NOTES ON THE WAR

Dominion, Volume 8, Issue 2299, 5 November 1914, Page 4

NOTES ON THE WAR

A feature of our war news to-day is the accumulating evidence of the tremendous sacrifices of troops made by the German commanders in their recent endeavour to force their way through the Allies' lines' in Belgium and North-Eastern France to get to Calais. From time to time we have been given scraps of news indicating heavy German losses in killed ana wounded, to say. nothing of desertions and surrenders; and ■ to-day that news is emphasised by the messages to hand. A captured German lieutenant admits to amazing losses; a message from Brussels describes the influx of wounded as terrible, and adds that during 48 hours last week 50 trains, each composed of 40 coaches.filled with wounded, passed through from Ghent on the way to Germany. A oablegrami from Eomo states that Berlin advices show- that an extraordinary number of wounded are arriving at the capital, and that the people's enthusiasm, for tho war is abating. All fcho Hospitals are full,. and, the concert halls, theatres, and other buildings are being utilised to accommodate, 'the wounded soldiers. An American photographer, who has been with tho German troops, comments on the number of deserters, and nows from other quarters bears out 'his statements. Great as are the numbers of ti\a Kaiser's forces, such tremendous losses must' have already had a material effect, on the morale and efficiency of his monster fighting machine. Success achieved as the result of desperate sacrifices is bad enough, but when the sacrifices are made without accomplishing the purpose aimed at, then theyaro ; dpubly felt.

That the latest great attack on the Allies' lines has again'failed is put boy on d all doubt by tbo positions now held by the opposing forces in. Belgium. During the time that the fighting was at its hottest the Allies' lines stretched from Nieuport, on the sea coast, to Yprcs, some 20 miles to the south. Here and there, the German forces appear to have gained a little ground, Dut only temporarily. Tho situation _was very' much like that of an infuriated bull charging at a well-strung wire fence —barbed wire. Under the weight of the onslaught the fence gives a little, but at the slightest sign of the lessening of the pressure it-presses back to its position, until eventually it wears its , assailant down. So tho Allies, though they have here and there temporarily yielded to the enormous pressure of the German, masses, have not been broken, and have always sprung back into position as the strength of the enemy's rush weakened. . But, unlike the wire fence, they have been able in turn to take the offensive, and..at latest advices had gained ground in Belgium at practically all points. We are told that the German lines of retreat are being kept.open by members of the Landsturm, but so long as the Kaiser can continue to pour reinforcements into this, region, and so long,as his troops are prepared to gp to slaughter in the wholesale, fashion recorded, the fight may be expected to continue. The Kaiser has staked so much.on gaining possession of thei' sea coast of Northern France that it will only be when all hope is lost that a retirement will be ordered. Then it may be found that he will have to pay a still heavier price for his delay in extricating his' troops from a position which must be growing increasingly difficult to retire from with safety.

Generally speaking, the position in France shows little -change. •■ As in Belgium the enemy's attacks appear to have.lost some of their vigour, and the-French in tho southeast and at one or two other points have made slight progress." At one point only do the Germans seem to have gained ground: that is, at Vailly,-a few miles to the northeast of Soissons. The fighting here has of late fluctuated somewhat. First one side and then the other has had the advantage. Twice recently the Germans have been as having gained ground at Vailly, which is about the spot where their forces are now deepest into France. There may be some significance in this. It may be that the Allies would not be unwilling to draw them still further into France at this point, for any extension of tho German lines there would be liable to facilitate the Allies' enveloping movement on the wings. the gtb.br b&nd, should the' Germane penetrate the Allies' hues at -.win

point they would find it difficult to press home their advantage while their wings were being threatened as is the case in North-East France and Belgium and also along the southeastern frontier of France. Howover, the position so far as can be gathered continues favourable -to the Allies at practically all points, and the onslaughts of the enemy appear to be slackening,' for the time being at least.

German commanders in Poland are appealing for reinforcements to enable them to stem the great Russian wave which is sweeping them back to the frontier, and threatening their , lines of communication. Reinforcements are not available and go the wave sweeps on practically unchecked. At one point in the Opatow district a large Austrian force attempted to' check the Russian advance but was driven back. In the North, off tho East Prussian frontier, the fighting has been violent, j It would seem that the Grown Prince is now in charge here. At the outBct of tho war he was at Klonigsberg and his Army was operating in East Prussia, but later when it looked as though the Germans might reach Paris, he was to be found in command of one of the invading Armies in the Verdun region. There with 'the rest of.the German forces ho .was forced to retire and his Army is now in the Argonne region and along the Meuse. • There may bo nothing , in the story that he .went back to East Prussia after the failure of the advance on Paris, but to-day's message makes it appear that it was to save his military reputation that the German forces at Bakalarjevo were sent to slaughter. Be that as it may there has been some very desperate fighting and the German troops suffered heavily. It is doubtful if tho Russian forces moving against East Prussia will make any marked progress until the advance in the South clears Poland of the enemy. That work is now being carried out with every appearance of thoroughness.

The closing of the North Sea to merchant shipping seemed to portend possibilities of naval activity in that region, and to-day there is news of a dash by German cruisers, which unhappily did not end as we would wish. The tactics being pursued by the British Fleet 'are to keep the big fighting ships well away somewherein the North Sea, leaving only enough of the light cruisers, destroyers, and submarines to keep an eyeon the enemy or make an occasional excursion against, him as circumstances may 'permit. One effect of this is to force the'enemy's vessels to come out well away from the coast if they wish to do any damage with their submarines or destroyers; and there is then always the chance of cutting them off or of catching the submarines. short of supplies. To all intents and purposes the blockade is still maintained, but the risk to our ships ia lcssenejd. v A squadron of German cruisers seized the opportunity of this long-range blockading to make a <&ash after a British coastguard boat. Possibly as in the- case of. the Heligoland Bight affair it was a trap laicl for the German cruisers. / in this instance, however, the Germans had thobestof things, for the British cruisers could not. get up in time to cut off the retreat of 'the Germans, and a British submarine was blown up by one of a number of mines thrown overboard' in- the dusk of the evening by the fleeing Germans. Such happenings must be expected, however much wo may deplore them.