The Dominion. MONDAY, JULY 3, 1916. THE WAR SITUATION

Dominion, Volume 9, Issue 2813, 3 July 1916, Page 4

The Dominion. MONDAY, JULY 3, 1916. THE WAR SITUATION

The intense excitement reported in England as the result of the opening of the British offensive on the Western front may be taken as a fair indication of the importance attached to the developments in the war situation recorded in to-drty's cablegrams. It is not yet quite clear whether the. offensive which has opened with such success is a temporary effort designed to serve some immediate purpose, or whether it is part of the great concerted move of the Allies designed to exercise such pressure on all fronts as will strain the enemy's resources to breakingpoint. The situation generally would seem to suggest that the Allies have at last decided that tjhe time is opportune foj- the great offensive about which thero has Deen so much speculation since the southern _ Russian forces began their victorious onslaught against the Austro-Germa'n armies a few weoks ago. To tho distant onlooker viewing the struggle as a whole there appears to be good grounds for tho belief that the situation is almost wholly favourable to the Allies' big move. Thero are certain ' outstanding features which command attention. In the first place the Russian offensive in Southern Eussia and Galicia was pressed with such unexpected strength and speed and met with such a degree of success that it musthavo interfered seriously with whatever plans the enemy may have liad in. preparation. This would necessitate a readjustment involving the hurried transfer of troops and. supplies and the expenditure of energy and : roservc strength at a most inconvenient time. The terrific efforts against Verdun which had made so heavy a drain on tho best of the German regiments, and produced so little return, had also left the enemy weakened _ and to some_extent dispirited; while to add to his embarrassment and discouragement there followed the Italian recovery and defeat of the Austrians in the Trentino region. These were three outstanding features ,of the situation on Saturday last when the great British offensive began and the German General Staff found itself weighted with tho burden of this additional tax on its resources.

Never before in the presbnt struggle have the Austro-German forces been subjected to' such widespread and such weighty pressure as at the present time. For the first time in tho war the Allies have found themselves in a position to striko in force on all fronts simultaneously. It will be noted that although the main Anglo-Fiench offensive on the Western front is stated to cover a .distance of 16 miles north of the Somme and 4 miles to the south of the river, tho British forces are in addition harassing the enemy along their whole front, raiding the opposing trenches, battering enemy positions with artillery fire; and bombing railways and depots in the rear by means of aeroplanes. The enemy is thus kept occupied and unable to transfer troops to or from any of the main strategical, points along his line. Moreover, the French have been able" to take the offensive at points along tho Verdun sector of the line, and have recaptured Thiaumont after a desperate struggle. Thus, along practically the whole of the' Western front, the enemy is being subjected to greater pressure than ever before. This will prevent the transfer of any more troops to tho East to assist in repelling the Russian -advance. Italy, too, is playing her part. Not only are the Italian troops pressing the Austrians back in the Trentino, but along the Isonzo front also they are maintaining a heavy pressure and meeting with success, thus compelling the Austrians to keep troops in the west which otherwise would be transferred to Galicia to strengthen the armies falling back before the victorious Russian advance. At any moment now, assuming that tho big Allied offensive has begun in earnest, we may hear of a forward movement by the Anglo-Scrbo-Frcnch forces at Salonika. With their hands full on the Eastern, Western and Italian fronts, the Attstro-Ger-mans'willi not be in a position to render any material assistance to the .Bulgarians and Turks in the Balkans. The attitude of Greece is of pourso a factor which may influence the situation in this region, but there is good reason to hope that any danger which may have threatened from this quarter has been removed. It would only require the inclusion of Rumania on the sido of the Allies to revolutionise tho position in the Balkans, and make tho outlook for tho Bulgars and Turks quito hopeless. As it is their prospects must appear to them gloomy in the extreme. The Allied offensive, of course, is only in its opening stage. It has begun auspiciously. On the two main fronts it has been attended with a degree of success that is most heartening, and on the Italian front the prospocts too are most encouraging. Many days must pass

before the full effects of these initial movements on the general campaign can be fully ascertained. It would be unwise to expect rapid or continued'progress. The Allies will have to move step by step and must expect to suffer checks, but tho outlook to.-day is bettor than it has been at any stage of the war. Heavy blows have boon struck at the enemy from all quarters, on sea and on land; and while his military strength is weakening under the strain imposed, ' his economic .strength is waning undor the pressure maintained by the British naval blockade. We must await the development of ovonts with patience. But with every reason for increased confidence in the final outcome.