PROGRESS OF THE WAR

Dominion, Volume 8, Issue 2512, 13 July 1915, Page 4

PROGRESS OF THE WAR

.All who desire to gain a true idea of what British troops are achieving and enduring in France and Flanders should read carefully the dispatch (published in part yesterday and continued to-day), in which Sir John French reviews the fighting during April and May. " The period covers tho last great effort of the Germans to break the Allied line in Flanders—the occasion on which they first used poisonous '■ gas—and the smashing attack which the British made, early in May, upon, tho northern side of the formidable La, Basseo salient, tho oufcerraqst defence of the German main lino of communications into France. Much that happened during these months of terrible battle is an old story now, but the quietly-worded dispatch of the Commander-in-Chief gives connection and balance to the events of a period in which British valour was, put to the test as it had seldom, if ever, been before. _ The fact which stands out from this document, of war is that the British troops from first to last were called upon to play a part-of abnegation and .sacrifice. In the days when their brave French allies were opening the great offensive which has carried them*well into the German fortified front, and within striking distance of the enemy communications south-west of Lille,' less inspiring though not less important work was allotted to tho British Armies. First and foremost they bore the brunt and fury of the Gorman massed assault in Flanders, and then it fell to their lot to attack the enemy in Northern France, not in the overwhelming - strength the French were able to muster further south, but as an adjunct to the greater French attack. The capture of a square' mile or so of German fortifications noj;th-wcst of La Bassee stands as a positive achievement of the British armies during these weeks of fiery trial, but the greatest achievement" of all was warding off the German assault in Flanders.

The Gorman attack in this region was formidable in any' ease, but the difficulty of stemming it was made infinitely greater by tbe fact' that tho British -troops fought from first to last in weak and exposed positions. The Ypres salient, upon which tho main weight of the enemy assault fell, must presumably, have some value as facilitating a future attack' on the German line or the i area which, it includes would long since havo been relinquished. But as forming part of a defensive line it is an clement not of strength, but of weakness. It is simply a narrow wedge thrown forward from the Allied line in uniformly low-lying country, and therefore not only affords full facility for the use by the enemy of poisonous gas, but is exposed to converging artillery fire. When the salient had been narrowed by the enemy gain of ground it became even more difficult .to hold* and the defending troops were placed more than ever .at a fearful disadvantage. It would havo been vastly easier' to ward off the German assault had the salient been abandoned- and the line straightened.. These being the broad facts it may be said with all confidence that tho Germans in the last great battle in Flanders» were never within measurablo distance of breaking the Allied line. With _ all the assistance that vastly silpciior massed artillery and poisorious gas could give they not only failed to break the line, but failed to completely drive in ..a weak projection of the line. The measure of success they attained is not to be with the British victory at Fcstubert which'' followed, still less with the French advance towards Lens, further south. As to the position in Flanders to-day, no better guide could be asked for than the fact that the Ypres salient has not only been retained, but lately has been. somewhat widened, arid therefore made a little easier to hold.

Not tho least interesting section of Sir' John French's dispatch relates to the hew Army. Some divisions of this force have reached France, and the Commander-in-Chief speaks highly, of their qualities, though in such terms as to .suggest that they have not yet been put to any severe test in war. The dispatch is dated June 15. _ It is thus established that during nine months of war Britain was represented in the main theatre only by tho Regular Army and reserves, the Territorials, the Indian troops, and the Canadians, all of them supplemented, of course, by reinforcement drafts, consisting of new recruits. The few divisions of the new Army which were in-France'in Jime can have represented only a fraction of its effective strength at that time still less at the present date. The transfer of any considerable sectioii of the new Army to the present fighting line in France and Flanders would presumably have lccl to a considerable extension of the front held by British troops. . It is therefore reasonable to suppose that the greater part of the new Army is held in reserve, available to be thrown at the critical moment into that point of the war area in which it will render most service. And by all visible indications the critical moment is now at hand.

NeWs available at time of writing indicates a fairly satisfactory position both in tho main theatres and in other war areas. In . Southern Poland the Russians still retain the upper hand, and no material development is reported in other parts' of the Eastern theatre. Detail news from the opposite front is for the most part a chronicle of minor Allied successes at various points on I the line. There is little late news of the Dardanelles campaign. The •submarine menace—last emphasised in tho torpedoing of the French liner Carthage (a supply ship) off Helles?rhaa' not further: ma-

terialised, and it is reasonable to suppose that such German submarines as are .co-operating with the Turks are limited in their activities by a scarcity of essential supplies. Accepting newspaper utterances as a barometer of public opinion, the German reply to the last-American Note on tho subject of the Lusitania outrage and related matters has provoked a fury of indignation in the United States which may lead to results. In other countries attention has been arrested chiefly by tho shameless hypocrisy of the German document, but in America, naturally enough, it lias fastened upon Germany's assumption of the right to continue murdering neutrals on the high seas unless her obviously impossible conditions are conceded. Even tho temperate and judicial New York Even vii/ Post has said that it is now' the President's grave duty to deal with an international outlaw, but in the light of past ex-, perioncc it would be unwise to expect of the American Government immediate action appropriate to such an estimate of tho. position.