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Show BRITISH FOLLOW Jf ON TEUTON HEELS ! Smoking Villages Are Being Entered, as Germans Continue Con-tinue to Retire. LONDON. March 21, 4-10 p m The stormy weather, with severely cold winds and frequent snow squall.-, continued during the night in the region reg-ion over which the British armies in France are following the retreating II Germans. Although these conditions add to the discomfort of field campaigning. cam-paigning. Reuters' representative at the British headquarters, telegraphs they have had no had effect on the surface of the ground, which in the newly occupied area remains quite practicable tor movements of horse . and font troops and un. Notwith- Bj standing the work of destruction W which the Germans are carrying out as they withdraw, the British troops find shelter in the villages they occupy, oc-cupy, a large proportion of the houses have been gutted but in most cases the walls remain standing, so that cover for the troops is improvised easily. Many places which the British have taken in the last two days contain civilian inhabitants and it is reported that the Germans, in evacuating the towns and illages on the line of retreat, re-treat, are sending civilians in considerable consid-erable numbers back instead of forward, for-ward, so that they will not have so many mouths to feed. The correspondent reports that the joy of the civilians at their liberation from German rule Is pathetic and that, instead of leaving provisions for five I days for the civilians, as was reported, i the Germans took the last loaf from the inhabitants before burning the vil-i vil-i lages. Apart from the large propor-' propor-' tion of the original population left at Nesle, the greatest number of civilians civil-ians found in one place thus far is J 100, in Bouvencourt. No important engast nient or mark-ed mark-ed chance in the line is reported to- -4r day The Germans appear to be failing fail-ing back more rapidly and offering less resistance to British pressure between be-tween Ham and on I'oronne. but further north their retirement is being characterized by more stubborn op position. In places between Arras and Bapaume the advancing British troops are being met with vigorous machine gun fire, apparently designed to cover the retreat of the Cernian rear guards, inasmuch as th' German machine guns are withdrawn when they come undei the fire of the British guns. Fichtinc was reported yesterday afternoon af-ternoon near Blangy, a suburb of Arras, Ar-ras, which the French front line trenches skirt and it appears that the pivot of this great backward swing has now reached that city. South of II Peronne, British patrols may be Bet n entering smoking villages as far as seven miles east of the Somme. |
