PROGRESS OF THE WAR

Dominion, Volume 8, Issue 2467, 21 May 1915, Page 4

PROGRESS OF THE WAR

Several messages to-day deal with much later events at tho Dardanelles than the great buttle of a fortnight ago. which has been so ably described by Mit. Asiimead-Bartlett, but without showing definitely what progress has been made. A Press Bureau communication states that steady progress was made daily up to May 17, and on a single day half a mile of ground was gained, but it must be assumed that up to that date the Allies had not succeeded in Mirmounting Aclii Baba, the interior hill, some seven miles from the too of the Gallipoli Peninsula, which thoy set out to capture on May 6. The general position seems to be that the main body of tho Australians and New Zeala.nders, whose line of advance lies across the peninsula towards the northern end' of tho are more or less at a' standstill while the main attack is being pressed from, the south. On the basis of the present reports considerably more than half of that section of the peninsula which flanks tho Narrows, and the Strait further south, remains in the hands of the Turks. The conquest of the Narrows thus promises _to be a somewhat lengthy operation, but the conditions so clearly pictured by Mr. Bartlett leave no room for wonder at the comparatively slow progress made. On the contrary, only dogged valour and determination on the part of the troops engaged make progress possible against such defences a"s the Turks_ have prepared tinder the instructions of their German officers. A point may possibly be reached when the Turks will be taken between two fires and attacked simultaneously from north and south, but up to tho present their task is shown to be tho much simpler one of defending positions of onormous strength against frontal attack. Sudden and spectacular achievements by the attacking troops are not to be expected In fighting of thfs character, but the Imperial and colonial forces and their French Allies have done wonderfully well so far'and there is every indication that they are breaking down the Turkish defence much taster than could reasonably have been e&pected,

As yet no support or confirmation [ has been given in official messages to suggestions advanced from time to time in messages of unofficial origin that fighting has ocourred at points upon the Gallipoli Peninsula considerably north of the Narrows. So far as the official messages go the land campaign takes the -form of operations aiming at the occupation ot the peninsula southward from the head of the Narrows. It is indeed somewhat surprising that no attempt appears to have been made to capture _ and occupy the Isthmus of Bulair, the narrow ncck of land wholly commanded from the sea-, which connects the Gallipoli Peninsula with the mainland of Turkey in Europe. The limitations of the official messages do not, of course, necessarily imply that possible points of attack outside the section of the peninsula with which these messages deal are boing entirely neglected. At the same time as things stand there is a strong suggestion that tho campaign is heing conducted from the standpoint that the conquest of the Narrows is an end in itself not merely important, but vital. In the Gallipoli Peninsula, north -of tho Narrows, there aro nearly three hundred square miles' of hilly country affording doubtless m&riy positions as strong as those which are offering such serious hindrance to the Allied advance from the south. In one way or another this area, and the troops defending it, will have to be conquered before the Strait can be opened to commeroe, but it is far from certain that this will involve a continuance of such battles as are now being fought at the southern end of the peninsula.

A much more attractive alternative exists in the possibility that when the combined land and sea operations bave reduced the forts on both sides of the Narrows the Fleet may be able to force its way through the romaining scction of the Strait and across the Sea of Marmora to Constantinople It is true that a successful exploit of this nature, though it would involve the destruction of the remaining permanent fortifications, would leave the Turkish troops and mobile artillery occupying the greater part of the Gallipoli Peninsula unaccounted for. Tho Strait, though foroed by warships, would not on that account be open to the passage of transports and merchant ships. On the- other hand it is possible, at least, that such a stroke might accomplish ail that could be accomplished by months of hard fighting with land aiid sea operations going hand-in-haud in the gradual conquest of the Strait. In conjunction with tho military Occupation of tho Isthmus of Bulair, the naval conquest of the Strait would completely cut off the defenders of Gallipoli from_ their base of supply and this isolation would be a factor of no slight importance-in weakening the defence. Political, as well as military, considerations must be taken into account. In its immediate effect the appearance of tho. Allied Fleet before Constantinople woitld almost certainly be followed by the collapse of the Turkish power in Europe. With their seat of Government in the hands of the enemy the Turkish Armies in Gallipoli would find it necessary to, seriously consider the advisability of continuing their resistance. A good deal depends, of course, upon what Russia may bo able to accomplish in naval and land operations on the Black Sea coast, and, upon the ultimate decision of Bulgaria and other Balkan countries in reference to tho war. Meantime it is by no means certain that the effective forcing of the Dardanelles involves the slow and laborious coni|uest of the whole exteilL of llib Gallipoli Peninsula.

An Athens message declares that the Allies have occupied Kilid llalir, at Ihe southern end of the Narrows, on Ihe Kuropean side, and therefore at a considerable distance from tho points known, or likely (.0 have. been reached by (lie Australians anil New Zcalanclersi advancing from Gaba Te.pc, and the Anglo-French force advancing from the south. If there is any truth in the report it probably means a separate landing undor the ruus of the ij'lcet, but it

neods official confirmation. Such a landing would probably be much more difficult and hazardous than the lauding already effected.

The position of the contending armies in that section of the main Eastern theatre where for the time being tho supremo contest-is in progress is very clearly defined to-day. From Opatow, in Southern Poland, almost duo north of Tarnow, tho Russians occupy a zig-zag line, pursuing a generally south-easterly direction, across Middle and Eastern Galicia practically to the point at which the frontiers of Gahcia and Bukowina meet, 18 miles north of the Carpathians at the Jablonitza Pass. From this point the line turns east and a little_south across Bukowina. From point to point as tho crow flies, tho line from Southern Poland across Middle and Eastern Galicia is more than two Hundred miles long—much longer with its indentations—and across the northern end of Bukowina there is a further fighting front of over seventy miles. In its broad features the position disclosed is interesting. In Southern Poland tho Russians aro now posted aiiout 18 miles west of the Vistula (where that river runs north through Poland from the Galician frontier) having fallen back for nearly twice that distance. In Galioia tney have lost just about half of the enemy territory occupied at the height of their invasion, but the lost half includes a series of I passes and strongholds along tho Carpathians range which were gained at heavy cost during months of arduous oainpaigning. Apparently the Russians nearest point of approach to the Carpathians is inow. Delatyn. a town near the meetingpoint of Galicia- and Bukowina, 18 miles north of the main range. Delatyn stands upon a railway, running north from the Jablonitza Pass, which is linked up with lines intersecting both Bukowina and Galicia. In Bukowina only, the Russians have gained ground since the Austro-Ger-man offensive opened in the west, advancing at some points rather more than twenty miles to the south. At the eastern end of their lino they claim to hold Czernowitz, the capital of Bukowina, tthich is less than ten miles distant from Rumania at its northern extremity. Forty-five miles to tho west, the Russians are still mooting strong resistance at Kolomea, an important railway junction some miles further north than Czernowitz. * # * « It will be seen that as an effort to relieve the pressure upon the Aus-tro-German Armies defending tho line of the Carpathians the offensive launched a week or two ago in Western Galicia has been crowned for the time being with complete success. Besides losing the better half of their conquests in_ Galicia the Russians have been driven completely away from the mountain line and are now nowhere nearer than 18 miles to the main range.

Apart from details of the position reaohed a good deal of information is now available as to the means by which the Austro-Germahs have accomplished this great drive. It has already been stated that an enormous concentration of artillery, arid the use of gas, largely accounted for the displacement of the Russians from . their original lino in Western Galicia. -In addition the enemy have employed a force of enormous numerical strength. According to one message to-day, thirty-three Army . Corps—ten of them German—are attacking the Russians on the battle-front from Opatow to Kolomea, that is to say, from Southern Poland to Bukowina. Tio length of the front from Opatow to Kolomea is given as 200 milesj but its actual length is much greater. The thirty-three Army Corps of the enemy represent an aggregate strength of about 1,250,000 men, including some 400,000 Germans. The statement that tEe, battle which is beginning on the front indicated will tax Russian resources to the utmost seams to bo well within the facts. On the other hand, it is a remarkable tribute to the prowess and enterprise of the Russian Armies that tho Aiistro-Germans should have deemed such a tremendous effort necessary. Tho German policy of concentrating on a single front now seems to have gone, definitely overboard. Long .as it is, the front in Galicia and Bukowina_ is only about a third of the fighting front in the Eastern theatre as a whole, and Poland will not less demand the alert attention of the Germans while they are pressing the offensive in Galicia. Whether the Russians fare well or ill in battles of the immediate futu're it 's most unlikely that the Germans will find it possible to withdraw any portion of their Eastern Armies for service on the opposite front. At the same time the situation offers every incentive to the Western Allies to bring all possible pressure to bear upon the • enemy in France and Flanders in order to afford tho Russians a measure of relief.

At the moment, the Russians are being most heavily assaulted, on the River San, north from Przemysl, and on the line immediately south oE the fortress. Enemy messages claim that they have crossed the river, one Austrian official a-ccount naming Sieniava (twelve miles north of Jaroslav and 27. miles north of Przemysl) as the point at which the passage was forced. Petrograd reports make no reference to Sieiliava but describe a successful resistance at Jaroslav. The point will_ not long remain in doubt, for if the enemy have passed the. San a further Russia.n retreat will be inevitable. Determined efforts tu encin-' Przemysl from the south seem to have been decisively defeated, find all along the line to the south and east the Russians report beating off attacks.

One Russian message speaks, somewhat vaguely as to location, of an offensive on the left bank of the Vistula, resulting in the capture of three thousand prisoners. This probably relates to the section of. the Polish front west and north of Warsaw. For months past the opposing armies have been stationary on a front, thirty miles west of_ Warsaw, running south from the Vistula. _ A Russian counter-stroke in this region might compel the Germans to draw heavily ■ upon their forces in Galicia to meet it, but the report qtiotcd is too vagiio to base any very definite opinion upon.

Unofficial predictions of an impending Genua 11 retreat 011 the Western lino, supplemented by a slory from Paris that I lie Germans arc compelling the destruction of corncrops in the. Northern French Departments which they had theihselves sown arid hoped 1.6 reap, probably reflect rather a. rising spirit of optimism where the prospects of tho Allies axe oouccl'ued than actual mil".

itary developments. Official reports point to a momentary lull in the battle in Northern France, due mainly to a spell of wet and foggy weather. Claims by the enemy tnafc they have made progress north of Ypres and repulsed British attacks south of Neuve Chapelle and French attacks further south, are in conflict with French reports stating that the Allies have made progress in the two first-named areas.