PROGRESS OF THE WAR

Dominion, Volume 8, Issue 2472, 27 May 1915, Page 4

PROGRESS OF THE WAR

Though they hold out no promise of sensational victories in the immediate future, the latest Allied reports from tho two main theatres consist mostly of distinctly good news. _ The llussians report of the campaign in Galicia that the enemy has been reduced to the defensive along the greater part of the front on which he has lately been recklessly pouring out his strength in furious attacks. Recent fighting in the Western theatre has been upon a less impressive scale than the great conflict in Galicia, but hero also the indications are hopeful. Not only arc tho Allies ablo to chronicle an almost continuous succession of gains in their assaults upon the German line in 'Northern France, but the enemy have been very definitely cheeked in their efforts to retaliate by similar tactics in Flanders. It is true that not many clays ago the British lost some trenches east of Ypres, of which a portion have not been recovered, but there is no son to suppose that the loss is serious. Such as it is, the loss is indeed comparatively insignificant in face of the scale upon which the Germans prepared and pressed their attack. Sir John French states in his report that the amount of poisonous gas used by the enemy.exceeded that used on the previpus occasion (presumably tho attack on the Yser front some weeks ago, when a short section of the Allied line was pressed back for two miles or more, to the Yser Canal, and at one or two points beyond it). In the later attack gas was discharged from cylinders along a front of five miles, and in addition the Allied trenches were bombarded for five hours with shells containing gas. The resultwas that a poison cloud, in places forty feet high, £wept forward from* 1 the German to tho Allied line. The creation of such a pall of drifting death must have exceeded German expectations, hut the ultimate fruits were meagre. In places, the British Commander-in-Chief is able to report, the line remained intact. This is conclusive proof that the German gains at other points must have been slight. Otherwise there would, of necessity, have been a general retirement.

Clearly, this story of the latest and most ambitious effort of tho Germans to profit by the use of the dastardly weapon which it is their shame to have introduced into modem war, is in the last analysis the story of a gigantic failure. Used in earlier attacks, against an unsuspecting enemy, poisonous gas proved itself a most effective agent. Its use all but enabled the Germans to gain their end of breaking a road to the coast. The circumstances of tho more recent attack suggest that poisonous gas has very largely lost its terrors, and that the Germans arc unlikely, now that the first surprise has passed, to profit to any material extent by its use.

Available details of tho AngloFrench offensive in Northern Franco show that the attackers are making steady though slow progress into the German lines. Striking forward from l'Vslubcrt, a couple of miles west and north of La Bassee, the British are making determined efforts to work round that stronghold ou the north. The. principal area of French activity, meantime, is on the approach to Lens, a railway junction eight miles south of La I'assee, ami about, midway between that place and Arraj, the southern limit of tho present attacking front. Having caplured a series of fortified positions at Notre Hamc de Lorelle and oilier places in the vicinity Ihe French are now within about live mile*, of Lens, 011 tin: cast. They rnpori 10-da.\ further important .ii'cc".:/-nn a narrow front southeast of Lens.

J.N the main Eastern theatre various sections of the long battle-front are beginning to conic again into prominence after a period of deadlock, but the vital conflict is still being fought out in Galicia, along the lliver San and on the line which sweeps east ancl south from a point south of Przemysl, through Eastern Galicia to Bukowina. Here, as has been said, the Russians claim that they have definitely arrested the German offensive. Many of the place names mentioned are apparently those of obscure villages, not shown on available maps, but broadly the Russians state that in addition to checking the enemy practically along the whole line they have gained an important victory on the banks of the Dniester, east and south of Przemysl, capturing over two thousand prisoners, dozens of machine-guns, and a great quantity of war material. As the Russians tell the story, details of fighting elsewhere relate mainly to attacks and attempted attacks by the enemy which were uniformly repulsed. The Russian reports are in part contradicted by a German communique., which asserts that General Mackensen has reopened the attack north of Przemysl, with complete success, capturing strong positions and inflicting heavy losses upon the Russians, including the capture of 21,000 prisoners. '

With this conflict of evidence, it is a matter of awaiting developments. One side or the other is resorting to falsehood, but as affairs stand in Galicia the campaign should soon take_ a definite turn which it will be impossible to conceal. Meantime there is strong reason to hope that the true story will prove to Co the one told by the Russians. The hope is justified alike by what is known of the immediate circumstances of the Galician campaign and by more general considerations. It has been demonstrated that the Germans freely' attempt .to cover up the truth with falsehoods when there is an end to be served— and at the moment they are no doubt very anxious to make a suitablo impression upon Rumania and other wavering neutral countrieswhile the Russians,' though they do not always disclose unpalatable facts, havo usually found the alternative in reticence or in complete silence. It is always a good sign when they tell a detailed story of developing victory, as they do in the present instance. As regards the Galician campaign, the Russians have admitted the heavy defeats which accompanicd their retirement to the line they now hold. On the other hand, the statement of the German communique, that the attack has been "reopened'' north of Przemysl, is an admission that a check was sustained on that section of the front against which the principal thrust of their offensive was directed. Their aim was to drive the Russians back as far as possible, and the Russian stand upon the lino of the San was a definite chock. It cannot bo doubted that the Russians havo kept this line intact for several days, and on available evidence it is moro likely that they are now thrusting back tho enemy than that the Germans are on the eve of again sweeping forward as they did from Western Galicia. .

Somewhat similar considerations extend to the minor campaign in the Baltic Provinces, north of East Prussia. The llussians state that in this region they aro comfortably holding the enemy while tho Germans claim that they heavily defeated the Russians when the lattei attacked them, east of Rossieny, and captured over two thousand prisoners. The locality of tho alleged victory, in any case, is only thirty miles distant from the East Prussian frontier, and nearly a hundred miles south of the point to which tho GJrmans ■ penetrated at the height of their invasion. With the strain upon their resources in Galicia and in the Western theatre the Germans are not likely to send any large force into the Baltic Provinces, and the fact that the Russians have not long since repelled this particular invasion in strength may be taken as evidence that they regard it as of quite secondary importance.

* * * * No development of importance is reported as yet in the Italian campaign. So far little opposition seems to have been encountered by the Italian troops, which have advanced from the north-eastern frontier (east of the Trentino) and eastward into the region lying northwest of Trieste. On the latter advance the Italians have occupied heights beyond their frontiers, and ako some Austrian border-towns, one of which, Cormons, lies two miles ahead of the Italian frontier and thirty miles north of Trieste, with which place it is connected bj rail. The Italians are advancing on a front of sixty miles, extending north, apparently from the' shores of the of Trieste, at the head of the Adriatic. No great significance can be attached to their short unopposed advance. The lack of opposition simply means that they havo not yet reached the defensive line selected by the enemy.

Even in Rome considerable uncertainty evidently obtains as to the probable developments of the campaign in the immediate future, and the strength which the enemy is likely to bring to bear upon it. Several report's of late have pointed to a belief on the part of the Italians that' they are likely to bo subjected to an Austro-Gorman offensive in strong force, but it is stated to-day that an opinion is held in Home that the enemy is expected to employ many second and third line troops against Italy, and that the anticipated offensive, as a conscqucuce, is likely to collapse. The latest addition to the, tale of German preparations is a statement that the German troops in the Trentino are accompanied by some of the heaviest artillery and Zeppelins. Tho last detail is probably added for effect. Zeppelins have been used to a limited extent in military reconnaissance, but the bulk of such work is done by aeroplanes, and in any ease the. big airships do not, and cannot, accompany armies in the field. They have t;o voyage to and from their hangars, and their maximum possible voyage is of limited duration. If Zeppelins are employed against Italy lliey will act as they have done, against England —in speedy raids and equally speedy retreats—and it is quite certain that they will not hover in attendance on German armies just across the Italian frontier.

A Pp.ksh Rhiyuh fomnninica (ion carrion the xlory of the tiKhliiiß at 111? f^ardalirilos up to Monday last, hnl jn rnurlicrl in sncli goners! levins as to be not very informative. Gome

interest will, however, bo taken in the statement that the Turks were allowed to bury 3000 dead, killed by the Australians and New Zealandcrs between May 18 and May 20. This is an even moro convincing testimony to the quality of the colonial soldiers than the detail stories of their prowess, to which some interesting additions aro made to-day. The reticence of the Allies as to the strength of t.beir armies aj; the Dardanelles makes it impossiblo to challenge the German statement that 90,000 British and French troops have been landed, hut even if ihis is considerably below the mark it is none the less evident that a very arduous campaign has been undertaken. The Turkish losses are estimated at 80,000, only 10,000 less than the German estimate o£ the whole Allied strength, yet it is stated that the Turks still have 200,000 men engaged in defending the Gallipoli Peninsula. It is possible that Italy may send troops to the Peninsula, and ere long Greece may be assisting the Allies there.