PROGRESS OF THE WAR

Dominion, Volume 8, Issue 2473, 28 May 1915, Page 4

PROGRESS OF THE WAR

Somewhat remarkable opinions are expressed by a, Times corespondent at British Headquarters, in an article from which extracts are published to-day. Paying unstinted tribute to the quality of the British Army in the field, he yet deals with the subject of artillery in a spirit almost as extreme as that of the wretched special pleadings ill which the Da Hi/ Mail recently assailed Lord Kitchener. As ho paints the picture, the British Amy is' t a splendid fighting force, greatly superior man for man : to the German Army, but crippled by a short supply of artillery and high explosives. "All the strategy and tactics of war depend to-day," he declares somewhat rhetorically, "upon one burning fact: The enemy has got an amazingly' powerful machine, and unless we can provide a mar chine equal in power he will nullify our superior fighting quality." A statement so mixed as this might almost .be left to answer itself, but the correspondent who has made it gives fairly compact expression to opinions and dogmas which -have been very freely ventilated of late. On that account his article deserves a degree of attention which it would scarcely win on its intrinsic merits: The German machine, he states, consists of a great number of heavy guns and machine-guns and an apparently unlimited supply of high explosives.

Putting the position baldly, he contends that the British Army is«at least severely handicapped by an inadequate supply of powerful artillery and high explosives, and quotes, with apparent approval, the statement of- an "authority" that, granted sufficient artillery preparation, several miles of country can be' taken with a walking stick. The correspondent, it is true, mentions ma-chine-guns, but only incidentally, and seemingly with no more respect than the factor of the British infantry, whose "superior fighting powers" he praises, only to lightly disregard'them in estimating the determining factors in the war. Such views as this gain colour at the moment from the.fact that it has been deemed advisable to create a National Ministry in Great Britain— a'plain admission that it is necessary to strengthen at its head the national organisation for war. It is nevertheless asking too much to expect people to believe that after ten months of active campaigning 'the British Army is so fatally weak in a vital factor as this correspondent and other writers have suggested. Such a state of affairs would presuppose a policy of criminal silence or an almost equally criminal stupidity on the part of the civil rulers and military leaders of the Empire. Happily, however, there is no reason to suppose that any such deplorable condition exists. On the contrary, the idea that the British Army is woefully deficient in heavy artillery as compared with the enemy is discredited- by a. considerable body of reliable evidence, including definite official testimony* and the same may be said of the disproportionate importance accorded to heavy artillery as a factor in 'war by The Times correspondent quoted and those who share his views.

_ As to the relative strength in artillery no, better evidence could bo | desired than the repeated statements made for months past in British and French official reports and in the "Eye-Witness" reports, which aro' to a'll intents and purposes.official, that the Western' Allies have established a definite superiority in artillery. Not only has tho general statement been repeatedly made in these reports, but it has been backed by much detail evidence—stories of artillery duels in which German batteries were overpowered or silenced by those of the Allies. Only, a day or two ago Sir John French reported such an incident, the guns of one of several German batteries. which were J overpowered being directly hit and destroyed. In point of fact every important success by the Allies—and there have been a number since offensivo tactics were adopted some months ago—has been a case of proved artillery superiority. An outstanding instance was the smashing British assault at Neuve Chapelle. It is admitted that tho fire of the British guns on that occasion was overwhelfa.ing, at first in paving the way for the assault by a bombardment of high-cxplosivo shells, and after-i-wards in opposing a curtain of shrapnel to tho advance of German reinforcements. But even at Neuve Chapelle, a self-contained battle in which artillery did all that it could ever be expected to do, a great work remainod to be done -by the infantry. On the narrow battle-front of a few miles some eight or nine thousand' British soldiers were wounded or killed, most of them in thei infantry attacks which are just as essential to victory in battle as the battering assaults of heavy artillery. It is for experts to assess the relative importance of infantry and artillery, but that they are both supremely important is evident to anyone. It is possible in this connection to cite an authority of unquestioned standing, no less a person than Sir John French himself. In an interview, granted to an American journalist, which was published in some of the leading British newspapers,' Sir John French was asked:

"And the guns?' It has been repeatedly stated that this has become a war of artillery."

"I think there has been, an inclination to i exaggerate the importance of artillery," the Field-Marshal answered. "No doubt of the three arms artillery has increased in relative importance. It may take a dozen shells, to get a man, and one bullet will_ get one man. The weapons which decide the day aro tho rifle and machine-guns, and the infantry is still the queen of battles."

It is not denied and never has been denied that artillery is a vitally important factor in modern war, and no doubt it is equally true that the labour troubles and other causes wliich have to some extent restricted the production of munitions in Great Britain have had the effect of lengthening the war. But "munitions" is a wide term, relating not to artillery ammunition only, but to a long list of supplies necessary to the strength and efficiency of armies and navies, and the view which sels up artillery as a sort of god of battles, capable in itself of determining the issue of the war, belongs to those whose conception of the war is narrow and imperfect. At all events alarmist assertions that the British Army.- is crippled by inferiority in artillery are met ami answered b.v specific official evidence to the contrary, and by aohievenr.ntr. which are. even more impres&ivfl **jd wnvineinK, And ta wis

may be added the fact that although the French field artillery is admittedly superior to the German, it has not enabled our gallant allies to secure, the walking-stick victories The Times correspondent writes of.

A long official message is published to-day which brings the story of the Dardanelles campaign up to May 24, but so far as leading features are concerned it adds little to what is already known. It throws very clear light, however, upon the difficult task imposed upon the Allied troops, in which they are making steady headway despite the stubborn defence, and frequent desperate counter-attacks of the Turks. The principal obstacle meantime to an Allied victory which will involve tho conquest of the Narrows is the Aclii Baba ridge (seven miles north-east' of Cape Holies), which tho Turks and their German instructors have converted into a strong fortress. The attack has of necessity been reduced to the "slow, methodical methods of trench warfare," the sapping and mining and related activities which have been developed upon such an immensely extended scale in the main Western theatre. Further details of the victory lately won by the Australians and New Zealanders cast of Gaba Tepe show that the troops whom they repulsed with such terrible slaughter were the flower of' tho Turkish Army. ■«* * * At time of writing no very important development is reported on the Italian frontiers. The Italians have pushed forward a little way from their northern and north-east-ern frontiers, but as yet have not come into serious contact with the enemy. » * * * The situation in Galicia is 6till to some extent obscure, but available reports show that the Germans have not yet definitely gained the upper hand in the great battle which has continued for days along the line of the 1 . River San. An unofficial Russian report admits that the Germans are across the San on a front of fifteen miles, and a German claim that they have passed tho river also at Radymna, ten miles north of Przemysl, implies, if true, that their front has been extended (south towards tho-fortress) for another three miles. As regards the advanco on Przemysl, Russian and German accounts are not materially' in conflict. The Germans are trying to encirclo the fortress on the north. Between Przemysl and the marshes of the Dneister, the Russians not only firmly hold the yarrow front on which advance -is possible, but have assumed the offensive and captured some villages. By their own account the Germans have crossed the San about ten miles north of Przemysl. Another report, also of German, origin, states that they have captured positions within seven miles of the main fortress. This must relate to the country lying west of Przemysl. The fortress circle has a diameter of about eight miles. Entrenchments have no doubt been extended beyond the permanent fortifications, but even on their own showing the Germans havo not yet necessarily penetrated the outer lines of the Przemysl defences. Even -.if they contemplated a retreat, the Germans would probably mako a strong effort to'capture Przemysl, in order to leave it garrisoned, as an obstacle to_ future Russian operations, but it cannot be assumed, on the evidence available to-day, that a German retreat is imminent. On tho contrary, the battle appears to be raging more furiously than ever.

The general position seems to be that the Germans are across the San on a front of about 18 miles, north from Radymna (ten miles north of Przemysl). Along the forty miles of Galician front further north, to the frontier of Poland, the Russians are still fighting on the western bank of the San. In Southern Poland, still further north, they have attacked the enemy and advanced. The latest accounts_ indicate that they are again stationary in Southern Poland, but their positions here are well to the westward of the lino further south, One correspondent predicts a Russian advance southward from Nisko, which, stands upon the San, 60 miles_ north-north-west of Przemysl. This would amount to a great turning movement, the Russian forces in Northern Galicia and Southern Poland pivoting on Nisko and attacking the German Centre (along the San to Przemysl) in flank. Przemysl would thus play the part of anvil to the Russian hammer-stroke. _ As yet, however, there is no indication in the official messages of such a Inovement, and the danger remains that the 1 Germans, by increasing their foothold on the eastern bank of tho San north of Przemysl, or by forcing the passage between tho fortress find the marshes of the Dneister, may compel the ■Russians to again retreat.

Another serious naval loss has been sustained at the Dardanelles, the British battleship Triumph being torpedoed by a submarine in the Gulf of while bombarding the Turkish positions opposite the lines of the Australians and New Zealanders, who have advanced from Gaba Tepe. Moat of the officers and orew of the battleship happily were saved. The submarine was chased by. destroyers, but got away. The Triumph was completed in 1904. Originally built for Chile, she was purchased by tho British Government at a cost of close upon i£l ,000,000. Of lighter construction than most British battleships, she was yet very suitably armed for the work she has been doing at the Dardanelles. In addition to four 10inch guns, she carried a powerful secondary armament of fourteen 7.5mch guns.

The destruction of tho Triumph introduces a new but not unexpected element into the Dardanelles campaign, for it follows upon an announcement that German submarines had been sent into the Mediterranean. The Turks, when the war began, were not known to possess any submarines,, and a Constantinople report (as yet unconfirmed) that a Turkish submarine a few days ago sank a Russian ship in the Black Sea is the first indication to the contrary. It was no doubt a Gorman craft that sank the Triumph. It is to be admitted that the appearance of this new force, operating on the side of the Turks at Urn Dardanelles, is somewhat disquieting. Experience in European waters has indicated that destroyers are capable of protecting bigger warships against submarine attack, but the loss of the Triumph strongly suggests that this nmy.be a more difficult end to achieve where naval operations extend over n wide area. The suggestion is emphasised by the fact that (he attack cannot have been unexpected. It must be supposed that all possible precautions had been taken u> nwtect the Tnufflfil} a»d

her consorts, and that in the case of the Triumph they proved inadequate. A good deal must depend upon the facility with which the hostile submarines are able to obtain supplies, but until the' invasion of Turkey has been driven home they are not likely to experience any great difficulty in this respect. The Turkish Aegean coast will afford them many safe havens, where they can conveniently establish depots. On the facts it must be assumed that the advent of the submarines (it is highly probable that there are a number) adds considerably to the dangers to which the Allied warships and transports are exposed. * * * *

Whatever the German submarines may accomplish, they will by no msans enjoy a monopoly of their peculiar form of warfare. Following upon the daring raid of El 4, which sank several Turkish warships and transports in the Dardanelles and the Sea of Marmora, another British submarine is reported to-day to have performed an equally brilliant exploit. She not only sank three transports and a collier in the* Sea of Marmora, but was equally succcssful in disposing of two torpedo boats, craft which on account of their speed and handiness are supposed to be able to cope with submarines on fairly even terms. British submarines have not gone scatheless at the Dardanelles, as the loss of E9 and the Australian AE2 bears witness, but already they have so [effectively raided the Turkish communications that the complete isolation of the Gallipoli Peninsula seems to be in reasonable prospect. The only alternative to sea transport is tho land passage by the Isthmus l of Bulair, and this the Allies can block with very little difficulty, provided they have troops available for the purpose.