PROGRESS OP THE WAR

Dominion, Volume 9, Issue 2821, 12 July 1916, Page 6

PROGRESS OP THE WAR

' The point is raised in some of the later comments upon tho position reached in the Western theatre that the Allies are not by any means limited to working forward from tho notablo success they have won upon the Somme. This is a fact which should be kept constantly in mind. The region of the Sommo has of late tended to monopoliso attention as the theatre of great events, so far as the Western campaign is concerned, but it is, in fact, only one of a number in which tho Allies may strike with power and effect in the methodical development of their offensive. According to one correspondent, the conviction obtains in Germany that the Anglo-French forces are engaged in a great strategic operation —in other words, that tlicy have set their, hands to an enterprise in which tho offensive on tho Somme figures not as tho main blow, but as a detail, though, of course, a, detail of very great importance. This is in no way inconsistent with another samplo of German opinion given to-day, the troubled statement of tho Frankfurter Zeitung that the tactical success of the French is not to be denied, and that their aim is to strike north from Peronne and roll up the wing of. German forces which stand opposed to the British section of the Allied line. The Allies are, of course, striking for an immediate success on the Somme, and they are winning it, but it has yet to_ be seen in what manner the operations in this region will bo dovetailed into the general and comprehensive scheme of their ( offensive. It has been suggested that tho capture of Peronne will moan such a penetration of tho enemy lino as will enable the Allies to forco a battle under comparatively open conditions, and probably to compel an extended enemy retreat. Matters are plainly moving in this direction, but it would be taking a somewhat extremo view to supposo that the prospect is likely to bo fully realised in the near -or immediate future.

As the battle is shaping, it does not seem likely that the French will stop short of Pcronnc—from which they aro now separated by only three-quarters of a mile, this distance including tho breadth of tho river and a strip. of marsh along its banks—but this does not mean that the Allies will be bound to immediately press to the utmost whatever local aefvantago they may gain. There is at any rate the alternative of calling a halt on the Somme, at a suitable stage in tho operations, and shifting the jjoint of attack with a view to placing the enemy at a similar disadvantage elsewhere. The Allies may work on these lines for some time before they attempt to compel a general retreat of the German Western armies. Lord Derby said the other day that the war would not be ended by spectacular assaults upon detached scctors of the Qcrman line, but by putting as many German soldiers out of action as lay in the Allies' power. This is perfectly true, but at would be going to an absurd extreme to suppose that/the Allies are likely to restrict themselves to attacks on a single scctor of the enemy front.

The effect of tho Allied success on the Somme is to create a glaringweakness in the German line in. that region—the Allied wedge threatens the German armies in flank, both oh the north and south—and it is probable that these conditions will be intensified before the battle comes even temporarily to a halt. It may seem to bc_ the natural policy of the Allies to improve their immediate success to the utmost with a minimum of delay, but this is not by any means to be takon for granted. Much as it tends to their advantage, the position is modified by the fact that the enemy has poured heavy reinforcements into the Somme sector. The extent of his reinforcement may be judged from the character of his counter-attacks. Though these have been mostly unsuccessful, they have been pressed desperately and in strong force, and heavy losses have been incurred in keeping them going.' Badly as he is faring in tho immediate battle, the enemy would light a general engagement now in much moreadvantageous circumstances than if he had to make good not only one section of front shattered and driven in, but two or "three or a greater number of sections similarly dealt with. It is to tho point also that so long as they are able to engage the enemy at advantage and inflict losses materially greater than their own, it is wholly in tho interests of tho Allies to continue the conflict on,' and in 'tho near neighbourhood of, the present front, \vliicli by its mere length imposes a very heavy drain upon "Gorman resources. On available evidence it seems to be abundantly clear that tho conditions stated are met, and that tho Allies, thanks to a marked superiority in artillery, are able to penetrate the German lines and yet levy a toll of enemy lives which heavily excccds their own losses. •

On all grounds there is reason to anticipate that tho Allies will turn from a limited success in the Sorame sector—though it may be carried well beyond tho point now readied— in order to reproduce elsewhere the conditions tlicy are creating in that region. Such a policy will certainly riot mean any concession to the enemy, lie cannot wipe out the effect of his defeat on the Sonime, and restore the stability of his front except by an offensive powerful enough to drive tho Allies back over the line of their advance. There is reason to believe that he will henceforth bo kopt too busily engaged to even embark upon such an effort. 'A slackening in the present cattle would, of course, enable him

"to throw up new defences, but this would go only a very little way towards restoring the strength of his front. The Allied guns have mads short work of defences which the "Germans, as roports go, considered impregnable. Tho advantage gained by the Allies consists largely m the fact that the German lino is being 'driven inwards in a deep cleft, anVl the most elaborato defences will not make good a weakness of this kind.

Detailed reports of the battle show that it.is still going decidedly in favour of the Allies. South of Tile Somme the French have advanced close to the river opposite Peronne, and captured a dominating hill in this vicinity, which must be of great strategic importance. In addition to their forward movement they have strengthened their wedge by the capture of strong'positions on its southern flank, the Somme remains as an obstacle immediately facing Peronne and further south, but tne French are in possession of a range of good artillery positions well advanced. Their prospects of surmounting the obstacle should "thus be good. What their big guns are capablo of in the way_ of accurate practice is indicated in a message which states that four successive shells were neatly dropped upon a bridge behind the German front, at a range of fourteen miles. , This message is indicative also of the destruction the Allied batteries along the battlefront are effecting on the enemy's lines of communication. The Allied aeroplanes are actively engaged _ in similar work, over a much wider range than the guns are able to cover. , « ■» * •

Noetii of the Sommc the British are working persistently into a series of enemy strongholds. The general success achieved is marred only by the loss of portion of Trones Wood, a small triangle of woodland standing near the junction 'of the French and British lines. Such as it was, the German success was a Pyrrhic victory, for they recovered a portion of the coveted wood only after making six desperate attacks, In all of which their losses were verv heavy.

is now fully established that the Russians arc sweeping forward victoriously in Southern Russia, whor© Kovel junction is their imiucdiato goal, and that the enemy has been "heavily defeated in a manoeuvre battle. The facts are dealt with .interestingly and at large in a numuer of mossages which call for little comment. The position broadly is that the Russians have been fighting for weeks with their line thrown forward wedge-fashion, tho point of the wedge within about twenty miles of .ilovel, which is about forty miles north of the Galician frontier. On the south tho Russian lino has for some tinie been well advanced, but on tho north it swept sharply back to tho cast and north. This northern section of tho line has now been swung forward with disastrous results to the enemy.. In a brief period, on tho northern section of the front alone, 20.000 unwounded Austro-Germanshaveoeen taken prisoner, and the enemy's casualties in the same period aro estimated at 50,000. These losses, it is to be remembered, have fallen on forces including a largo proportion of German, troops. Recently the Germans returned their total casualties for Juno at something over 80,000. On that basis, or indeed on any basis,. their losses on tho Stoehod must bo accountcd disastrous. Apart from the immediate effect of his blow, General ' Brusiloff is rapidly straightening his front across Southern Russia, from the Pripet Marshes to Galicia. Tho enemy is said to have constructed a range of defences in front of Kovel, but these aro now in imminent danger of being turned from the north and possibly from tho south as well.

The capture of Tanga marks an important stage in the East African campaign. Tanga is the sea torminus of a railway running across the north-eastern corner of the German colony from the vicinity of Mount Kilmanjaro. The whole of this railway is now in British ,"nands. A longer railway runs right across the colony further, south, but at last reports a British column was well on its way towards this line, after dislodging tho enemy from a series of defensive positions. Tho German defence inusfc bo~now nearly on its last legs.