NOTES ON THE WAR

Dominion, Volume 7, Issue 2264, 25 September 1914, Page 4

NOTES ON THE WAR

The official account of the fighting in Franco since the Battle of the Marne, supplied by the High Commissioner, makes stirring reading. Generally speaking; it.confirms the Press messages which have reached us from day to day, and in particular it makes , clear the desperate nature of the fighting. Incidentally' it corroborates the accounts of the progress made by the Allies under tremendous difficulties. The latest news to hand through the usual channels carries us a stage further. The enveloping movement by the Allies on the German Eight has been pushed forward, and additional ground gained, the Germans falling back from point to point. The Lbndon Times, presumably in the course of a general survey of the recent fighting, states that the Allies have gained advantages at all points, and that all along the lino the signs are hopeful. There is a significant movement, too, in North Belgium, which seems to foreshadow German anticipation of a forced retirement from France, presumably to the fortified positions being prepared along the Valley of the Sambre, in Belgium. At any time now we may learn of a general retirement from France.

' In other directions there- is little of importance recorded to-day. Good news continues • to _ come to hand concerning the Russian operations in Galicia, and while the stories from this quarter may be safely discounted a little, there can be no doubt that; the Austrians have been badly beaten, with tremendous losses, and are much demoralised.' Another glimpse of the handiwork of Earl Kitchener is disclosed'to-day. A censor-delayed message which has now come to hand reveals the fact that Territorials, which a day or two ago/ve were told had to relieve tho garrisons at Malta and in Egypt,, arrived at the former station' on the' '14th ' insfc; : That is'tb say, that it was not until they had been some time at thoir destination did Earl Kitchener allow the world at large to know even that they had been dispatched. Presumably, the Territorials sent to Egypt also arrived about the same time, and; no doubt the regular troops they were sent to relieve have ere this reached their destination—in England or in France, or possibly in Belgium. Another item of interest is the news concerning the destruction, by a Russian cruiser, of a German cruiser mine-laying vessel in the Baltic; while the exploit of the British naval airmen in flying across country to Dusseldorf and dropping bombs on the great Zeppelin airship sheds there is a notable achievement. Dusseldorf is some 160 miles from the nearest sea coast, and an even greater distance from _ the Allies', lines in France. Assuming that the daring aviators started out from some point in the North Sea they would have, a flight of at least 350 miles. It is about time that Germany waß marie.to realise that if necessary her antagonists in the present struggle are able to treat her as she has striven to treat them; and that if she persists in using her airships to-drop bombs in residential quarters of tho Allies' towns,, then her own towns will receive similar treatment.

'. If the stories setting # out the circumstances of the sinking of the three British cruisers in the North Sea by German submarines are correct, then either the captains of the Oressy and Hogue were guilty of a grave error of judgment or the submarine is an even more deadly weapon of naval warfare than it has been pictured. It seems that the Aboukir was first hit, and the other vessels then went to her assistance, believing she had struck a floating mine. It is incredible that they could have been blind to the possibility of the damage to the Aboukir being caused by a submarine, and in the circumstances it would be their first duty to think of the safety of their own_ ships and crews. Their first instinct would naturally be to assist the orew of the Aboukir, but unhappily in warfare—whether at sea or on land—it is necessary at times to risk the sacrifice of sections of a force rather than imperil the whole. In standing by the'Aboukir the commanders of the Oressy and the Hogue did no good, and sacrificed their own vessels and a part of their crews. _ With submarines about it is plain that warships cannot afford to take such risks—their first business is to get out of the danger zone and endeavour to locate tho enemy with a view to striking back. It may be, of course, that in this case the submarinesworo in a position to act almost simultaneously—although the narratives to hand do not support this view—; and in that caso it must bo obvious that the submarine is even more difficult to detect than is generally believed, and more, deadly accurate in its work. It must be.assumed that on all three vessels a good look-out was being kept—yet all three were torpedoed—apparently by two submarines—before they saw any sign of their assailants.

The only indication jjivcn of the scene of the disaster is that the rescued members of the crows were landed at Harwich in England, and at Ijmuidcn, in Holland. It is reasonable to assume'from this that the encounter took place'in the North Sea somewhere between the two points mentioned. This would mean that the submarines had journeyed something like 175 miles in a direction wost by south, from their base at Heligoland. Probably, thoy

hugged the coast of Holland on their way towards the English coast. As the attack took place in the early hours of the morning, it may be assumed that the submarines travelled on the surface, or partly submerged, at night, diving beneath the surface before daylight and getting close enough to the cruisers to torpedo them as stated. Prom the point of view of their fighting strength, the loss of the cruisers fortunately cannot be said to affect the situation, but despite the fact that many of tho officers and crews were saved, the loss of life was heavy. It should not be forgotten, _ however, that up to the present Britain's naval losses have been comparatively.'slight. The price paid for the blockading of the German fleet and the complete dislocation of German merchant shipping has so far been very small.

The extraordinary resignation of General Beyers, Commandant-Gen-eral of the South African Defence Forces, just as the Union Government had completed its p.lans for offensive operations in German South-West'Africa,' and the still more extraordinary reasons which that officer has given in justification of his action, have created a painful impression in South Africa. A very full account of the history of the incident appeared in an official cablegram from London, published in The Dominion yesterday. General Beyers says that he does not approve of sending commandoes to German South-West Africa for the purpose of conquering that territory. He says that he is surprised that Parliament confirmed a resolution to conquer German South-West Africa without any provocation towards the Union from the Germans. He then proceeded to indulge in a bitter and quite-uncalled-for attack on Britain, which had conferred upon the conquered and ill-governed Boer region of South _ Africa the status of a great Imperial self-gov-erning Dominion, and to which he had sworn an oath of ,allegiance under his commission as its chief military officer. General Beyers's contention that the projected operations in German South-West Africa constituted an unprovoked attack is absurd, in the face of the recent raids by organised troops from German territory into sparsely-occupied territories under, the British flag, and his reference to alleged barbarities in tho South African States during the Boer war, in_ the course of ! an invidious comparison with the barbarities committed, by the Germans in Belgium, is an insult to the British nation. General Smuts, the Union Defence Minister, sums up the position with outspoken candour. The circumstances in connection with the resignation, he said, had made a most unpleasant-impres-sion on his colleagues; and on himself, but' this unpleasant impression was aggravated dv the allegations contained in the bitter attack on Great Britain. General Beyers forgot to mention that since the South African war the British people gave to South Africa entire freedom, under a constitution which makes it possible to real ko their _ national ideas along their own lines,; and which allowed General Beyers to write with impunity a letter for which he. would be liable in the Germa'n ''Empire 'to -thei-extreme penalty. The completest; answer to the attitude of General Beyers, however, is to be found in the action of General Botha, who "has himself taken supreme cpmmand of the operations' against the forces in SouthWcst Africa.