PROGRESS OF THE-WAR

Dominion, Volume 9, Issue 2726, 22 March 1916, Page 4

PROGRESS OF THE-WAR

A new development in the Battle of Verdun is an attempt by the Germans to extend their attacking front in the area west of the Mouse. Hitherto they have concentrated in this region against the front within a few miles of the river, but their latest attack was made further west, between Malancourt, which is a little over six miles west of the'Mcu.sc, and Avocourt, a couple of miles further west. A German division is said to have been engaged, and liquid firo was employed. The enemy made slight progress in Malancourt Wood, his first gain of ground on the Verdun front for some days, but the French report that the attacks wore broken up, and that the_ German losses were- severe. This attack marks a sharp revival in a battle which has lately shown signs of flickering out, but there is not yet any indication that the enemy is attempting to press and develop > his new venture on a scale commensurate with his former attacks. Heports' from other- sections of the battle front indicate that fcho German effort is waning.

Yesterday the French Minister of Finance (M. Hibot) was quoted as stating that we are at a decisive hour, and that it is permissible, without illusion, to perceive the end of the war. It is now possible to set against this utterance some general references to the Verdun struggle by General Joffre and Sir Douglas Haio. The latter, in a message, to General Joffre, expresses, admiration of the heroic performance of the French Army at Verdun, "whore Germany has chosen to break her strength in vain against the unconquerable soldiers of France." General. Joffre, in his reply, states that the French Army is confident of obtaining results of which all the Allies'will reap the advantage. The Allied commanders have expressed themselves 7 in much less outspoken fashion than M. Eibot, but,they unmistakably endorse the view that the result of the Battle of Verdun will tell heavily against the Germans in the war.

One passage in General Joffre's communication is particularly noteworthy. The French Army, he says, remembers that a recent call upon the comradeship of the British Army met with an immediate and complete response. It can have, been no light matter that is singled out for notice in this fashion, and yet the reference can hardly be to actual fighting. For weeks past, unlike- its French Allies, tho British Army has been engaged in little more than the stir of minor activities which never wholly subsides on the battle front. The gain of ground in the Hohenzollern Redoubt and its subsequent loss represent a possible exception, but it is likely that General Joffre had more important affairs in mind when he dictated the passage quoted. An adequate explanation would be that the British Army has extended its front in order to afford its Allies some relief. It will be remembered that some weeks ago Sir Douglas Haig's report, which is habitually confined to British operations, mentioned fighting in tho vicinity of Albert. This implied that the British front had been extended by thirty miles or more, and General Joffre's quoted statement very possibly refers to this development. No other explanation .seems to be available which would fit the facts. Stories which have apparently' been afloat that British or colonial troops had been engaged' at Verdun might, if they had been true, have supplied an alternative explanation; but a Paris message states that it is definitely confirmed that no. British, Australian, or ' Canadian troops are fighting at Verdun.

A local defeat is admitted by the Italians on the Isonzo front, not in the neighbourhood of Gorizia, but 16 miles further north, near Tolmino. The Austria'ns brought up heavy reinforcements of men and guns and opened a violent attack on Saturday, which was continued on the following day. It is claimed by the Italians tjiat they completely arrested the enemy's progress, but they admit withdrawing a section of their line for about 500 yards in the Santa Maria positions,' to avoid enfilading fire'by new enemy batteries. Santa Maria is immediately cast of Isonzo, a mile south of Tolmino. Evidently it ,is the posiiton in ,the northern part of the Tolmino bridgehead which the Austrians yesterday reported capturing.

' Some definite light is thrown upon the position in Mesopotamia by a message from Mr., Candler,' a correspondent in that theatre. He states that the British are still 23 miles from Kut-el-Amara. The' relieving column has thus retreated 16 miles down the Tigris since General Aylmer unsuccessfully attacked the Turks in the Essinn position about I a fortnight ago. Subsequently a British force under Sir Percy Lake (Commander-in-Chief in Mesopotamia) attacked an advanced Turkish position,- but at the time'ths locality of this engagement was not stated.

Though there is no news at the moment of military events in the Balkans, suggestive developments are reported in Greece and Rumania. In the- latter country the authorities are said to be busied in just such preparations as they might be expected to make on the eve of war. Men previously exempted arc' being called to the colours and available supplies of copper and linen have been requisitioned. A still more significeht move is the-' pensioning of several generals, including the Chief of the General Staff. These details are supplied by the Times correspondent at Bucharest, so that they may presumably be taken on trust, and they seem to imply nothing less than that Rumania is openly and without concealment completing preparations for war. It is'' stated, 'indeed, that the hopes of the Germanophiles m Rumania have been destroyed. Along with these confident predictions, however, there is a statement of less definite tone, that since the return of M. Carp- from Vienna, it is deduced that the-terms olfered (by Austria to Rumania to secure her continued neutrality) arc unsatisfactory. The form of the statement suggests that Rumania's ultimate c:ccision i 3 still a subject of speculation, though if is as openly rounding off her military, preparations, -as the Times correspondent says she is, there should be very little' doubt upon the subject.

Tub news from Greece is equally interesting, though of quite a different character. Its essential feature is that King Coxstantinb and his Government have- outrun the constable and are in financial straits pvanij to the. drain imposed upon Uiq public resource in keeping the

Army mobilised. That so poor a country as Greece should be unablr to bear such a burden unsupported for any length of time is not surprising. The situation reached owes its interest chiefly to tho indication afforded that the Allies are with holding financial aid from Greece. They aid assist her financially for a time, though to what extent has not been stated, but they have now evidently cut off further supplies, and presumably have' not done so without having some good reason. One explanation of the circumstances would bo that the Allies consider they have gone far cnoughin tolerating the rail-sitting attitude, of Kino Constantine, and have decided to force his hand. This they »ro Very possibly in a position to do. Greece is a poor country, and it la a costly business to keep the Army mobilised and eating its head oft. The withdrawal of financial support does not necessarily mean an attempt to forco G:|3eco, without resort, to take active part with the Allien, but it is very likely—always assuming that the reports of financial stringency* have not been overdrawn -rthafc she is now faced by the alternatives of making war on Bulgaria, as she should have done last year, or demobilising.

If Greece does not intend to fight the sooner she demobilises the better it will bo-ior Her own sake. She would therefore have no just cause of complaint against the Allies if they compelled her, .in the manner sfiggested, to chopse one course or the other. There is reason to sup' pose, however, that any such action by tire Allies would be directed, not so much against Greece, as against King Constant™, and' the proGerman coterie which has hitherto dominated Greek policy. Naturally, exact information the internal situation in .Greece is difficult to get, but the opinion has been expressed by observers on the spot that the Kino could not issue demobilisation orders without seriously jeopardising his own position. It Will be remembered, too, that when M.. Venizelos was forced by the 1 King to resign, ho tolerated the installation of Ji minority Government only on the condition that the mobilisation should be maintained. M. Venizelos, who has from the first favoured intervention, is still a power in the land, and it is claimed that the experience of the last elections, when a large proportion of tho electors abstained from voting, showed that his supporters are in avery considerable majority. The choice of King Constantine thus seems to lie between a course of action which a great majority of the Greek people, as well as tho Allies, would approve, and one which the majority of his subiects would hotly resent and very probably decline tx> permit. _ Last year, though ho could not justify the treacherous abandonment of Serbia to her fate, the' King was able to instance the weakness of the Allies in the Balkans as a reason for declining to fulfil his treaty obligations. Now that a powerful Allied Army has'been assembled at Salonika he no longer has this excuse, and a definite declaration of'policy may reasonably be demanded of him, both by his own people and by the Allies.

Reports speak also of a critical internal situation in Bulgaria, and it is stated that a pnlitary revolt, supported by the civil population, is feared. "The latest report to this effect comes,-however, from Home, and cannot be received with tho same confidence as the Bucharest report about Rumanian preparations and. the Athens report about conditions in Greece. That the clouds are gathering over Bulgaria makes ,it' not lfss, but more likely, that reports concerning the internal state of the countrv may run somewhat ahead of the tacts.