PROGRESS OF THE WAR.

Dominion, Volume 8, Issue 2397, 1 March 1915, Page 4

PROGRESS OF THE WAR.

There is good news, to-day, and from various quarters. First of all the Russians, retreating from East Prussia, have not only checked the German onslaught at a point about 50 miles' to the north of Warsaw, but have inflicted what would seem to be a heavy defeat on the advancing Germans. Another cheering item is the news of the success of tjie Anglo-French Fleet in its operations against the Dardanelles, several forts being, demolished with a comparatively trifling loss to tbe attacking fleet. From France and Belgium also reports are favourable, and finally, if no news is good news, then, at time of writing, there is nothing new to hand concerning successful operations by German submarines. ' •

■»* » * Foe the moment the outstanding feature of the situation is tie German defeat at Przasnysz. It has co'me at a time when the tension regarding the -progress of events in the Eastern theatre oi war was becoming strained. The news of the Russian retreat from East Prussia at first was regarded as but an incident in the struggle. But as the da.ys passed and stories of .Russian losses we're supported by intelligence of an ever-advancing mass of German troops crowding across the frontier into West Russia and Northern Poland, it looked as though , the Gkand Duke Nicholas might, after all, have been caught .napping and hia northern lines of communication seriously imperilled. But history has oncc move repeated itself. A Russian retreat before a German offensive has been turned into a. i counter-offensive. So it has been in. this region from the outset. ■ The tide of battle has flowed backward and forward, but with each change the Russians have succeeded in gaining ground when the first fury of the German onslaught has spent itself. Doubt seems to have existed as to .whether the German advance through East Prussia on the pre-i-sent occasion was merely a. feint to I cover a more important movement elsewhere or a movement in force against tho Russian lines of communication north and east of Warsaw, which is at"present the nervecentre of the Russian operations, it would appear to be fairly certain now that whatever may have been tho original intention on the part of the_ German Commander-in-Chief the initial, success met with has been .pressed home until it developed into a very serious attack along the whole of the Russian lines to the east and south, east : of East Prussia.

*. * * * The Russians, as reported some day 3 ago, have been falling back on a fortified line some miles back on tho Russian side of the East Prussian frontier. It is there that they are making their stand, and it is there,, at one part of a line some hundred odd miles in length, that they have turned and struck this latest great blow. It is impossible to tell from the news yet to hand how great or far-reaching this victory now recorded is or may prove to be. It is sufficient that at one .of tho most,vital of the German points, of attack in North Poland the Germans have been driven back with heavy losses of men, guns, and supplies. Elsewhere further to the north-east where the liue swings round into West Russia tho German offensive has also been checked and it would now seem probable that the Germans have reached the limit of their advance, in this region and. will ultimately be forced to fall back as they did after a similar advance in Poland some weeks ago.

In Central Poland there is little to record st the moment, but in GaJicia tho fighting continues.

Broadly speaking tho position in the Eastern theatre of war is that the Austro-German forces are attacking the flanks of the tremendously long line of Russian forces stretching from the Niemcn in the North to the Carpathians in the south. By means of their great mobility the. attackers had scored some success until tho present check occurred. The Grand Duke Nicholas in all probability will be content to act on the defensive until the Allies in the west make their big effort which may be expected at any time within the next few- weeks. He can afford to bide his time; the Cerman Com-mander-in-Chief cannot In such circumstances v/e may expect to hear of further tremendous German losses_ in attacks on the fortified positions now occupied by the Tsar's troops—losses entirely disproportionate to any gain that may result. * it * *

The attack on the Dardanelles is being pressed home in a manner which suggests that the end in view has a vitally important bearing on the war. It is against the teachings of experts in war to pit war vessels against land fortresses, and in tacking; the forts guarding the pas'sage of the Dardanelles and risking the dangers of floating mines the Anglo-French fleet has been "taking chances" only warranted if some big pnd is to be served thereby. It is of course obvious that the opening of the narrow waterway to the Black Sea would be of immense value to. the Allies, especially in view of the enormous quantities of Enssiangr'own grain it would release for distribution. But the moral effect on the Turks would also be tremendous, for Constantinople would be practically at the mercy of the Allies. A message to-day states that f;he Turks are, very downhearted and expect the Allies to take the city. If Russia and her Allies should succeed in gaining control of the con-: necting link between the Black Sea and the Mediterranean, then there are all sorts of possibilities, as well as the certainty of . releasing the wheat locked up in Russian ports. * * * * So it is that _ the Anglo-French fleet is taking risks and battering away at the Turkish forts guarding the passage of' tho Dardanelles, and slowly but in a very thorough arid workmanlike fashion pounding its way forward. So far the work has been accomplished with hardly any loss at all. When the.forts within range are silenced, vessels go out from the fleet and clear the waters of mines, and then the battle fleet mo'ves forward and tackles the next lot of forts. According to to-day's messages some of the vessels of the fleet are now four miles up the straits, which, in view of the fact that the .passage is about 47 miles long ; may seem but a small part of the journey. It would appear, however, that a number of the stronger forts have now been disposed of, and though the progress throughout must necessarily be slow on account of the dangers from mines and the necessity of thoroughly clearing the way 1 , it should not do many days at the present rate of progress ere the fleet steams into the more open waters of the Sea of Marmora. After that the Turkish fleet and Constantinople. * * * * Perhaps the most striking item today in. the news relating to'the fighting in the West is the recourse by the Germans to a new element of de-

struction —liquid fire. The story seems at first sight far-fetched, but the Germans apparently have invented some device for throwing an inflammable liquid into the French trenches. Possibly it is merely some new form of bomb which scatters broadcast showers"of burning liquid. In anj ejr-a :t appears to have served its purpose for tie moment, the French troops being forced to leave their trench. A counter-attack, however, regained the lost ground, and the Germans were badly punished. The reports generally regarding the position in France and Belgium are quite satisfactory. In the Argonno and thereabouts some distinct successes wero scored vy the Allies.

It is now stated that the Ger.mans have-solved the food problem by the discovei-y of a new form of nourishment which is extracted from straw. Modern science has achieved such wonders that it would not be quite safe to say that. the newlyinvented "extract of straw" only exists in the imagination of some Berlin who desires, to make :the world believe that the economic pressure exerted by the British Navy is not so deadly as is generally supposed. There may be an element of fact in the story, but it is fairly safe to discount it very liberally. That Germany is in desperate need of fresh sources of food supply is amply proved by the stringent measures which the authorities have taken to prevent famine. A pja-card I recently issued by the municipality lof Charlottenburg, a residential suburb of Berlin, calls upon the people to be sparing with bread, arid notvt-o reject a piece of bread merely because it is stale. "Do not," says the placard, "cut a single slice more than you want to eat. The people are requested to buy "war bread" (a mixture of potato and other | flour), and now that "war bread" is ' getting scarce they may soon have to eat the new "straw bread." In discussing the position in the Reforme. Economique on tho basis of the admissions of German economists, M. Jdles Domekque remarks that Germany has an annual deficit of fifty-three million quintals of wheat, which means that the exist ing stock at the_ beginning of the war would provide only sufficient food for the Empire for about eight and a half months. He declares that Germany must soon be in the position of a beleaguered fortress.

Feeling in Italy regarding the war has become intense. Pro-war /and anti-war meetings are becoming common and disorders appear to be increasing. Norway, too, is reported to be growing restless as the result of the off-handed manner in which Germany, seems inclined to treat her protests in connection with the sinking of. a Norwegian vessel, and Germany's general attitude towards neiitrais. America is said to be' mobilising her fleet, while her navy yards are working at full pressure. The neutral nations threatened by Germany's ruthless methods may find it increasingly difficult to avoid becoming embroiled. ■