The Dominion. THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 4, 1915. THE FIRST SIX MONTHS

Dominion, Volume 8, Issue 2376, 4 February 1915, Page 4

The Dominion. THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 4, 1915. THE FIRST SIX MONTHS

Six months have now passed since the British Empire entered into the great' struggle which is now occupying the attention of the whole civilised world. On August 4, 1914, Britain sent an ultimatum to Germany demanding a promise to respect the neutrality of Belgium, and as the promise was not forthcoming war was declared. We are now in a position to look back upon the first half-year of the momentous conflict, to sum up the situation as it exists to-day, and to form some idea as to the possibilities the future has in store. The story of Belgium's fight against the brutal aggression of Germany forms one of the most glorious pages in European history. Though the Belgian Army was driven back by sheer weight of numbers the time gained by its resolute resistance was of incalculable value to the Allies. The German troops gradually pressed on through Belgium and into France, though they had to pay a terrible price for every step torward. At the beginning, of September they were almost at the gates of Paris, and it was thought advisable to remove the French Government to Bordeaux. The outlook appeared to be exceedingly gloomy, notwithstanding the assurances of the British and French military authorities that the struggle was developing on lines provided for in their plan of campaign. On September 5 the Allied armies took the offensive, and on the following day the Ba.ttle of the Marne brought about the turn of the tide. The Germans discovered that their flank was threatened and their retreat began. The ascendancy then gained by the Allies has never since been lost.

But the gigantic task of driving the Kaisbk's armies out of France and Belgium has not yet been accomplished. They have been thrown back from Paris, and the way to Calais . has. been blocked. The Kaiser's orders that Calais should be captured at all costs have not been carried out, though thousands of German lives have been saoriEced in the attempt. The opposing armies have now dug themselves in, and for the present trench warfare is the order of the day. Things are moving slowly, but on the whole the Allies are more than holding their own. , The c-oiiree of events in the Eastern theatre of the war has been decidedly satisfactory, from the point of view of the Allies. Austria's campaign against Servia has proved a, disastrous failure, and the smashing blows of Russia have almost brought the Dual Monarchy to its knees. The Russian and German forces are now at grips in Poland. Here the struggle is proceeding on a colossal scale. The' German casualties havo been enormous, though the Russians have also lost very heavily. The struggle is still being carried on with grim determination. . But the steadily increasing pressure of the Muscovite armies is telling its_ tale, and the latest information indicates thai the Tsar's forces are now fighting their way into East Prussia. The war entered upon a new phase when towards the end of October Turkey entered the struggle on the side of Austria and Germany. This development was not unexpected, as the Porte had been pursuing a course from the commencement of the 'war which could lead to no other result. The Turks were by no means whole-heartedly in favour of entering the fighting arena, but German influence and intrigue gained the day, though the effort to start a holy war throughout the Moslem world on behalf of the Kaiser proved a fiasco. The Turkish troops have been disastrously defeated 6y the Russians, and the threatened invasion of Egypt has not yet been seriously attempted. So far, the' Turkish campaign has been a failure. The , Porte has made a suicidal blunder which will probably end in ; the disruption of the Ottoman Empire. While Germany has been unable to strike a serious blow, at any of the British overseas a large portion of her own colonial Empire has already passed into the hands of her foes. Kiao-Chau surrendered early in November, and the Japanese also captured the Caroline and Marshall Islands. A New Zealand contingent seized Samoa, and an Australian force took possession of German New Guinea. , In Africa Germany has lost Togoland, and the fightfor her other colonies on that continent is still proceeding, but, of course, their ultimate fate depends in a great measure upon the result of the struggle in Europe. Coming to the naval aspect of the conflict the supremacy of the British Fleet has never been seriously challenged. Britain has lost a number of merchantmen, and some warships have been sunk in action, or by mines or submarines. German warships have even raided the English coast, and aircraft havedropped bombs on undefended English towns. But all these exploits put together are utterly insignificant when measured .against the great silent victory of "our fleet. It has been truly remarked that "tho British Navy has won a victory for the Allies of greater value than any victory on land during tho entire war. That victory was.the feat of forcing the Germans to bottle up their warships in their harbours and to leave their merchant marine rotting in ports all over the world." Professor Biles tells us that it is not too much to say of Sir John Jellicoe's fleet what Admiral Mahan hag said of the part played by Nelson's ships and men in the day's of Napoleon : "That storm-beaten floet upon which the' Grand Army had never set its eyes stood between it and the conquest of the world." But this silent victory is not all. In actual sea fighting tho balance is decisively in our favour,. The recent engagement in the North Soa afforded unmistakable proof of the marked superiority of British ships, and puns, and seamanship. The marauding career of the Emdcn was brought to an end by the Australian cruiser Sydney, and four more of the German raiders were sunk in the action off the Falkland Islands by Admirai. STifflDSis'e (iqiutdrc/ii, The latter on&a£eflieflt was the greatest

sea battle which has so far been fought during the war. The doings of our own Navy naturally claim the greater part of our attention, but it is only right to mention that the French Fleet has also v'one splendid work in co-operation with the British Navy in the Channel, the North Sea, and the Mediterranean. A gigantic task still confronts Great Britain and her Allies, and they will have to put forth all their strength in order to accomplish it. They have the satisfaction of knowing that time is on their side, and that their resources—naval, military, and financial—are far superior to those of the enemy. It is extremely probable that Italy and Rumaniawill soon enter the fray on the side of the Entente. Such a turn of events would make it almost impossible for Austria to_ continue the struggle with the slightest hope of success, and Turkey's position would also become desperate. It is generally understood that the Allies are preparing to strike a tremendous blow in the Spring. Russia has not nearly exhausted her supply of men, and Britain is getting ready to put large numbers of fresh troops into the field, whereas Germany will find it very difficult to increase her fighting power. The calls upon her resources have been so great and her losses have been so enormous, that it is practically certain that fche maximum of her military strength is already actually engaged in the conflict. Taking all things into consideration it is quite safe to say thai the first six months of the war have been decidedly in favour of the Entente Powers, and that their prospects for the future are much brighter than those of their enemies. The end is not yet in sight, but Britain and her Allies are absolutely determined to see the struggle through, and they have every reason to await the result with the utmost confidence.