OCR Text |
Show GETTING AWAY. J The German retirement during tho last few days has resembled the tl strategic stra-tegic retreat' ' to the Ilindenburg line in the spring of 1917. Then all preparations prepa-rations had long been made, and it was the enemy's task to hold off the British and French while his troops fell back in good order Unhampered by too much impedimenta. Although there has been fighting, sometimes of a brisk character, it has consisted only of rear guard actions. The enemy's heavy artillery and practically prac-tically all of the supplies left to him in the battle zones have been removed to the Hindenburg line or close enough to it so that they are in no danger of being seized by the allies. The Americans have found the region between the Veslo and the Aisnc swept almost as clean as a new floor, thorough has been the work of tho "retreat "re-treat specialists ' ' that ono is led to doubt whether the enemy ever intended to make a permanent stand at the Vesle. It is assumed that such was his plan and that he changed it only when his western flank had been turned and i he Vesle river posit ion had thereby been rendered untenable. But the flank was not definitely turned until about a week ago, although it wad seriously menaced during the two preceding weeka. At all events, the Germans have bem able to remove everything of military value from the rone between the Ai?ne and the Vcle. As a ' ' strategic retreat, re-treat, it has been much more sihts.s-ful sihts.s-ful than the retirement from the Marne ealint or the withdrawal from the Pieardy salient. In bot h of the-e salients sa-lients the Germans abandoned hundreds of gun3 and many depots of puppiitn. H is only wirhrn-the - last frw days that the Germans have recovered from the confusion caused by the earlier French and British attacks. This if evidence that th1 work of removing supplies to the Hindenburg line h;is been completed, and that the onW t;tik remain Lng before that line is rovu-pied rovu-pied in full strength is the f;ghtir.g of rearguard actions, hib ervp the double purpose of preventing a breakthrough break-through and of bringing off the supplies of the rear guard. |