PROGRESS OF THE WAR

Dominion, Volume 8, Issue 2426, 3 April 1915, Page 6

PROGRESS OF THE WAR

Pursuing their oareer of murder and piracy, Germdn submarines have made some additions to their list of victims during the last day or two, but have not themselves gone scatheless. One of their number is reported to have been sunk by a French cruiser near Dieppe, while others have been successfully bombarded by an Allied airman at Zeebruggc. In addition, another visit has been paid by an airmaii to the submarine con-struction-yard at Hoboken, near Antwerp, and as at Zcebruggee, a considerable amount of damage appears to have been done. There is also a semi-official report that the Russians, presumably in the Baltic, battered four _ German submarines while "nullifying" 19 submarine _ attacks, but this calls for confirmation. Setting aside doubtful stories, however, it is evident that Germany, quite apart ■ from any question of morality> has little cause to be satisfied with the development of her so-, called blockade policy. Ruthlessly as they have carried out their mission, the submarines have failed hopelessly and to strike any crippling blow at British trade, and meantime' their number is being steadily lessened.

If it is serving no other purpose, Germany's sea policy of murder and piracy is at least assisting to educate the public opinion of neutral nations moro .effectively than even greater crimes in her land campaigns have done. Several of these nations have accepted the destruction of their ships by German submarines as an accident of war, and have been content to seek redress in compensation, but now that the indiscriminate destruction of ships has given place to cold-bloodcd murder a very different spirit has been awakened. So much may be judged from the references in American and Scandinavian newspapers, extracts from which are contained in to-day's cablegrams. They servo at least to emphasise tho fact that Germany is committed to courses which make friendly relations with _ her impossible to any self-respecting nation.

* * • * * Apart from general considerations based upon regard for the laws of humanity and civilisation and detestation, of the fashion in which Oeruiuay hiis broken. Ihcrn, neutral ua,<

tions have an immediate practical interest in tlie submarine atrocitics. This is exemplified in the coutcntion of the Aew lork Tribune that tho United States is bound to hold Germany accountable for the death of Mb. Leon Thrasher, an American citizen, who was one of the 111 victims in the Falaba. Such a contention may run counter to the policy of avoiding entanglements hitherto so scrupulously observed by the Democratic Government of the United States, but it is none the less incontestable. The alternative would be to admit that the United" States is impotent to protect the lives of its citizens, and is prepared to tamely acquiesce in their murder.

Though hard pressed in tho Carpathians, tho Austrians have at one point scored a minor success by a sudden incursion into Russian territory, which recalls the enterprising but risky raids frequently mads by mobile Russian troops along th« northern frontier of East Prussia. The • scene of the Austrian exploit, however, is at the other extremity of the Eastern battle-line. From Ozernowitz, in B'ukowina, near tho south-eastern corner of Galicia, an Austrian force has advanced into the neighbouring Russian government of Bessarabia. It is admitted that the Russians, probably a small force, were driven Lack with heavy loss, and the invaders are said to be advancing on Chotin, a fortified town fivo miles_ from the Galician frontier, and thirty miles north-east of their base at Czernowitz. Tho incident must probably be set down as a daring but unimportant raid, with little bearing upon the main campaign. All available information goes to show that the Austrians are being steadily pushed back before a Russian offensive directed against the principal passes of the Carpathians, and failure to hold these gateways will necessarily be follow-' ed by a Russian invasion of Hungary. In the circumstances the Austrians cannot afford to waste much strength in attempting an invasion of Russia, which in any case will doubtless be met and stemmed by reserve forces long before it. has achieved any useful result.

Incidental mention of Czernowitz as the base from which the Austrians advanced into Bessarabia shows that the Russians have' again been compelled to evacuate Bukowina. Early in the year they'occupied practically tho whole of this crownland, which dips south from the eastern end of Galicia, between Rumania in the east and the Carpathians on tho west. Subsequently they were driven back into Galicia, but by a counteroffensive regained the northern part of Bukowina, including the capital, Czernowitz. This place being now again in Austrian hands the present Russian line must leave the Carpathians in Eastern Galicia and bend ba.ck to meet tho Russian frontier at some point north of its junction with the frontier of Rumania.

Although they have thus resigned a certain amount of territory to tho enemy at the eastern extremity of their battle-line it does not follow that the Russians have encountered any serious reverse in this quarter. Their invasion of Bukowina was probably inspired in the first instance by a desire to afford Rumania facilities for entering the war rather than by any strategical necessity. Rumania having made it apparent that she preferred meantime to maintain her neutrality it was quite in keeping with Russian practice to fall back before the enemy, leading him into territory where ho could bo easily held in cheek. The Austrian raid into Bessarabia is not likely to seriously disturb this policy.

Resigning Bukowina and a small portion of south-eastern Galicia, the Russians still retain practically the whole of the Galician railway system including the all-important main lines which traverse the country from east, to west and the,several crosscountry railways which run south from these trunk lines to connect with the_ Hungarian railways at the Carpathians. Holding these railways they are free to pursue at onca their western _ advance towards Cracow and Silesia and their offensive in the Carpathians, which aims at the invasion of Hungary. The principal task of the Austrian army is to hold the passes along a mountain front of a hundred miles or more extending from Western Galicia almost to Bukowina. If they are defeated on this line, as now seems practically inevitable, minor successes in Biikowina, or even in the neighbouring Russian territory of Bessarabia, will bo a very poor compensation.

Comparatively few events in the Western theatre are recorded to : day, but the Allied airmen appear 'to have been active along a great part of the front in bombarding German concentrations and so hindering and hampering tho work of bringing up reinforcements. According to a London Times correspondent, there has been little change of late towards the eastern end of tho battle-line from St. Mihiel (south of Verdun) to the Vosges, but an official message reports a keenly-contested battle at the Lc Pretre Wood, which is situated on the Lorraine border, opposite St. Mihiel. The Allies captured a section of trenches, and though they were temporarily dislodged by a desperate German counter-attack from a portion of the ground gained, they ultimately recovered it and made good their conquest. An American Associated Press message furnishes detail confirmation of the .claim recently advanced in tho French review of the war that the Germans' policy of obstinate counter-attacks is costing them dear, and that thoir "wastage" is at least double that of tho Fl'ench. Eleven thousand German dead, it is stated, wero found in a sc'ction of trenchcs capturcd in the Champagne district, indicating a total casualty roll on this occasion of 50,000. Presumably this relates to a battle on a limited front, and it serves to explain the fact that the Allies are apparently quite content to continue the conflict on lines of siege warfare meantime, whilo making their preparations for a grand offensive.

While tho French hfl-vo gained a firm footing on the eastern fringe of the Vosgcs, in Southern Alsace they have not yet succeeded in nenetrating the mountain valleys debouching on the northern part of the province, and it is reported to-day that the Germans havo poured fifty thousand troops into these northern valleys and that the French are finding great clifticultv in resisting their advance. An enforced retreat in this quarter might very seriously delay the development ol Hie Allies' plan of campaign, for tho occupation of Alsacc is an essential preliminary to operations on a greater seals further ttOl'U- • •