PROGRESS OF THE WAR

Dominion, Volume 9, Issue 2785, 1 June 1916, Page 4

PROGRESS OF THE WAR

The storm-centre of the Vordun battle at tho moment is a short section of front a little over a mile west of the Meuse,, between the village of Cumieres and the hill known as, Mort Homme. For the time being, the Germans seem to be concentrating undividedly upon an effort to work round the eastern flank of Mort Homme, and in the latest fighting of which reports in hand speak they havo made a little progress. If the enemy flanking movement succeeds, the French will not only lose Mort Homme, but may have to effect something in tho nature of a general retirement from the line west of the Meuse on which they have so long withstood assaults, to new positions in rear. This has been recognised for some time as a possibility, and tho contingency has been provided for. The fury and determination with which the Germans arc pressing tho assault on the short battle-front between Mort Homme

and Cumieres is an indication of their anxiety to gain the advantage at any cost. It is rather too soon to assume, however, that the French are about to be compelled to fall back from thoir present line. All that appears at present is that the enemy ha-s effected a slight advance towards his immediate goal by oftrepeated efforts and at prodigious cost. The fact speaks for itself that it was in an eloventh assault that the Germans gained a little ground near Cumieres.

The outcome will depend largely Upon the line of action taken by tho French. Fighting their defensive battlo at Verdun, they, havo preferred on occasion to give ground rather than incur tho sacrifice ' entailed in holding it. At not very frequent intervals, however, they havo varied their defensive tactics by counter-attacks designed to safeguard some vital and threatened section of their lino. Not many days ago they launched such a counterattack on the sector against which the Germans are now concentrating so heavily, and it relieved pressure for tho time. A stago seems to have been reached, or closely approached, at which the French fnust again choose between counter-attacking or, giving ground. The Germans havo not yet penetrated far towards their immediate objective, but sooner or later, assuming they are prepared to continuo to sacrifice men in wholesale fashion, they may win the position. ' Their own account of the progress made to date is palpably inflated,, but French reports establish tho essential fact that tho assault is boihg resolutely pressed and hacked by powerful reinforcements. The choioe of the French therefore seems to lie between rolling back the enemy by means of a determined coun-ter-offensive involving heavy losses or rotiring to new positions. Which course they will elect to take is at the moment quite an open question, but it need not be doubted that the choice is in their hands.

News from Italy is somewhat disconcerting. The Austrians- are still making headway in their offensive, and haye forced the Italians to evacuato the railhead of Asiago. In. the admitting tho loss of this place, it is claimed, however, that the enemy is being held, and is suffering heavily on the wings of his attacking front, and the. general suggestion is that the defence is stiffening. In its optimistic general estimate of the situation, the Italian official statement will the more readily command v credence on account of the frankness with which it admits tho measure of success achieved by the enemy. The Italian military authorities are apparently making 110 attempt to hide or gloss over unpalatable truths.

According to a Petrograd messago tho Russians have scored another important success against Turkey, aiid one which bears a very important relation to the British operations in Mesopotamia. A considerable force of Turks has been defeated by a Russian column approaching Nineveh, that is to say, M'osul on the Upper Tigris, near which the ruins of the ancient city are situated. Emphasis is rightly laid upon '.ho importance of this development in its bearing upon the conquest of Bagdad. Mosul is some 230 miles from Bagdad as tho crow flies, but if tho Russians gain a footing on the Tigris at Mosul, Bagdad will fr.r practical purposes be isolated. The Tigris affords the- only serviceable fine of communication available to the Turks at Bagdad. The alternative route by way of the Euphrates entails an overland journey, and is much less convenient. The wide dispersion of their forces entailed in meeting simultaneous Russian and British pressure, in ureas hundreds of miles apart, must needs be telling heavily against tho Turks.

Some further facts arc supplied regarding the latest development in the East African British advance north from the Rhodesian frontier. The movement seems to have taken the Germans by surAt all events a considerable quantity of food ancl war stores has been captured at New Langenburg, north of Lake Nyassa, while at Mamwa, nearly 150 miles away to the west and north, a German garrison has been invested. The total strength of tho Germans in East Africa is not very large, and developments like those of the I'ast day or two'bring the end of their resistance perceptibly nearer. As reports stand, the British troops are shown to have penetrated twenty miles and more into the enemy colony from the Rhodesian and Nyassaland. frontiers.

Events are not moving very rapidly in Greece, but the situation as it, is disclosed is in many respects peculiar. Tho Bulgarians are preparing, apparently, to occupy the greater part of Greek Macedonia, and while the Greek Government adheres to its policy of inaction the Allies, as reports go, profess to regard the enemy activities with pro : found indifference. The difficulty at the moment is to fathom the enemy's intention and the manner in which ho hopes to profit by his adventure. Comprehension in the matter.is not greatly assisted by the statement that the Bulgarians aim at advancing, by way of Seres and Drama, to the sea at ICavala. They are not likely to obtain anj> hold upon Ivavala that cannot be easily loosened by the Allies if they should elect at a later stage to make a landing there, and for a numbor of reasons the wisdom of an attempt on the part of the Bulgars to establish a defensive line across Greek Macedonia to the sea is very much open to question. If they were assured of powerful support from, the Austro-Ger-mans the outlook would be changed to some extent, but as information goes tho invasion is being conducted chiefly by Bulgarian troops. Tho substancQ of an interview with General Sarrail, which figures in the cablegrams, to-day, indicates that the Bulgars have weakened their forces facing tho French advanced lines on the Vardar—the main road and railway route down to Salonika —and are employing the troops so released in the invasion of Greek Macedonia.

On tho facts as they appear, the Bulgars seem to be in some' danger of over-reaching themselves.' The situation is in some respects analogous to that which obtains in Italy. Like the Austrians, the Bulgarians have a. strong defensive frontier, where their own territory, and that of Serbia, touches Greece. They can hardly be in a position to launch a powerful offensive against the Allies, and it would seem to be in their interests rather to stand on the defensive than to occupy more or less exposed positions ahead of the frontier line. The possibility exists that the present activities of the Bulgarians may screen some greater enterprise against the Allies at Salonika

than has yet become visible. The present posture of affairs in the main theatres, however, is distinctly against any supposition of the kind. The German statement that the Bulgarians are operating in Macedonia in accordance with an agreement with the Greek Government is presumably warranted by the official Greek professions of impartial neutrality.. At the same time, tlio fate of the population in the districts left open_ to the invaders is likely to be unonviable, and an expectation that the Greek King and Government may presently be forced in spite of themselves to act in defence of their country possibly in part explains the attitude of indifferenco assumed by the Allies. They can well afford to await developments likely to inflame the passions of the Greek population against the Bulgars to breaking point. **' # m

In his recent rather panicky speech about the Army, Colonel Winston Churchill seems to have been 110 more happy than' in the scaremongering spcecn on naval preparations which drow such a crushing retort from Mr. Balfour. On the later occasion Colonel Churchill drew an alarmist picture of 200,000 officers' servants and 50,000 grooms "behind the fighting lines" in tho main theatre. The effect, except upon those who are in the habit of heavily discounting what Colonel Churchill says, must have been to create the impression that a- quarter of a million soldiers had been withdrawn from active duty to dance attendance on their officers. Loed Kitchener has supplied the facts in a Ministerial statement in the House of Lords. The "servants" and "grooms" of whom Colonel Churchill spoke serve. in the trenches, and are not considered as being behind the fighting lines. The Secretary for War added that he thought Colonel Churchill thoroughly realised 'this $act. The surpnse_ implied in this remark must be widely shared. Colonel Churchill's abilities are admitted-, and he has an enviable record of public service, but it is not to be denied that he has been guilty recently of arrant scare-mongering in regard to both naval and military affairs. .