PROGRESS OF THE WAR

Dominion, Volume 8, Issue 2371, 29 January 1915, Page 4

PROGRESS OF THE WAR

Although there is not yet any definite indication that the Turks contemplate a serious attempt to prosecute their long-projected invasion of Egypt, some fighting in the Sinai Peninsula is reported to-day. There has been a small engagement at El Kantara, on the eastern side of the Suez Canal, 27 miles south of Port Said. A Turkish attack, whioh does not seem to have been very heavily pressed, was beaten off at a cost of five British casualties. Fighting on a bigger scale is reported at Mezera, further east, where a British force out upon a reconnaissance inflicted severe loss upon the Turks, its own casualties numbering fifty. _ In another place, Bimursadad, which is not shown on available maps, but probably lies near the north coast of tho Sinai Peninsula, a hydro-aeroplano dropped a bomb upon a Turkish column, inflicting losses.

The reports as they stand aro disappointingly vague. The Turks evidently Trad a fairly large force engaged, but there is nothing to indicate that they have brought into tho fighting zone any considerable portion of the big army which they were recently reported to have assembled in Syria. So far as the present reports go, the fighting may be no more important than that which occurred when the Bedouins made a raid upon the Sinai Peninsula a couple of months ago.

Assuming that the Turkish army of invasion is really advancing, if, is quite possible that the New Zealandcrs ■ and Australians have alroady had that bninh with (,hn Turks widen was mentioned bj Gbnejjaj;

Godley in a letter to tho Minister of Defence not long ago. The probabilities are, however, that the first British troops engaged would be the Regulars and Territorials detailed for the defence of tho Suez Canal and that the Australian and New Zealand Army Corps will only be called upon if the Turks develop an attack in force. * * * * Apparently the British are holding the Canal and the coastal regions of the Sinai Peninsula, in l stead of the eastern frontier of the Peninsula, and a glance at the map will furnish tho reason. _ The interior of the Sinai Peninsula consists of a desert, and it is much better to impose upon the enemy tho labour of crossing this tract than to establish a defending force along the eastern frontier of the Peninsula. * * * » The prospect of a Turkish attack upon the Suez Canal is one that tho British people can afford to regard with confidence. In the first place many reports have agreed in describing the Turkish army in Syria as demoralised and ill-provided with means of transport and other military essentials. There is stated to be growing insubordination amongst tho Turks against their German officers, and it has even been said that these officers are themselves unwilling to advance upon Egypt, and are undertaking the enterprise only under- pressure from Berlin. Germany is extremely anxious to close the Suez Canal, and though the prospects of satisfying this ambition are so remote as to be scarcely worth considering it is hardly likely that she will refrain from _ making tho attempt out of any consideration for the Turkish army. It is Germany's standing policy to sacrifice her allies without mercy, and on that account it is not impossible that the Turks have really been driven to undertake an' enterprise which is morally certain to result in an even more crushing disaster to their arms than - they have already suffered in Northern Asia Minor. * * * '* * Even if it were fit to cope with' the strong force of British Regulars, Territorials, Indian and Dominion troops assembled in Egypt the task' facing the Turkish army of invasion would still be one of enormous difficulty. In its approach to the Suez Canal it is restricted to two routes, neither of them inviting. The first is across an extensive desert, devoid of forage, and in which wells are few and far between. The season of the year is rapidly approaching also at which many of the wells dry up. For an army like the Ottoman force, poorly provided with motor transport and depending largely upon camels and other draught and baggage animals, the passage of some hundreds of miles of desert at_ this time of the year is almost an impossibility, and even if the advance were achieved retreat by such a route would be bound to culminate in terrible disaster.

The alternative route lies along the coast of Syria and the north coast of the Sinai Peninsula. There are numbers of wells along this route, but it is exposed throughout to the guns of British warships. The invading army' is thus subject to very strict limitations. It cannot well advance by either route, and even if it contrives to pass the deserts British troops will be able to reach Syria by the convenient coastal route, and assail the Turkish communications. The reports so far received relate to fighting in the interior of the Sinai Peninsula, and the Turks appear to have had only light troops and light artillery engaged. Confirmation is supplied in official reports to-day of the Allied victories near La Bassee, west of Craonne (22 miles east of Soissons), and in the Argonne. The same applies to the destruction'' of pontoon bridges erected by the Germans across the Meuse at St. Mihiel. Very heavy fighting in this region may be expected in the near future. The front of the German wedge through the WoevTe district still reaches the Meuse at St.'Mihiel, but the French are vigorously pushing their flanking movement north and east of. Pont-a-Mousson, and the Germans may be put to it presently to keep them out of Lorraine. * * * * Judging by the absence of news from the Eastern theatre operations in that quarter seem to have settled down into something resembling the almost stationary, though deadly, grapple of opposing forces which exists along a great part of the Western line, On the front running south from the Lower Vistula through Poland, west of Warsaw, a comparative deadlock is to be expected, for the Russians alon'g that line are content to hold their strong entrenchments while the Germans are apparently reluctant to abandon the attempt to reach Warsaw. Interesting developments' might reasonably be expected, however, both in North Poland and in Western palicia. Recent messages have described the Russians as advancing through North Poland upon tho East Prussian frontier, and also south from the Vistula upon the Thorn-Lowicz railway. In Galicia a big force is endeavouring to reach Cracow. Regarding all these operations there has been ah almost total silence during the last day or two, but it should oe broken very shortly.

One message to-day concerning the fighting in Poland is chiefly interesting on account of tho implied justification of Russian strategy which it contains. German soldiers fighting west of Warsaw are declared to feel a growing indisposition to waste their lives, in response to the desperation of their commanders, in attacking practically impregnable positions. Tho reluctance of these soldiers is natural enough, but the state of affairs pictured emphasises the wisdom of the Russian policy of keeping as many German troops as possible occupied in Central Poland while pursuing offensive operations in north and south. * * ' # * A late message tells of a Russian dash into the northern part of East Prussia. Apparently the frontier was crossed opposite the villagO i of Lasdennen, which stands seven miles inside Prussian territory, about 27 miles north-north-east of Gumbinnen. The Germans holding Lasdennen were ejected at the point of the bayonet, and tho Russians then struck south to Pilkallen, 15' miles away. They are here in possession of the railway leading to Tilsit, which stands Ho miles north-west of Pilkallen. This enterprising incursion bears out recent suggestions that the new Russian offensive would take the form of sudden dashes calculated to take the enemy unawares. Tha invasion of northern East Prussia may Rpssibly lead to im-__

portant _ results, for the territory entered is covered with a network of strategic railways. *.* * *

Stories from various sources of the naval battle in tho North Sea are corrected and to an extent amplified to-day by a summary of Vice-Admiral Beatty's preliminary report. From this it appears that the stern-guns of the retreating Germans did some tolerably ' effective work. A lucky shot damaged one of the Lion's feed-tanks, presumably an oil-tank feeding the furnaces, with the result that the port engine had to bo stopped. Though apparently not gravely damaged, the Lion was crippled for the time being, and Sir David Beatty had to transfer his flag to the Princess Royal, a sister-ship to the Lion. The shot that crippled the Lion was a very lucky one for the Germans; Vioe-Admiral Beatty states that it undoubtedly deprived his squadron of a greater victory. The German squadron included submarines ; as well as destroyers and heavy ships, and it must have required capable seamanship to bring the Lion safely out of her predicament.

All that has been said about tha excellence of the British gunnery i* more than. borne out by the Admiral's report. The British ships opened fire at 18,000 yards, and began to find their targets at a range of 17,000 yards. , The conditions appear to have been favourable—a calm sea and a fairly good light—but even so accurate laying and ranging at a distance of close upon ten miles must be regarded as gunnery of a very high order of excellence. The action has demonstrated that tie British naval guns, besides being better handled, are, owing to their great power, vastly more effectivo than the German artillery, and in spite of the misadventure to the Lion the superiority of the British shipß has been very conclusively demonstrated. ». * * * Sir David Beatty's report mentions -without comment a statement by prisoners that the Kolberg was sunk as well as the Blucher. Tho Kolberg is, or was, a light cruiser belonging to the same class as the Mainz, which was sunk at Heligoland. These ships, built at a cost of £381,000, arc of 4350 tons displacement, and carry a complement of 362 officers and men. Their principal armament consists of twelve 4.1 inch guns and two torpedo tubes. The Kolberg was completed in 1909. On her trials she attained a speed of 27.2 knots. * * * * Germany's; action in seizing all tho wheat within her borders in order to control its distribution has given an opening to the Allies which they have been quick to seize. It is suggested that the German Government is now the sole importer of wheat, and that the Allies are therefore entitled to seize all cargoes of wheat bound for Germany, under whatever flag they are carried. » . * * * President Wilson's action in congratulating the Kaiser upon his birthday, and cordially expressing wishes for his welfare,_ is perhaps in keeping with the attitude which he has habitually maintained, but one cannot help feeling that tho occasion would have been much better met by the discreet silence which characterised the. policy of watchful waiting. The world at large cannot fail to be struck by the spectacle of the President of the greatest of the neutral nations joining the Emperor of Austria and the Sultan of Turkey in sending birthday greetings to the Emperor of Germany. Though the suggestion of the Republican Press in the United States that President Wilson's action -may constitute a breach of neutrality need not be taken too seriously, the fact remains that he has cordially expressed wishes for the welfare of a potentate whose success and prosperity would be fatal to the liberty and ■-welfare of half the nations of Europe. This is certainly a thing that would have been better left undone, though no one will suggest that President Wilson intended any harm.' * * * * The announcement of a British loan of five millions sterling to Rumania furnishes still another suggestive indication that the latter country is likely very shortly to bake the field against Austria. The statement of the, Austrian Foreign Minister that Austria will make no, territorial concessions either to Italy or Rumania may be somewhat beside the point, since Rumania, at least, has shown no inclination.lately to assert her claims in any other way than by force of but it suggests that Austria has given up hope of averting Italian and Rumanian intervention by diplomatic means. Most likely Rumania is only waiting for the coming of better weather to.take the fiela. Russian operations in Bukowina have lately lieen at a standstill, and it is explained that this is owing to snow and occasional floods in the Carpathian valleys. It is therefore quite reasonable to suppose that Rumania is merely waiting until the advancing season has brought better weather which will enable ner army to operate effectively. At any rate it has been demonstrated that winter campaigning in the region of north-eastern Hungary is subject to strict limitations. Late reports from Italy are to the effect that in that country tbo people are clamouring for war. Some time ago it was stated that Rumania and Italy had agreed to act in concert, and indications at present suggest that the report was well founded.