PROGRESS OF THE WAR

Dominion, Volume 8, Issue 2560, 7 September 1915, Page 4

PROGRESS OF THE WAR

.It is likely that the general bombardment of the German Western front,• which-, is apparently still in progress, : will be found, when more is known about it, to mark the opening of a new era in tho war. A little more information on the subject is available to-day .than had come through yesterday. In a message dispatched from London on Saturday, the High Commissioner stated that for nine suocessivo days the Western Allies had violently and-effectively bombarded the German positions' all along the line. To-day it is officially reported that tho artillery activity on the Western front continues. This no doubt means that t)he general bombardment is still • going on, and assuming so much thesd official messages tell in bare outline the story of an artillery bombardment which is without precedent In tho war. As to its nature—apart from tho fact officially attested that it applies .to the whole front—and its oifect, we canat present refer only, to .a. short but interesting dispatch from a Central' News. correspondent in Northern F.r&nee. Ho'' says that German deserters testify to the terrible effects of the Allied artillery, ,a-nd that the Germans had never before suffered such ,an intense, continuous bombardment. This latter statement, about the unprecedented character of the 1 bombardment, will .119 doubt bo considerably amplified before long* Meantime, it seems to- be fully borne out by the brief official dispatches. This is very, largely an artillery war, but it has not hitherto witnessed anything to compare with a general bombardment on the whole Western front; continued for ten days, and not yet at an end. Neither the progress -01 the German phalanx through Galicia, nor tho greatest battles whioh have been fought in the past on tho Western front, will afford a parallel. « * * * Prominently as "artillery duels" have figured in the cablegrams since tho war began, big bombardments and a- prodigal expenditure of artillery ammunition have almost always been associated with the concentration of guns in a_ limited a-rea, with a- limited object in view. Sucih artillery. concentrations have been effected by the Western Allies on a number of occasions in tho local assaults upon the German front, of which the Battle of Neuve Chapelle is perhaps the most celebrated example, though it was not the most successful.effort of- its kind. The great battles fought earlier on tho Western front do not enter for purposes of comparison, for the Allies had.to revert to siege warfare, after driving the Germans back to - the Aisne, on account of a shortage of artillery arid munitions. And the Germans also, it is reported, did not the enormous expenditure of ammunition a war of this character, would entail. The great bombardment now, opened on the Western, front is an event full of interest ;ind promise, because* it suggests, at a moderate estimate, that the "shortage of artillery and munitions which has hitherto crippled the Allies,, has been to a very great extont, if not completely, overcome. On what is known as yet of its character, tho bombardment would imply that the-Allies have developed far greater artillery resources than they had at Command when they made their successful attacks upon different sections of the German front during the spring and summer. The tornado of artillery fire turned upon the whole'Gorman front is the first definite manifestation of the power the Allies have been building up for mohtlis, while playing a waiting game in-the war. * * # # ' It WOUld be going ahead of visible facts to rogard this bombardment as an indication that a decisive attack uponi the German Western front is' in immediate prospect However terrible its effects may be, a general bombardment' is not likely to compel tho genoral retreat of the German armies, upon which the Allies; are bent as an ultimate object. When an actual attempt is made to compcl a German retreat there will bo'a concentrated assault upon tho ouemy positions in selected areas; tho aim will be to broach, the enemy front.One expert, w'ho has- discussed prospects of.this kind, Coi.osel Maude. lays it down that the smashing and penetrating of the enemy front for a distance of twenty miles would constitute such a breach. Without attempting to go any deeper into tho matter,. it liinv ba suggested limit tremendous aosslalUtleß la jac

of artillery concentration on suoh an attacking front arc opened up in the case of an army which is able to open a devastating bombardment on its enemies along a front of more than 400 miles, and maintain it for ten days, and perhaps much longer. * it * * In its immediate aspect it is not at all unlikely that the great Western bombardment has already materially affected the German plans in other theatres. Meantime, unless the Central News correspondent quoted has overstated the facts, and unless tho official messages imply more than the facts warrant in their references to the continuity and effect of tho bombardment, the German Western front is being' battered and shaken in a fashion that has never hitherto been possible.' Whether oi» not it is the prelude to the grand offensive the great bombardment is presumably _ the preludo to operations which will draw every man and every gun the Germans can sparo from other theatres to the Western front. It has to be recognised that there is a wide margin to be overtaken between inviting every possible German attack or even 'greatly extending the policy of local offensives which the Allies have successfully pursued during the spring and summer, and finally smashing the German defence, Pos"sibly the decisive ' assault of the Western Allies may yefc be Belayed for a time, but unless it is to bo regarded as a singularly futile and purposeless demonstration, the terrible hail_ of shell poured into tho German lines fpr the last ten days can only be. interpreted as ushering in a period of full-bodied aggression by the Western Allies which will as definitely relieved Qornmn pressure in other theatres as if the armies of the Kaiser were being driven pell-mell teyond the Rhine. * * * * An answer is supplied to-day to tho prematuro rejoicings in which a section of the American Press and public indulged over the alleged triumph of American diplomacy in its ,dealings with Germany.. regarding' the submarine oampaign. The answer is the torpedoing, without warning, of the 'liner Hesperian, off tho southrwest coast of' Ireland—an event which indicates clearly enough how much value is to be attached to the concession said to have been extorted from. Gorma.ny by the United States. Last week it was announced that Germany had,notified America that /hcnceforth no passenger liner would be torpedoed by a submarine without warning nor until provision had been made tor the safety of noncombatants on board. " This was hailed in America, as a triumphant vindication'of the policy pursued by President Wilson and his Government, though in justice it must be said that even in\ America these claims to a victory that had not been won were accompanied by a certain amoUnt of ironic comment, in which the facts of the position were clearly recognised. _ The attack upon tho Hesperian is in no\ respect more significant.than as a gross indignity inflicted upon the United States— an indignity that any other country would fiercely and instantly resent. Feeling in America will naturally be deeply stirred over this latest German crime, and there may be some definite outcome; But while the point continues in suspense, it is just as Well to recognise that much in the way of toleration and longsuffering is to be expected of a. country which has allowed three months to elapse since scores of its citizens-— men, women, and babies—were murdered oh- the High seas, without taking a.ny effective steps designed to guard 'against; a repetition the outrage; It is not even certain thai America is assured anything in the way of _ satisfaction for the Lusitania crime sincc the statement that Germany had agreed to concede it rests upon no better authority than the exploded story that passenger were henceforth to lie immune from unwarned or murderous a±tack. All things considered, it Would He. unwise to expect that the Hesperian incident will arouso the; American Government to any more determined, action'than the dispatch of another Note. * # •. • * To tho people of the British' Emtho attack oh the Hesperian will appear simply as an inciclent in the German pirate campaign—a campaign which'will be abandoned or moderated only oh acoount of much more .weighty considerations than America has shown itself capable of bringing to bear. Any hopes awakened by the recent fanfare in the United States were based upon an. assumption that factors which Germany is unable to ignoro might already be operating in connection with the submarine campaign. The chief of these factors, and the only one 'that really counts, is a heavy loss of submarines due to the vigorous prOseoution of the British atfci-' submarine campaign. The attack on the Hesperian is a tolerably conclusive indication that the submarine campaign' is no't yet at an end, but tho belief that Germany has incurred submarine losses which, bring •its end into sight is not on that account dissipated. On the contrary, this belief is strengthened to-day by cabled extracts from a letter written by tho First Lord of the Admiralty (Mr. A. J. Balfocji). Mr, Balfour emphasises two salient facts: that the submarine campaign has failed to achieve decisive results, and that the submarines themselves have paid heavy toll. Coming from suoh an authority the statement that the British have levied a heavy toll of submarines oarries weight. Mr. Balfour does not .blink at tho fact that the British and neutral mercantile marine has lost heavily, but he points out 'that the British mercantile tonnago -is greater; than at the beginning of the war. He evidontly considers it quite possible that Germany may be compelled sooner or later to abandon the submarine campaign. Meantime, it is idle to expect Germany to be influenced in the matter by any other motive than that arising from loss.of submarines.. It-was only on the supposition that they might be intended to cloak a decision so enforced that the" alleged concessions to America deserved attention. As ono of the various American Notes pointed out months ago, tile submarine is incapable of acting as a legitimate cruiser and operating within the four corners of international law. So long as Germany is able to provide submarines to' prey on merchantmen piratical outrages will continue. » »s. * * A late message definitely establishes the fact that the Hesperian was torpedoed without warning, One passenger—tin elderly lady—lost her life. 'No American passengers have vet been traced, though it is not unlikely there were some aboard, but the position of the American Government in tho matter is not altered by this circumstance. So long as. Atlantic liners are exposed to sub;tnavinc nttncki American' lives ttve dirscUy-_aad wantonly, mcuaceck.

Extracts arc cabled to-day from a dispatch, said to originate in Petrograd and published in a loading Italian newspaper, the Giornalc <F Italia, which is in terras running directly counter to all the news that has lately come from Russia, and in regard to the Russian campaign. This dispatch urges ea-rly efforts by the Allies in Belgium and tho Dardanelles,' and declares that twenty enemy divisions (at most between 300,000 and 400,000) must be drawn from tho Eastern front, and : adds that, notwithstanding the winter, tho Germans will bo able to pursue the Russians and render their situation more critical than ever. It is stated that the fact that the dispatch- pass- | cd the Russian censor is regarded as significant, but no proof is afforded that it actually came from Russia at all—it may have been faked by the German', "publicity agents." Even if such a message has actually been allowed to leave Russia, that may furnish the best possiblo proof that it is devoid of truth. There is such a thing as flattering, the enemy with false hopes... It is perhaps enough to point out meantime that assurances have lately been given on the highest authority that accord obtains between the various Allied high commands, and that the facts of tho campaign i'ndioate that the Germans are much more likely to be entanglod in difficulties than to pursue the Russians \in winter. There has hardly 'ever been a time when the term pursuit could have been correctly applied to any section of the German Eastern offensive since tho initial rush of the attacking pha,lanx in Galioia was arrested on the River San. Since that time the Germans have been engaged all along the line in a laborious and costly advance against extreme difficulties. *** , # i Another alarmist story comes from Denmark. It tells of a contemplated Austrian offensive , into Southern Russia aiming at Odessa, and Sevastopol. This is a greater, and more difficult enterprise than the AustroGerman invasion of Russia up to its present stage, and' Austria's past performances and what: is known of her prcsont plight,, make it most unlikely that she will attempt anything of the kind, with or without German help. ; There is probably more solid news value in the report tliafc Austria has been compelled by a dearth of imports to appeal for contributions of old olotlies to supplement military equipment for the winter campaign. * * * » . The most definite news of the Dardanelles campaign to-day is contained in two short offioial meissages from Paris which, report continued quiet on the southern front, and lively engagements in the, western zone where' the British have progressed. At the southern end of this section of front a Turkish night attack has been repelled with heavy loss. Tho progress mentioned possibly relates to the successful assault oppositions east of Suvla Bay, lately imported by Silt lan Hamilton. •*t . » No very important development in the Eastern campaign isjepQrted'at time of writing, though it is evident that' a furious battle is in pirogress along the River Dwina, south-east of Riga, where the Germans are concentrating upon a, northward extension of theil' invasion. An important Italian suocess chronicled to-day is the capture of the Sesis Pass, the last pass in the G'arnic Alps—the. mountain frontier . running from, the Eastern. Tvrol to a junction with the Julian Alps at the northern end of the Isonfco front —which was held by tho Austrians. The evacuation of Rovcreto, south of Trent, bv the Austrians, has not yet been officially confirmed, but material progress by the Italians in the mountains of the Eastern Trentiiip and elsewhere has been reported during the last few days.