PROGRESS OF THE WAR

Dominion, Volume 9, Issue 2603, 27 October 1915, Page 4

PROGRESS OF THE WAR

Negative ' satisfaction at least is warranted by the fact that reports in hand at time of writing tell of no decisive development in the Ba-1-1 kans.. Each day that passes without record of any important success by one side or the other m this region strengthens the hope that the project of the Austro-Germans aiming at the relief of Turkey anq any larger designs connected with 'their Balkan enterprise, may yet be foiled. The danger still exists, and is perhaps acute, that the enemy may succeed to the extent of getting into open touch with Turkey and so materially stiffen the defence of the Dardanelles, but the continued absence of any decisive development of this character means that .the. Allies have not yet exhausted the margin of time available to them in wbioh to marshal their forces m opposition to the German combination in the Balkans. According to the Paris Fir/aro they have resolved upon fresh measures to help Serbia and will land large additional contingents without delay. This is a satisfactory indication that the political troubles in Great Britain and in .France, which lately threatened to impede the adoption of a resolute policy in the Balkans have been settled. The main hope, however, of defeating the immediate object ot the Austro-Germans—that of effecting a junction with Turkey through Bulgaria —must rest upon the possibility that strong Entente forces have already been sent into the Balkan 'theatre or arc rapidly approaching it. That anything but an immediate, or very early exertion of strength will suffice to block tho road to Turkey is unlikely, but even if the Austro-Germans succeed to this extent the Entente Powers will not necessarily bo at any heavy disadvantage in the succeeding struggle. The Balkans "will still represent to them a field in which military strength may be very profitably employed. #

At the moment the enemy is not shown to have' any immediate prospect of establishing a continuous lino through the Balkans into Turkey. There is no news of the fight■ing in Northern Serbia, where at last reports the Austro-Germaii invasion hacl been brought almost to a standstill by the dogged valour of tho Serbian resistance. A German communique states that Generals von Mackensen and von Koevess continue to repulse tho Serbians— not a very ambitious claim to _aclvanco on behalf of invading armies. As to the southern area the claim made by the Bulgarians that they have captured the important junction of Uskub and so gained a commanding position _ astride -the >jcr* bian main communications is neithei definitely confirmed nor denied, but still further south-almost at the southern extremity of Serbia—the French have emba-rked with some preliminary success upon an mvasian of Bulgaria, It has not gone far Yet, but it implies a- possiblo counter-stroke to the Bulgarian at.tack on tho railway further north. No mention is made of Uritisn troops in the available fragmentary imports of these battles in Macedonia. This may mean that earlier reports of Entente troops being sent to Nisfo and into North-Eastern berbia are true, and that tho duty flf co-operating with the Serbs in this region has been assigned to tho British expedition. There is an obvious objection to sending troops into Northern Serbia, leaving threatened communications in their_ rear, but it is possible that the risk involved has been taken in view of the great importance of preventing, if possible, a junction between the Austro-Oermans and Bulgarians.

Later reports go to show that the Austro-Gcrmans, besides haying crossed the Dwma, on the Serbian western frontier, are now vigorously pressing the attack in North-Eastern Serbia on a line that would ultimately bring them to tho Timok Valley and so to a junction with the Bulgarians, but they arc still at a considerable distance from this objective. The Serbians report that thoy arc holding the Bulgarian at Kniazlievatz, a town a dozen miles inside the frontier north-cast of Nis.h and connected with that placc bv rail. In its total effect this later news indicates that tho position m North-Eastern Serbia is becoming more critical. * * * * A message of uncertain authority savs it is understood that England and France have asked Serbia to resist for five days more, when effective aid will be forthcoming and that Serbia is keeping up a vigorous defensive and. delivering coun.tcMitUoks in oi'dor {« 6»i" time. It may be supposed that if such a

communication bad been made by the Entente Powers to Serbia strict secrecy would havo been maintained about it, but whatever tha foundation for this report may be it is undoubtedly true that Serbia is gallantly prolonging a defensive campaign which she cannot maintain indefinitely unless she is adequately reinforced.

Moke or less conflicting opinions arc current as to the scale on which the Germans contemplate developing their enterprise iu the Near East, but current news from the main theatres indicates that they have no very liberal margin of disposable force to draw i'.pon. In the Western theatre tho French have gained an important success by capturing a heavily fortified salient projecting from the German sccond line in the Champagne district, that is to say the line upon which the enemy was thrown back by the recent Allied offensive. The capture is all tho more notable in being effected on a section of tho front on which the' Germans have lately been massing forcc in a vain endeavour to win back lost ground. As to the Russian front the Germans themselves admit losing the positions they were reported yesterday to have captured on the D.wina front, in the Baltic Provinces. The Italians also are continuing their offensive and have made further headway in tho Southern Trentino and in the Plava zone (on the Is'onzo front north of Gorizia) where they have carried strong entrenchments. This is all olwjring news.

Much that has beon said Oif late abouS the Dardanelles campaign can only be allowed to pass for what it is" worth, being ba-sed either on information that is not available here or on mero rumour. There is, howover, reason to suppose that the gloomy talk about failure in this campaign which lias been rife recently has no more substantial foundation than the unduly optimistic predictions of speedy success which were in favour before the strength of the Turkish sea fortress had been put to a practical tost. It is not in dispute fcnat the Dardanelles campaign was designed as a surprise attack and in that character failed, cither because a successful surprise attack was impossible or because the authors of the campdign blundered. Sincc the attack on the Dardanelles settled down into a land campaign against a prepared enemy there has never been any prospect of speedy success, unless as a result of the depletion of Turkish military supplies, find it has been evident for some time that the Turks are much better suppliod than they were thought to be when the campaign opened.

The Allied troops have very mar terially improved their foothold on the Gallipoli Peninsula since their historic landing at the end of April, but the Turkish defending the Narrows, against which attacks have hitherto been concentrated, are practically intact. These positions are the Kilid Bahr Plateau, covered on the south by the Achi Baba ridge and f on the west by the Sari Bail - range, whioh was gallantly attacked in August by the Australians and New Zealanders, and cooperating troops, and would have been captured but for the failure of the force landed at Suvla Bay. The Allies are, comparatively speaking,still on the outer fringe of a formidable task, biit this is very far from meaning that they are . threatened with disaster or even with ultimate failure. They are stronger now numerically and better equipped than when they overcame apparently insurmountable difficulties, and landed on the Gallipoli Penisula in face of a fully-prepared enemy amply provided with artillery and all necessary war material, and though they art not in sight of an early triumph they have sufficiently demonstrated their ability to more than hold their own in the struggle with the Turks. For weeks past they seem to have attempted little, but apart from the change in command this state of affairs is sufficiently accounted for by the Austro-German diversion in the Balkans and the necessity of meeting it. If the enemy had not made this move it is probable that the attack on the Dardanelles would ere now have been renewed more vigorously than ever. The opening of the Balkan campaign has doubtless diminished the importance of the campaign in Gallipoli, but if the Turks had not been attacked at the Dardanelles it is possible that the opportunity of fighting for an easier road into Turkey through fcho Balkans might never hare arisen.