THE GERMAN RETREAT.

Taranaki Daily News, 12 April 1917, Page 8

THE GERMAN RETREAT.

WORK OP THE COLONIALS.

•Mr. C. E. W. Bean, the Australian correspondent, lias lately telegraphed some interesting notes concerning the retreat of the Germans on the Ancre sector. '•The night before last," lie says, in a dispatch dated February 24, "itvlicn the Australians made their last successful small attack, capturing 33 Germans, and adding a small length of trench to the portions recently gained, the German artillery, machine-guns, and flares were noticeably active throughout the line. Yesterday, on the contrary, was one of the quietest days ever known on the Somme. Last' night certain parts of the line, which had before been active, were noticed to be entirely silent. From near Butte de Warlencourt came not one flare and no machine-gun or trench mortar lire. Patrols entered the enemy's line, and found it unoccupied at one point. To-day further patrols have been pushing forward through the trenches immediately facing them, and following up the enemy. At this moment every part of the Australian and neighbouring British front is working forward. The Germans certainly have carried on a deliberate evacuation 0 » tliia part of the front under cover of dense fops which followed the thaw. It differed from the Gallipoli evacuation in being arranged for the darkest night before the new moon, ami through communication trenches, well hidden, instead of over the open sea. Mis! prevented aeroplane observation, .even by day. The Germans left behind them small parties, probably about ten in every 100 frorft line troops, to keep up an appearance of activity. The retirement is probably only to a shorter, better line a few miles back."

"The Australian infantry has been moving on all day across an area of frightful desolation, where for five months the opposing sides have faced one another since the Somme battle came to a halt last October," Mr Bean telegraphed on February 25. "During the morning, as during the whole of the previous night, a dense fog cohered the whole area. The limit of each man's view was a hundred yards or so over u ploughed, brown surface. Beyond that there was nothing white veil ol log. About midday blue sky began to show through. Here and there a few 'pockets' of Germans, with machine-guns, were fighting rear-guard actions. .Just as the sky cleared the main portion of the Australian front line advanced. The German machine-guns, at a few points, chattered out, but these were quickly rushed. In some cases the enemy fled, in others they surrendered; others fought to the last, and met the fate which they,, must have known was the only possible one in such cases. The German shellfire, which yesterday waned almost away, to-day descended again on the plonghed-up ground around their old front line and No-man's land. Mountains of angry bfack-and brown smokcy! .sprang from every part of the face of that brown desert. But nil day long the Australian supports, carrying parties, and fatigues could be seen moving steadily through the barrage, exactly as if they were picking their way across the heathlands around Sydney Heads to watcli the arrival of the American fleet.

''Not one square inch of original surface remains in miles of this new ploughed country," the message continues. "Around the German front line. I am told, the holes—caused by our trench' mcrtars—became noticeably bigger. The Germans have cleaned their front trenches of every useful thing. Their line was in some places good and deep, but in other parts muddier than our own. Towards evening the German shelling seemed to become heavier, as if they dreaded a night attack and were putting down a curtain behind them. 'five machineguns still chattered obstinately in one corner; not far, distant the white hump of the Butte de Warlencourt stood out, deserted and strangely silent, from the brown valley, Far tip the farther hill our patrols were pushing into strange trenches and villages. As darkness closed, the German shells began to concentrate somewhere in tho direction of the Bapaume road. Tho sound of firing seemed to grow and grow in that comer. Clusters of orange flares burst into light and slowly, settled. Green flares, red flares, white flares sprang constantly skywards. It lookedJns though battle had been joined In that quarter in real earnest around some nucleus of resistance. It is unwise to indulge in artT exaggerated optimism over this retirement. Our left has advanced at the out side, one milo; our right, very little. Even if the Germans retire farther, they have still lino after lino of prepared positions and excellent trenches to rely on."