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Show TEUTON ARMY IN RETREAT Sixty Villages Have Been Taken by Advancing Advanc-ing Allies. LONDON, March IS, 10:02 p m. British troops, continuing their rapid' advance on the heels of the retiring' Germans, have occupied the important I towns of Nesle, Chaulnes and Peronne. Along a iYont of about forty-five miles they have entered the Oerman positions posi-tions to a depth of ten miles in places. In addition, the British have taken more than sixty villages. The announcement of these gains was contained in the official report tonight to-night from British headquarters. French Regain Many Towns. PARIS, March 18, 10 p. m The ad-vance ad-vance of the French troops continued today between fthe Avro and the Aisne, along a front of sixty kilometers (about thirty seven miles) according to the official communication tonighL French cavalry entered Nesle. In the direction of Ham, on the Somme river, the French forward movement reached la depth of about twelve and a half I miles. j North of Soiseons the French have 'occupied Crouy, and in the same dis-; dis-; trlct have taken the villages of Carle-pont, Carle-pont, pont, Morsani and Nouvron Vin-Igrou Vin-Igrou Vingre. The town of Noyon was I occupied by French cavalry. The I statement reads "From the Avre to the Aisne, on a front of more than sixty kilometers, the advance of our troops continued during the day. North of the Avre our cavalry this morning entered Nesle, and we immediately sent out patrols toward the Somme. There were several sev-eral engagements with enemy rear guard detachments, who resisted feebly. feeb-ly. The inhabitants of Nesle acclaimed acclaim-ed our troops. "Northeast of Lassingy we have advanced ad-vanced more than twenty kilometers toward Ham. "Further south our light cavalry de tachments, moving along the valley of the Oise, occupied N-on about 10 o'clock this morning. "Between the Oise and Soissons (Aisne sector) the entire German first line, as well as lite villages of Carlcj I pont. Morsam and Nou ron Vingre, fell I into our hands. We have gained a foothold on the northern plateau of Soissons and occupied c rouy. "In the left bank of the M. use the enemy violently bombarded our positions posi-tions 'from Avorouri wood t Lo Mott Homme. On the right bank a German 'attack directed against our trenches in the region of Chambrettes were 'stopped short by our barrage fire. "Two German airplanes were brought down today, one in the direction direc-tion ot Virglny, the other west of Bri-mont Bri-mont Rheims region. Berlin Announces Retreat. BKRL1N, March 18. by wireless to Say ville. --Systematic retirement of the German I mops between Arras and the oise, on the French front, is announced an-nounced by the war office today. Peronne, Pe-ronne, Noyon. Bapaume, Rove and several sev-eral other towns have been abandoned abandon-ed by the Germanri. Peronne was one of the strongholds of the Germans on the Franco-Belgian front. It is a town of about 4,-000, 4,-000, on the Somme, and is of strategical strategi-cal importance on account of its railway rail-way and highroad connections. It was invested on three- sides, and the retirement of the Germans to the north and south made the abandon-meni abandon-meni Ot this town inevitable From Arras to the Oise, where Berlin Ber-lin reports the withdrawal is being made, is about fifty miles." The cap- j ture ot Bapaume anil Roye was announced an-nounced yesterday. Noyon is a town ; of about rt.oon, sixty-seven miles , northeast of Paris. oo |