PROGRESS OF THE WAR

Dominion, Volume 8, Issue 2492, 21 June 1915, Page 4

PROGRESS OF THE WAR

The week-end war dispatches point to a general state of affairs on the two main battle-fronts which makes it possible to regard the continued German successes in Eastern Galicia as of secondary importance. Even if they expel the Russians from Lemberg there is no visible prospect of decisive advantage to the Germans in that quarter. On the other hand, in the Western theatre, rapid-ly-increasing pressure is being brought to bear upon the German front which must already have considerably affected the enemy' 6 striking power on the opposite front, A dispatch from Sir John French shows that the British as well as the French arc now vigorously assailing the German lino. In the area cast of Yprcs, which has witnessed =o many assaults by the enemy, the British have captured and retained the whole of their first-line trenches, and some ground has also been gainccl'cast of Fcstubert, on the northern side of the formidable La Bassee salient. At time of writing no further progress is reported by the French on that section of the front north of Arras into which they have lately made such deep inroads, but within tho last day ov two they have made important headway in the valleys of the Northern Vosges, on the approach to Colmar.

It is not yet possible to point to any loss of impetus ill the German advance oil Lcmberg as having resulted from the increasing strain imposed by the Allies in the West, but Galicia is only a single Hank of the long Eastern battle-lino, and except in Galicia the Germans seem to be as incapable of effectively taking the initiative in the Eastern theatre as in the West. Tho French and British official messages are confined in the main to bare statements of fact, and throw little light upon the question of distribution of forccs, but if an unofficial message from Amsterdam is to be trusted, the Allied offensive is already compelling a concentration of German strength in France and Flanders which is bound to tell its tale in tho Russian campaign. According to this report, ■100,000 German troops were recentlypassed through Belgium, 300,000 being sent to stiffen that section of the lino against which the principal French attacks have been directed, while 100,000 men, with 200 heavy guns, we re concentrated opposite Ypres in readiness for another attempt to break through the Allied line. It is further stated that under pressure of the Anglo-French offensive these latter troops have already been absorbed in the forces defending tho trenches at La Bassee, and opposite Ypres. The report rests upon no particular authority, but wears an air of probability so far as the essential facts are concerned. It is at anyrate established that the Germans have of late been unable to maintain their Western line intact, and it must be assumed that they have rushed all possible reinforcements to this front. Tho troops reported to have lately passed through Belgium may have been new levies or may have been .drafted from the Eastern theatre, but if tho Allied ollensivc in the West goes on developing as it is now doing, the Germans should before long be compelled to effect such a concentration in defence of their line as would make aggressivo action on the opposite front impossible. * * * * As yet this stage of development lies some way ahead, but that tie Germans are subjected already to an enormous double drain is obvious. The admirably lucid review, by a Russian eye-witness, of the earlier stages of the Galician offensive, shows conclusively that it is essentially a German effort. It was German gunnery that smashed the Russian resistance in Western Galicia, and compelled the Russian armies to retreat., _ The Austrians, working in conjunction with the Germans, accomplished relatively little. No doubt this is still true of the advance on Lcmberg. An Austrian province is being recovered, but Gorman troops are doing the work, a state of_ affairs going to justify the taunt said to have been uttered in Germany that Austria is a corpse hanging round her neck. It is more to the point that so long rs the Galician offensive is continued. <>rins-,uy is in the condition of pouring out her resources on two fronts which it has been tho invariable aim of her strategy to avoid. According to tho Russian eye-witness, somo of the German troops operating in Galicia have been drawn from the Western front, some divisions being identified which were formerly employed opposite Verdun. By this t-imo the tide must have definitely set in the opposite direction. France and Britain entered the war unprepared, and are only now beginning to reap tho advantage of ordered preparation. From this time forward the development of their strength should be rapid, and Germany must make provision accordingly. The receosity is hardly consistent with any greater effort against Russia than ui,w under way in Galicia, and t! is, as far as can be seen, is insufficient to cripple Russian activities. * * * * So fur as local developments in Galicia are concerned, matters aro still going against the Russians. Under pressure of the German advance from the west Ihev have reLi red to the region of the Groclek lakes, about fifteen miles west of Lemberg, nnd I hey have fallen had; ah-o in Northern Galicia. On the Dniester, south and south-west of

Lemberg, the onemy has been thrown back, but his weakness on this line may be merely incidental to a concentration on the western approach. No. groat weight can be attached either to the expulsion of the Austrians who had invaded Bessarabia, the Russian province lying north of Rumania. The invasion was a minor affair, and had no serious value one way or the other. The continued possession of Lemberg depends upon the Russians being able to stem the German main attack from the west. If the enemy is able to maintain the strength in men and artillery in which he has hitherto advanced, it is not unlikely that Genehat, von Mackunsen may make good his recent boast. On the other hand, late events in the West make it quite possible that a tvansfer of German troops from East to West is already in progress, or may soon become imperative.

The continued activity of British submarines in the Sea of Marmora and in the near neighbourhood of Constantinople, supplies all necessary proof that this section of the Navy only needs an accessible target to make its weight heavily feltby the enemy. Although they .have been active since the war began in reconnoitring the enemy's naval defences and keeping watch and ward outside his ports, British submarines have had few opportunities in European waters of bringing the enemy to battle. The boats employed at the Dardanelles have given striking proof of their quality. Since 81l ran the gauntlet of the minefields and sank a Turkish bat-' tleship, something like a dozen Turkish ships of one kind and another have been sent to the bottom. The risks involved arc infinitely greater than anything that the German submarines are known to have faced. Almost the whole area of the enclosed Turkish waters which the British submarines have made their cruising ground is sown with mines and swept by the fire of fortress guns. In the Dardanelles these dangers reach their maximum, and in addition the underwater craft have to contend with swift currents, which must immensely complicate the problem of the numerous minefields. In the circumstances_ it is wonderful that only two British submarines have been lost in this perilous service. According to a Times correspondent in Turkey the continued raiding of the British submarines has created something liko a panic in Constantinople. This is not surprising, for they havo already played navoc with the Turkish watertransport, and have carried their depredations to the very walls of Constantinople itself. * * * * It is stated by the. same correspondent that four German submarines avc lying at Constantinople. Accepting this as true, the presence of the undcr-water craft inside the Dardanelles suggests that the Allied warships are meeting with success in locating clepots t on the outer coasts There is a possibility, however, that the submarines arc being deliberately held in reserve against the contingency of another attempt by the Allied Fleet to force the strait.

The Paris Matin circulates a not very convincing story that Turkey is about to oede some of her northern territory to Bulgaria, including i portion of Adrianoplo. That some such offer has been made to Bulgaria is not at all unlikely; that it has been accepted is less easy to believe.' It is most improbable that Bulgaria would be satisfied with anything less than the whole of Adrianoplo, and it is not to bo overlooked that she has prospects of obtaining territorial concessions from her Christian neighbours which would bo imperilled if sho allowed Turkey, at German instigation, to buy her off. Rumania is understood to be willing to cede, on conditions, the southern territory which was taken from Bulgaria aftor the second Balkan War, and M. Venizelos, when last in office as Prime Minister of Greece, openly proposed Greek and Servian concessions to Bulgaria of territory'in Macedonia and on the Aegean, as the price of her co-operation against the German-Turkish alliance. If Bulgarian statesmen belieyed that the Germanic allies were likely to be victorious in the war they might be. content to accept minor concessions from Turkey, but as matters are developing it is most unlikely that they aro firm in any such belief. * * * * Keen regret will be felt throughout the Empire at the death of the heroic young aviator, Lieutenant Wakneford, who was acclaimed only a few days ago for his splendid achievement in destroying a Zeppelin. His career has been meteoric. A Canadian born, be gained bis airpilot's certificate only about three months ago. No better proof could be desired of the fact that successful aviators are born and not made than his unaided and successful attack upon an airship of the biggest and most powerful type yet constructed. Some of the unofficial messages reporting the event, stated foat Lieutenant was assisted by other aviators in sending the Zeppelin to earth, but official reports subsequently put it beyond doubt that Ke had performed single-handed and unaided a deed which earned from his own country tho Victoria Cross, and from France admittance to the Legion of Honour. It is the irony of fate that this supremely daring and enterprising aviator should meet his fate, not at the hands of tho enemy, but in testing a new aeroplane in friendly territory.