PROGRESS OF THE WAR.

Dominion, Volume 8, Issue 2404, 9 March 1915, Page 4

PROGRESS OF THE WAR.

Bid happenings are lacking in today's news, but the situation in all quarters continues favourable. From France comes the usual budget of minor happenings, of attacks and counter-attacks, each of which may mean much or little. We cannot pretend to judge of their effect on the general scheme of operations, but the balance is distinctly on the side of the Allies. A writer in the London Spectator compares the operations in France to an evenly-contest-ed football scrum, with neither side gaining any appreciable advantage, yet with all the possibilities of one side or the other ultimately gaining an ascendancy which may suddenly lead to the scattering of its opponents. Tie Allies, it is suggested, are gradually working into position to secure an ascendancy which will force the enemy to break ground en, masse. At present there is nothing to lead to the opinion that the German forces are breaking ground at any vital point, and until that happens there is' little hope . of any general movement from their existing position. It is siege warfare, and with the forces fairly evenly matched progress must lie slow.

The struggle in the Dardanelles continues to be full of interest. While it appears to be . now taken for granted that the Anglo-French fleet will win through to Constantinople, the task continues to present formidable obstacles. Quite the most remarkable feature of the bombardment to date is the news which reaches us to-day of the Queen Elizabeth bombarding the forts on the Asiatic or southern side of the Dardanelles from the Gulf of Saros. This means that the_ great battleship with her huge 15-inch guns is firing right across the Isthmus of Gallipoli and the Dardanelles themselves, a distance of from 12 to 15 miles. The forts at which she is aiming are quite out of sight, and her firo would be directed by seaplanes or by wireless from the warships in the Dardanelles,'"which are also engaged bombarding other forts. It is another illustration of the tremendous revolution in the weapons of warfare and the powers of modern gunnery. The Queen Elizabeth would be quite free from any danger from the forts she is engaged in demolishing. Though her gunners cannot see them they are a fixed target, whereas she is not only out of sight of the forts, but even if hor position were signalled to the forts she is probably beyond range of their guns, and in addition is no doubt constantly moving backwards and forwards. * * * • The descriptive aocount of the earlier bombardments of the Turkish positions which we are given this morning assists to give us some idea of the difficulties experienced by the Allied Fleet,_ and also of the daring of the Admiral and officers. Apart from the forts themselves, the Turks have many ; guns concealed in earthworks, and these, are probably quite as dangerous and much more difficult to dispose of than the guns in the forts. Apparently they have not been replying to the fire of the warships—presumably awaiting an opportunity at close range—ana in consequence have been difhcult to locate. To overcome this drawback, the Allies have sent., in some of their vessels right under the guns of the forts, ana thus drawn the fire of the concealed guns, whioh, once disclosed, wore promptly _ subjected to a hail of shells. It is a daring and risky method, but it appears to have been attended with marked suocess. Constantinople is said to be in a ferment over the .prospect of the Allied Fleet forcing its way into the Sea of Marmora, and a general uprising against the Christians is feared. There is good reason for alarm, and the Germans in the capital are just as likely to .suffer as anyone else. It is probable that it will be some time—possibly weeks—before the fleet gets through the Dardanelles, and in the meantime the defences of Constantinople will have been strengthened against aKack by both land and sea. Once the fleet gets within range of the forts guarding the city, however, the task of subduing them should not be very great. It will be a more difficult undertaking to overcome the military forces by land, unless Russia is in a position to. attack from the east.

The Kino op Greece would seem to be out of sympathy with, his people in his attitude towards the war. He has fallen out with his Prime Minister,, who believes it is in the interests of Greece that she should join with the Allies, and it is plain from the attitude of the Grecian Parliament and the demonstra-

tions of the people that His Majesty is on the unpopular side. French, opinion as the result of recent developments at Athens inclines to the. view that the entry of Greece into the war has only been delayed by the King's action, and that Greece will eventually join the Allies. This seems very probable, but Greece could be very useful if she came in at once. Her army is quite a good one, and she could overrun Turkey in the west, and materially assist the Allies in the movement now being directed against the Ottoman Empire. With the Turks driven out of' Europe, the position of Greece would be greatly improved, and_ should 6he assist in that task she will have special claims to consideration on the day of settlement.

A STEiKiNO testimony to the success of the Russian forces in tie region of the Carpathians is' the announcement to-day that the AustroHungarian Army in Bukowina is in full retreat. It was at this point a week or two ago that the Russians, who had advanced through Bukowina well down the Russian frontier, were compelled to retire before a superior force of Austro-Hungar-ian troops. Simultaneously vigorous attacks were made on the Russian positions at various points along the Carpathians further to tho west, and the Russian retirement in Bukowina no doubt necessitated a backward movement of tho forces so threatened. But the position has now completely changed. With the retirement of tho Austro-Hungarian troops in Bukowina, and the rapid re-entry of tho Russians into this .region, the effect should be felt all along the line, and at any time now we may hear of a further Russian advance in Galicia. Meanwhile we have no news as to what lias been' happening at Przcmysl, tho strongly fortified town in Galicia which has been besieged, or rather masked, by the Russians for many weeks past. The recent onslaughts of the Austrians by way of the Carpathians threatened at one stage to compel the Russians to raise the siego of J'rzeuu'sli but (hat danger has now

passed. The probabilities point to interesting developments in this region. The Russians have a direct incentive to press forward here in order to cripple Germany's supplies of oil, which are drawn largely from Western Galicia and Rumania. A shortage of petrol would be a terrible handicap for Aflstro-German fighting maohines.

Apart from " further successes in the North, where the Russians appear to be driving home their advantage over the Germans along the Niemen and to the north of Prasnysz, there is a hint to-day of developments in Central Poland which may prove of much A great battle is said to be developing near the Pilica River. This may mean that the Germans having failed od both flanks are now attempt-, ing an offensive movement near the centre; or it may be that the Russians, following up their successes on the flanks, have made a further move towards the German frontier by way of South-West Poland. Probably the latter is the case. We have had hints lately of a forward move along the whole of the Russian line, and probably that is what is now taking place.

* * # * In what is regarded as an officially inspired article, a Hamburg newspaper reviews the position of Germany at the present stage of the war, and discourses from the German point of view on what lies ahead.' England is the enemy to lie fearod. The British soldier, we are told, is recognised by German military authorities as an adversary to be taken seriously; England in all her wars has fought with persistence and endurance; England, if successful in the present struggle, will see to it that Germany is crushed or crippled for a century,'and so on. All tnis to fill the German people with hatred of Britain.' and with a proper recognition 01 the tremendous nature of the issues at stake, and the necessity for any sacrifice, however great, to secure victory. And by way of encouragement, the Germans are told of the unyielding nature of' their own forces in the West and the possibilities of bombarding Dover and the surrounding country from Calais— when the German Army reaches that point. The article is of interest chiefly as showing that it is now openly admitted in Germany that whatever sacrifices have been made in the past, still greater will be required in the future if success is to be attained; and that Britain, instead of being the negligible quantity amongst the enemies of the Fatherland, is the Powet to be most feared.