bombard ment of his positions yesterday, the enemy abandoned his main defen-' sive system alon? the forward crest of the ridge west of Bapaume on a. front of three and one-half miles. During the day our advancing troops have driven back the enemy's ene-my's rear guard in this area for a depth of a mile, and have occupied the village of Grevillers and Loupart Lou-part wood. Progress Reported. We also have made further progress prog-ress east and northeast of Gomme-court, Gomme-court, on a front of about a mile. Hostile raids were repulsed near Neuville-St. Vaast. &ouchez a.nd Armentires. In each case the enemy ene-my failed to reach onr trenches. Another hostile raiding party reached our trenches southwest of Neuve Chapelle. A few of our men are missing. Our artillery carried out an effective effec-tive bombardment of the enemy's positions on the Somme and east of Neuville-St, Vaast. FRENCH REPULSE GERMAN ATTACKS AT SEVERAL POINTS PARTS. March 13. Several attacks were made by the Germans last night and all were repulsed, the war office announced today, . A strong German detachment which attempted to advance on the Coury road was checked. Another futile attempt at-tempt was made near Beaulne-et - Chivy. Two German attacks on hill 1 S and on i Louvemont work on the Verdun front were countered easily. The French took 1 150 prisoners yesterday. I During the night the Germans bom-i bom-i barded Solssons. The French successtul-1 successtul-1 ly raided German trenches between the ! Avre and the Aisne. I The statement follows: Between the Avre and the Aisne French detachments late yesterday made three surprise attacks on German Ger-man trenches. They blew them tip and took prisoners. The Germans bombarded Solssons during the night. On the Coury road a strong enemy detachment attempted to approach our lines. It was repulsed. Furthermore, Further-more, another German attempt in the region of Ueaulne-et-Chivy waa broken up by our lire. The artillery fighting was rather llvelv in the sector of Troyon. West of Maisons de Champagne the Germans Ger-mans yesterday evening made a violent vio-lent counter-at tack on hill 1 s . Our curtain of (Ire and machine guns checked the attackers promptly. We maintained all our positions. The number of prisoners taken by I us yes i erday readied ISO. iiu'luding ! three nfnVers. On the right bank of the Meuse ( Verdun front a surprise attack undertaken by the enomv I against our works In t he region of (Continued ou Page Three,) t GERMS MEAT BEFORE BRITISH (Continued from Page One.) j IxMivemont waa repulsed easily by grenades. ! In Cliamragne the enemy artillery, j enei-gettcatly counter-shelled by u?, , bnmbarded the sectors or Maisons de ! Champagne and Massiges. Tlie Germans Ger-mans made unsuccessful nttempts with .renndep against hill 1S5, which we continue to hold. On the left bank of the Mense both artilleries were active. Our destruc- ' tive fires appeared to have been ef-feetive, ef-feetive, particularly near Avcu'onrf, hill 30-1 and on the right bank north of Bczonvaux. |