The Taihape Daily Times AND WAIMARINO ADVOCATE TUESDAY, APRIL 3, 1917. THE GERMAN RETREAT.

Taihape Daily Times, Issue 220, 3 April 1917, Page 4

The Taihape Daily Times AND WAIMARINO ADVOCATE

TUESDAY, APRIL 3, 1917. THE GERMAN RETREAT.

(With which is incorporated The Taihape Post and Wairaarino News).

In all probability those people who had become obsessed with an idea of the superiority of Teutonic arms will now understand that the German soldiery are not scuttling as fast as they can out of France just for tire pure fun of it. They will most likely see hind understand that the territory which cost Germany so many hundreds of thousands of her, best men to conquer and hold is not being returned to t ic Allies for a mure bagatelle. It is reasonable to assume that they will now be convinced that German armies are not leaving their con-crete-built underground fortifications to evade British shells and bullets by dodging behind trees or stones, but

with the evidence from various sources and the assurance of Sir William Robertson, the bead of the war machine in England, they will at last he oo; '-incod tint subterraaoan shell and s’ proof homes are being vacatea be< 3: ts the only chance the

'h'rmr - ■■'"or have of getting out Sir William Robert--1 • the bravery, strength, the British soldiers, and .■-•arching power of their

big guns that render German trenches uncomfortable and uninhabitable. It is a case of having to go, or die like rats in their holes. The truly amazing feature of the battle is the rapidity with which British big guns are kept within range .of the retreating Huns. Day by day we are informed that British guns have driven the enemy out of village after village, and from stronghold after stronghold, only to read on the morrow' that the guns of the pursuers ar e again battering at their rear. Now that we are all convinced that the enemy is leaving France at the dictation of force major, we are free to speculate on how far they will be obliged to go before they can turn to make anything like an effective stand. We are informed that French and British commanders are of opinion that they are going right hack to the Rhine; right back into their own country, evacuating all France and, presumably, Belgium, for such would become a sine qua non; That no great effort will be made on the line of the Meuse to arrest the rout which now seems imminent. We favour the view that Allied commanders believe this battle will take them to the banks of the Rhine, but they do not mean to say that the flight will he seriously uncontested. It is almost unthinkable that the Germans will so readily step over their frontiers leaving all the dearly-won land of their enemies behind them, even though they have done all that human skill can invent to devastate it. The flight from Belgium will have to surpass anything we can at present conceive in rapidity if a stand is not made at some point in the retreat to enable the armies there to avoid disaster. There must he some point for them to pivot back upon, and we still cling to the view that the pivoting point will he in the vicinity of Maubeuge, or Givet and Namur, enabling the Germans to keep their line unbroken while getting it out of Belgium and over the Meuse. It now seems evident that the Germans are being made to retire over the Belgian frontier, the way they came. Those that do not go that way will have much more difficult country to cross. It is not likely an army would take to the mountainous and heavily-wooded Ardennes country, hut south of Luxembourg there are good roads over the German frontier to the Thionville and Metz districts. What will happen is at present merest conjecture; the Allien have taken a large bite out of the German holding in France, leaving a rather ugly territory to either defend or safely run away from. Certain is that if Germany is not able to make one great stand, or a series of effective stands there is ample scope for a German disaster of the first magnitude, but so much must depend upon the rapidity with which British guns can be brought into touch with the retreating army. We know' that the pursuit so far augurs well for bringing about a collapse of the retreaters’ plans. It seems beyond doubt that the evacuation of Belgium has already commenced, indicating that matters are developing much more quickly than the German high command anticipated, and it now r seems impossible to safely extricate such huge forces from the positions they occupy. The advent of German armies will bear no comparison with the desperation of the scuttle from Belgium, if the battle develops on the lines it is now progressing.