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Show RETREAT HAS BECOME ROUT Germans and Bulgarians Are Being Pursued to the North of Monastir London, Nov. 20, 11:55 a. in. Tho retreat of tho Germano-Bulgarian force from Monastir In the direction of Pri-lep Pri-lep Is a debacle, says a dispatch to tho "Wireless Press from Rome today. Tho entente troops are pursuing the fleeing flee-ing foe and have occupied villages north of Monastir, talcing prisoners as they advanced, the dispatch adds. The Serbians, according to these advices, ad-vices, aro delaying entering Monastir because of the fire and explosions which have virtually destroyed the city from which tho population has fled. Berlin's View. Berlin, Nov. 20, by wireless to Say-vllle. Say-vllle. "Monastics evacuation by the Germans and Bulgars," says the Overseas Over-seas News Agency, "was a measure which had been prepared for several days by the chief command of the central allies. The Serbians hnd crossed tho river Cerna and, advancing advanc-ing northward with superior forces, had reached the height north of Che-g6l Che-g6l after engagements In which the tide of battle fluctuated and during which General Otto von Bulow at the head of tho German riflemen stormed and captured a height, "The height taken by the Serbians was upon the same level as Monastir I so that the Serbians were able to ob-1 serve the German-Bulgarian positions and were able to shell them from the I flanks. Simultaneously, strong forces advanced upon the positions on the Monastir plain. The maintenance with heavy sacrifices of a position without any importance as regarded the general gen-eral strategical situation, would not have been justifiable. Therefore, the evacuation of Monastir was a matter of course, as it was lacking in miill-tary miill-tary importance. "The Germans and Bulgarians occupied occu-pied positions on the hills north of Monastir from which they dominatde the basin of the Cerna. Monastir is under the range of our guns, which means that its position is insecure. "The occupation of Monastir does not in the least change the strategical situation in the Balkans. General Sar-rail's Sar-rail's task, which was to accomplish a junction with the Russo-Rumanian army advancing from Dobrudja, has failde and now never can be accomplished. accom-plished. The broad strategical plan of the entente would have been complied with if General Sarrall had advanced on his eastern flailk, but as he was unable to break up the Bulgarian pressure of this sector, his principal attacks were carried more and more to the westward. Although he thus obtain minor local successes, he thereby there-by made open avowal of the fact that the original plan for joining hands with the Russo-Rumanian armies had been entirely abandoned." nn |