PROGRESS OF THE WAR

Dominion, Volume 8, Issue 2459, 12 May 1915, Page 4

PROGRESS OF THE WAR

Highly , important developments on the Western front are reported to-day. Still heavily attacked on their line in Flanders, the Allies are attacking in their turn in Northern France. The leading facte supplied in recent dispatches suggest that thej' 1.-vo done so with a good deal of success, their assault being rewarded with gains whioh may possibly prove to be more important than any secured by the Germans in their smashing stroke at the Yser line a week or two ago. The latest official reports show that although the ; Germans are_ still incurring heavy losses in their efforts to how a road to the coast through Bel-: gium, they have effected no appreciable advance since the first fury of their onset abated. It is stated by Sir John French that throughout last week the line east of Yprcs remained substantially as it was at the beginning of the week. The enemy attacked heavily and suffered heavy losses, bnt reaped no corresponding advantage. Indeed,' the partial recovery of Hill 60 (south-east of Yprcs), achieved by smothering 'the position in poison clouds, appears to nave been the sum total of nis success.

A somewhat lengthy silence concerning thp northern end of the Flanders front, where it runs out to the coast, is broken to-day with the announcement that a series of German attacks on Lombaertzyde (on the coast, north of Nieuport) have been beaten.oft", and,that the French have captured a fortified farm east of St. Georges, a place which itself lies one mileeast of Nieuport' It is perhaps because of the check in this locality that the Germans have renewed • their long-range bombardment of Dunkirk, to the extent of firing two big shells.

While the Germans "in Flanders are apparently pouring out their strength in vain assaults upon a stable and stoutly-defended line, a very different state of affairs is reported in that section of Northern France which' lies immediately south of the Flanders borders. The principal stronghold of the Germans in this region is Lille, which covers their line of communications along the Meuse _ and the flank of their battle-line in Flanders. Lille in its turn is protected to an extent by La Bassee, a strongly fortified position ten miles to the south-west. Frontal attacks on La Bassee, which is located in the midst of a densely congested manufacturing district, have hitherto made slow progress, and for many weeks the British forces have been almost stationary about a couple of miles to the west. Their advance is hindered by a range of brickfields and similar obstructions to freedom of movement which enemy is able to turn to useful account. In spite of the check at this point, however, the Allies are closing in upon Lille both, north and Eouth of La Bassco. The British made a big step forward at Neuve Chapelle, which lies about four miles north of La Bassee, and more recently they were reported to be gaining ground in the valley of the Uivor Ljs (on the Franco-Belgian border), in the region of Armentieres and Houplines, north-west of Lille. The latest a-ccounts show them again advancing on a wide front west of Lille, extending on either side of Neuve Ch&pallo. On this line their prinoipal, advanoe so far haa been made due west of Lille, and north and east of La Bassee. • Meantime, south of La Bassee, and on the approach to Lille from the south and west, the French have bitten deeply into the German line. A Paris communique to-day states that French have maintained their important gains on this section of tho iront, The gains, as reported yesterday, consist of two, and in somo places three, lines of strongly fortified German trenches/along a front of four miles. A German official message denies in set terms that any ground whatever has been lost in this region. * * * * In its wording'and general character this German message strongly suggests an attempt to cover up unpalatable facts. The denial of any gain by the Allies follows upon a somewhat laboured explanation that their assault is intended as a reply to the German succcss in Galicia, and that the. Allies have employed in the assault four fresh army corps, besides the olcl troops on this section of the line. There is no reason to suppose that the Berlin report is of later date than tho explicitlyworded dispatches in which the British Commander-in-Chief and the French Headquarters have reported the successful assault, and this seems to be pre-eminently a case in which the German story may safely be set asidfc. * * * * As they stand, tho British and French official reports aro full of promise of a powerful and sustained assault on a vital section of tlio German line. Even the German message of contradiction, with its statement that, the Allies have brought up four fresh army corps, is encouraging. In this particular it may bc-aeccpted as unprejudiced evidence that the Alilinush p.rg admittedly figbtinx a lurei dofcasivs h&ttlc in

Flanders, are able at the same time to assemble strong forces for an offensive upon another section of tho line. As it is developing the assault west and south-west of Lille seems to open up a prospect that tho awkward obstacle of La Basp.ee, which at present juts wedge-fashion into the Allied line, may Be overcome by outflanking it on north and south, and that similar tactics may be ultimately applied to tho reduction of Lille itself. It is not to be expected that an enterprise of this magnitude should move smoothly forward to its appointed end, but it can hardly be doubted that it has now been seriously undertaken upon a scale not hitherto attempted. As -yet the British and French offioial accounts tell the story of the assault, so far as it has developed, only in bare outline. though clearly. Obviously, however, the ground already gained canhave been gained only at the cost of extremely neavy fighting and whatever the developments of the immediate future may be it is a distinctly encouraging sign that the Allies should be able to launch an attack upon so great a scale while still grappling with the offensive from which the Germans have not yet desisted ni Flanders.

Late news tells of a great blaze of preparation and achievement on the Western front. The Germans arc preparing for. another offensive against Ypres, and are massing reinforcements all along the line. It ia stated also that thoy have assembled 100 new Krupp guns.in rear at a point whence they can be quickly rushed to the place where they are most required. Other messages, howeverj more than confirm what has been said about the importance of the offensive opened by the Allies further south. There is a brief but vivid description of a great British assault towards La Bassee, and of the Allied offensive, which has opened on a twonty-five mile front, (north and south of La Basse!;), striking at the German communications. As events are shaping, it seems hot unlikely that the ambitions German preparations for another stroke in Flanders may have to be diverted presently to' stiffen' the defence of Lille and the neighbouring line. It is : at anyrate clear that tho fighting so far reported in this region is the beginning only of a great battle,- which is still developing, and that the German line is menaced as it has never been before.

There is a certain amount of detail news to-day of operations at the Dardanelles, but little definite light is thrown upon the progress of the campaign. A dispatch from the Daily Chronicle's Dardanelles correspondent mentions that the Australians and New Zealar.ders are firmly posted on ridges inland from Gaba Tepe, where they landed, but without showing how far inland they have penetrated. Mention in this, connection, however, of the fact that Maidos was burning on Thursday last suggests that the guns of the colonial forces already command the European shore of the Strait. For the-rest ,the correspondent reports a Fleet bombardment of the forts as far as Nagara, but without making such sweeping claims as to results as have been made in some recent unofficial messages of Greek origin. * .* * ' *

While the world is still ringing with-the story of the Lusitania, news comes of another German infamy no less horrible. An explicit charge is laid against the armies led by the Prince of Bavaria that- British prisoners of war have been tortured and murdered under circumstances so frightful that they will scarcely bear description. Forty British soldiers were burned alive. Others were stood up one by one as targets for .recruits, (and murdered _in cold blood. Evidence is furnished in support of the chirges; and on this evidence these foul crimes have been committed, not by underlings, but by the authority and under the eyes of tlie Bavarian headquarters staff. It seems incredible, but the evidence comeß through official spuroes, and must be considered to'have /soma foundation. As a revelation -of criminal ferocity this murdering and torturing of brave enemies, many of them wounded men, is unequalled in the annals of civilised warfare.

A number of messages to-day deal in some detail with the battle in Western Galicia, but without definitely clearing up the situation. Broadly, the Russians admit a considerable retirement at the northern end of their line, but not tho corresponding loss of."ground further south .which would entail the loss of the Dukla Pass. Much moro ambitious claims are made in Austro-German messages, including a Russian retirement from the mountain line as far east as, the Uszok Pass. An unofficial message from Petrograd 1 asserts that the Russians, though driven back and soreV tried, still hold an effective line across Western Galicia. ''The actual position, thus ■remains to some extent in doubt.

Doubts regarding the fate of Libaii are settled by a Russian official admission that the place'bias been occupied by the Germans, who were permitted to enter almost unopposed. It must bo assumed that Germans are masters meantime of' the fortress and naval harbour of Libau as well as the town. The position thus disclosed is at first sight somewhat startling, but the Russians have never allowed regard for the inviolability of their own territory to interfere with their general strategical plans, and presumably Libau has been temporarily abandoned to the enemy because the forces that would have been required to hold it can be more usefully employed elsewhere. Libau is the most southerly of the Russian naval ports on the Baltic, and the only one which remains ice-free during the winter. Apparently, howover, it is too exposed to be used, in existing circumstances, as a basofor any portion of the Russian Fleet. The naval - position in the Baltic is not very clearly defined, but a number of recent-reports have indicated that German squadrons are able to cruise at will even into its northern areas. Submarines, of which the Russians possess a strong flotilla,. apparently do not greatly hamper their movements. In these circumstances any section of the Russian Fleet stationed at Libau would be in constant jeopardy, and tho Russians have probably withdrawn their ships to the stronger naval harbours further north.

Though they have allowed Libatt to fall into the haucis of the oncinv, the Russians, are not neglccting the Gornian land forces whicli lately invaded the inland country west of Libau, cutting some of the railways to the coast. An official message from Pclroerad declaims that tlioso forces (which appear to consist large- & f? cftvjilrjO nave been heavily dofe&teckj»ve>:4 tijouasuicU taken

prisoner, and arc being hotly pursued towards their own frontier. This may be accepted as an amplification of the German admission, published yesterday, that in face of stronger llussian forces their "detachments" at Mitau, 80 miles east of Libau, had withdrawn. The Russian message indicates that the withdrawal has already carried the enemy over a homeward distance of mors than 60 miles, and that they have been dislodged from the Shavli region (60 miles north of' East Prussia), where there is a junction of the Libau-Dvinsk and Libau-Vilna railways. _ The German land operations in this inland region seem to resolve themselves into a cavalry raid in moderate force, but the position on the coast at Libau leaves a great deal to be explained.