PROGRESS OF THE WAR

Dominion, Volume 9, Issue 2797, 15 June 1916, Page 4

PROGRESS OF THE WAR

Recent talk of stagnation at Verdun is falsified in reports of another great blaze of battle on tho northern front. The Germans are once again hurling masses of men against the' defences, under conditions of massacre. In a day of terrible battle on Monday they made, apparently,-no progress at all and sacrificed many lives in vain, but the latest French communique in hand shows that in subsequent fighting the Germans wore a little more fortunate. captured some advanced elements of the French lines west of Thiaumont farm, about a mile and a half from the east bank of the Mouse. The immediate objective of the enemy in his recent costly attacks is the Floury ravine, which lies south of Thiaumont and about two miles west of Fort Vaux. That : is to say ho is attempting to break through the Frcnch northern line and strike south in such a manner as would convert what remains of tho Douaumont position and an area further south (west of Fort Vaux) into a narrow salient whicli would bo difficult and perhaps impossible to defend. If the enemy succccds in creating and cutting off this salient, he will gain some additional miles of foothold on the heights of tho Mouse, but ho is'still a considerable way from success. While his losses are mounting up at an appalling rate ho is making progress by yards. German prospects cast of the river are also complicated to an extent by the fact that the French still hold advanced positions on the west bank from which they arc able to direct a more or less damaging onfilading fire ■upon tho area across the rivor which tho Gcrraa'ns arc very slowly penetrating. # ft ' tt t Slow as tho enemy's progress is it is upon tho whole continuous "and if the fate of the battle were likely to bo determined by the retention or loss of tho town of Verdun (from which the Germans at their nearest approach are now about four miles distant) some cause would appear for concern. But tho underlying idea of tho French tactics in this historic battle is not that the Germans cannot in any circumstances reach -Verdun, but that they cannot reach it without paying a heavier prico in lives and otherwiso than tho capture is worth, and that tho occupation of tho town would in lio sense confer a decisive advantage on the enemy. The capture of Verdun would no doubt De a political triumph for the Germans, but as the war is developing it is becoming more and more likely that such a triumph would ring hollow and be exposed as a 'visible sham. So long as gradual towards Verdun is not only achieved at disproportionate cost, but Ts balanced by such disasters as the Aus-tro-Germans are now suffering in tho Eastern theatre, the Germans are liiost certainly chasing a shadow and sacrificing substance. • It is by this time fairly well understood that the occupation of the town of Verdun by the Germans woulcl in no sonse be equivalent to a decision in the' battle which ranks as the greatest of the war. In order to approach a decision the Germans would have to brcitk right through the French lino and rout the armies to which they are opposed. ft # * *

This has. been more or less definitely recognised by the Germans themselves. It has been said By some of their military writers, for instance, that the road to Paris is through Verdun. The octogenarian, Marshal von Haeseler, the adviser of tho Crown Prince, is said to bo an exponent of this view, and the attack on Verdun is regarded as a belated triumph of his opinion over that of Von Falkenhayn, and other magnates of the German Staff who favoured the offensive through Flanders. According to an American writer, the German Emperor does not think the venerable Von Haeseler understands modern war —an impression which the Marshal also cherishcs of the Emperor. As events are going it seems likely that the opinion attributed to the Emperor will bo justified. If the Gernians had directed their opening attack of the war at Verdun instead of invading Belgium, there might ( havo been a different story to tell,

but as matters stand to-day Verdun is simply a piece in tho game, and the French will cheerfully yield it temporarily to the enemy if it seems wise and necessary to do so in furtherance of their strategical plan. .Even this, however, is looking ahead of current events to a development that quite possibly may _ never be reached. The broad position in the Battle of Verdun at the moment is that tho Germans at their nearest approach are something like four miles away from the coveted town, and their latest success involves, for the time at . least, a very inconsiderable reduction of this margin. e * * There arc more suggestions that the Germans are making ready for a grand assault on the British lino in the locality of Ypres, but tho .only actual fighting reported on that section of the front is a local battle at Zillebeke, east-south-east of Ypres, in which the Canadians gallantly won back the remainder of the ground they lately lost. The line at this point has been completely restored and the positions regained were consolidated and maintained against powerful coun-ter-attacks. The Germans, however, remain in possession of ground which they captured not long ago, at Hooge, north of Zillebeke. It will bo noticed that an enemy communique mentions the attack of the Canadians at Zillebeke without saying how it resulted. # V # « One thing we may take, for granted is that if the Germans venture a big attack upon the British front in Flanders they will find the undertaking no less formidable than that in which they are unprofit' ably exhausting their energies at Verdun. The plains and low dunes of Flanders constitute a terrain as different/ as possible from the rolling hills and occasional plateaux of tho Verdun district, but the Flanders country lends itself not. less readily to tho purposes of modern wav. At some points, tho face of tho Ypres salient for one, the British ire somewhat at a disadvantage owing to tho enemy being posted on vather higher ground, i put the Flanders front as a whole is a range of defences designed and improved with masterly skill. Doscribing some of its features recently, Mr. Warner Allen remarked that the British defences are at first glance lot very visible, but on closer inspection they prove most encouraging. "A master mind had been at work, taking advantage of every little hill and depression in the monotonous plain. Is there a road or a field apt to be swept by a machine-gun? A few minutes' soarch will show an unobtrusive hummock, which, in approach, proves to be heavily defended, proof against everything but the largest shell. Is there a spot where barbed wiro entanglements can lie concealed from the enemy's artillery, to prove at the moment of the assault a fata' obstacle 1 Thtfro you will find neat rows of stakes intertwined with that deadly barrier which has done so much to change the whole system of warfare." Tnere is probably no single war area in' which engineering skilh has, been applied more freely or to better effect in the creation of defences than in Flandors, and certainly there is none in which defensive preparations on either side are better hidden from the opposing . forces. It has been said that nowhere is war more invisible than iii Flanders. Assuredly this is not a promising field for such a forlorn-hope offensive as tho Germans are said to bo contemplating. 9 ft *■ 9 Further proof that the Anzacs are making themselves thoroughly at homo in tho conditions of warfare on the Western front is given in accounts of another raid made the German trenches in the vicinity of Bois Grenier, south of Armentieres. This is the .second raid made by the Anzacs in the locality named within a few days, though a comparatively 1 sinall affair it was in its proportions disstrous to tho enemy. At least 18 Germans were killed or taken prisoner, while the raiding party came off unscathed except that two of its members were' slightly wounded. The destruction of two trench mortars is also entered in the account against the Germans. Reports of these raids have incidentally disclosed on the Western 'lino occupied by the Anzac corps. Bois Grenier lies about four miles south of the Franco-Belgian.- border, in the Black Country of France, the manufacturing area, tho partial occupation of which by the Germans has done so much to handicap tho Frcnch industrial effort in the war. It is an area covered by a close network of railways, roads and canals, and with ruined factories and houses in many towns and villages bearing visible testimony, to the ravages of war. * 'ft # 9 There is not much detail news from Russia at time of writing, but the Russians are pressing forward both from the Dniester, in furtherance of their attack on Czernowitz, and further north, where practically the > whole. line of thoStyr below Ohartorysk is ' now in Russian hands, the captured territory including a triangle of wooded country which backs the river immediately to the north of the Galician frontier. Demidovka, twenty miles west of Dubno, is situated in this wooded tract. ■ It is indicated that the Russian operations in this area are clearing the way for a westward advance on Lemberg from Tarnopol. Petrograd messages imply that the enemy. has recovered from tho hopeless disorder • into which ho was at first thrown, but evidently tho Russians have still the upper hand. The enemy commanders on tho southern front are open to. a taunt which, tho London Times casts to-day at Von Hindenburq. If they contemplate a conn-tcr-sfcroke to the Russian blow they are uncommonly slow starters. At tho moment there is no indication of such a counter-stroke, on the scale and in tho power required, cither in south or north. Cheerful accounts are" given of the Italian campaign. The trians seem to be at the end of their offensive effort and the Italians Tiavo recovered some further positions on the front south of the Trcntino on which they lately seemed to be hard pressed. The suggestion in one message that the _ Italians rather invited than otherwise a battle in tho open is not inconsistent with the fact that they have lost a defensive line in theTrentino which they hoped and intended to hold. This is frankly admitted in the message referred to, but the advantage gained by the enemy is not disposed of as might appear fi'om the statement that tho mistakes made (by tho Italians) have been remedied and will not bo repeated. Though they have apparently declined tho challenge to a battle in

tho open tho Austrians aro considerably better off, and the Italians aro considerably hampered, as a result of the enemy having advanced from the Trentino and gained a footing on the Asiago plateau. It is probable, however, that he may find it a difficult matter to retain the advantage in view of the increasing demands upon his strength and resources in the Russian theatre. # # * * Germany shows a wonderful ingenuity in discovering new infamies with which to blacken her name. The latest example is the enforced enlistment in the German Army of Belgians who have been three years' resident in Germany. No immediate _ remedy seems available for the victims of this outrageous infraction of the law of nations, though protests are being lodged, but apart from tho main question the German action has a certain interest as an indication of weakness. It is tolerably, certain that the : illegally impressed Belgians will not make good or reliable soldiers in the German Army. Their presence in its ranks will be an element of weakness rather than of strength. It may therefore bo assumed .-that they would not have been impressed had not the need for men been dire.