PROGRESS OF THE WAR

Dominion, Volume 9, Issue 2823, 14 July 1916, Page 4

PROGRESS OF THE WAR

I; More reports to-day are open to [the interpretation that a battle is browing on the northern section of the Western front. Sip. Douglas Haig mentions an active bombardment of the enemy's first line along the front from the Somme battlefield to the sea, and thcro are stories from Holland of extensive movements of the enemy troops in Belgium, and also of a concentration of German heavy artillery. Fighting continues on the Som'ma battlefront, but for tho time at least it appears to have assumed an almost stationary character. The British nave lost a little ground in the Trones and Hametz Woods, at the southern end of their line, and are no doubt in process of winning it back again. Some very successful raids have rccenty been made upon the Gorman tronches. As a whole the conditions are just what might bo expected to obtain if tho Allies were -sparring for a new opening, and it is nob impossible that this is what they are doing. » » « *

With matters in. /this state, tho Gormans have fallen back upon their standing panacea. They have resumed tho attack on Verdun and are evidently using strong forces in an attempt to better their past performance in that ill-starred enterprise. As yet their success has bcon poor. West of the Mcuso their attacks have failed. ■ On the other aids of the river they havo dono a littlo hotter, and at the moment hold tho Damloup battery (which they captured once beforo only to lose it again), and a limited area between Fort Vaux and Souvillo, the lattor a, fort position of the inner lino. A French communique sums up the position in the statemont that in spite of the violence of his massed attacks on a relatively narrow front, tho enemy only succeeded, at enormous loss, in raining a small amount of ground. Having gone so far in resuming the assault, the Germans presumamy mean to go further, but their chance of achieving results damaging to the Allies, at Verdun, is certainly smaller now than it was before tho Battle of the Sommo opened. It is a question whether they are now in a position to take the faffensivo at any point without laying thomsolve3 open to "attack elsewhere, and the resumption of the Verdun offensive rather wears the look of persistence in a mistake from which they are unable to cut themselves adrift. Until recently a theory found favour in Germany that the long-continued battering at Verdun had put such a strain on the Allies as to mako an offensive on their part impossible. This theory has been so thoroughly made an ond of that tho resumption of the .attempt on Verdun necessarily wears a certain .air of futility.

A belief that tho initiative in tho war haa now passed definitely to the Allies and that Germany is no longer capable of improving her position by taking the offensive on a big scalo does, not rest Upon speculative theory, nor does it lean upon the admittedly doubtful reports that are coming through about the state of affairs existing in Germany. Such a belief rests in the first place upon thd visible and admitted facts of' the war. Having- deliberately elected to pursue an almost purely defensive policy at Verdun, the Westoin Allies have demonstrated that they are able to strike with deadly effect in the propor place and at the proper time. There is eyery reason to bolieve that the offensive on the Sommo is not an isolated effort, but rather an opening move which will be speedily followed up in a methodically developing offensive. We have Genekal Joffke'b word for it that the opportunity which thus far has been turned to account in tho Battle of the Somme was lately created by tho French resistance at Verdun. From this it should follow that in resuming tho' attack on Verdun the Germans arc rather playing into the hands of the Allies than acting in a waylikely to derange their plans. On tho Eastern front the Germans and their allies are certainly not more happily placed. Tho Russians aro working out a deliberate policy of compelling tho enemy to conccntrato in given scctors and so present openings elsewhere. They iiave progressed very rapidly and invaded or rccovcred thousands of equate miles ol territory since their offensive opened, but their chief aim at present is not to effect the speediest possible conquest of territory, but to subject the enemy to tho heaviest possihlo fighting strain. This is a wise policy. It is calculated to limit the disadvantage tho litisuans labour under in the matter of communications, and itn fruits are seen in recent official and other reports of the enemy's losses in prisoners and casualties. From Italy there is official news that the Austriana, under pressure of It-al-

ian attacks, arc transferring troops to the Alpine frontier from the Eastern theatre. This also promises well- for the Allies, sincc in tho Hastcm theatre the Austrians arc desperately in need of every available man, and they cannot now hop? to do more against Italy than maintain a defensive war. Taken in the aggregate, the conditions obtaining in these three theatres afford practically conclusive evidcuce tlyi; the enemy is now far too firmly held and heavily engaged to concentrate anywhere upon offensive acti m with hope of advantage.

It is instructive at this stage to consider briefly tho scopc of tho operations undertaken by the enemy while he still retained the initiaitve. As an English military writer pointed out not long ago, the Germans, from the late autumn of 1914 onwards, restricted themselves to one principal offensive at a time. They found their resources-unequal to tho double strain of an . offensive in Flanders and Poland, and after once putting the matter to a practical test did not repeat tho expciiment. Last year, except for the gas attack on flhe Yser, which was not followed up, and operations in Oihe~ quarters, largely defensive in their purpose, which cannot be classed a,s of the first importance, they confined their offensive energies to tho Russian front. No greater contrast could well be imagined than between tho conditions which exist to-day and >,hose which permitted the enemy to turn at will from one main theatre to tho other. At th? height of their power the Aus-, tro-Gcrmans achieved results by' concentrating in turn against one unprepared enomy after another. Now they arc engaged in all theatres by suporior enemies. For this reason and becaiise of the definite successes the Allies have already won, and not because doleful stories aro coming out of Germany, the outloolc is bright.

Aot very much news is coming through at tho moment about the great battle which is being fought on the line of the Stochod River (east and north-east of Kovel), in Southern Russia, but what news there is may bo called decidedly good. Having crossed tho river at different points, the Russians are oxtending their hold on the western bank, which means that they arc in it fair way to triumphantly surmount this last serious obstacle on the road to' Kovel junction. A communique conveys the brief but satisfactory intimation that enemy attempts to recross tho river have been defeated. 'Necessarily tho struggle for full possession of the river-line is of the most desperate character, and enemy reports claiming the capture of Russian detachments at some points may be more or less founded on fact. -It is reported by'tho correspondent of the Morning Post at Petrograd, howover, that in fivo days' l fighting oh the Stochod the Russians have taken prisoners close . upon 22,000 officers and mon, and captured 71 guns and 93 machino-guns. This would indicate that if the Russians are not winning command of tho rivor without a material sacrifice they- aro taking a much more than corresponding toll of the enemy.

Another wclcomo item of news is to tho cffcct that tho Russians aro making appreciable progress in Armenia, west of Erzerum, and that the Turkish line of retreat is littered with arms and stores. This seems to dispose of some recent enomy claims, and shows that tho main campaign against Turkey is developing satisfactorily.

It is no easy matter tcj judge bow far the criticism that is again being directed against the conduct of the campaign ,in Mcsopotama is justified. According to the London Times, tho food supply is irregular, bad, and frequently short, thero is much sickness, _ and the medical equipment is insufficient. It is added that these troubles are due to the inadequacy of our river transport. These are serious oharges, particularly in view of the price already paid for experience in .Mesopotamia, hut they may be based in part upon conditions which have to be faced in the campaign,, and can only to a limited extent ho overcome by organisation. 1 At this time of the year tho climate of Mesopotamia is in the highest degree trying and enervating, particularly to Europeans, and there is bound to ho a considerable amount of sickness amongst Europeans campaigning in such a climate. In addition to this the problem of maintaining an efficient transport service is much more difficult during the summer months than at other seasons of the 'year. During tho' wet season floods enabled the Turks to tako their stand on narrow and easily defended fronts. " Now tho river, which is the main lino of communication, is running low, though it is not yet at its lowest, and the dfficulties of navigation aro increasing. .With these circumstances ruling, tho immediate outlook in the campaign is not vory promising, and it may bo some time before another advance on Bagdad is attempted. This docs not mean that the Anglo-Indian force in Mesopotamia is thrown away, or that its privations are being endured in vain. At the lowest estimate it is still securing the objects with which tho campaign was in, augurated. These were: "To securo the neutrality of the Arabs, to safeguard our interests in the Persian Gulf, to protect the oilfields, and fjenerally to maintain the author. I ity of tho Flag in the East." In addition, the advanced force on the "Tigris is holding a Turkish army in play, and is fairly well placed for a move on Bagdad when tha time is opportune. At last reports it had mastered tho Dujailar redoubt, an important nlomont in the Turkish defences 011 the Tigris, seven miles below Kut-el-Amara.

An interesting account of the damago done to tho Gorman fleet in tho Battle of Jutland is transmitted by the Daily Telegraph's correspondent at .Rotterdam. Ho gives the names o£ ships, and, in summary, his nows is that ten German Dreadnoughts (six battleships and four battlccruisors) and 0110 pro-Dreadnought battleship, besides a number of cruisers, are in dock, so badly damaged that it will bo months before they arc repaired. Indeed, it is saiil that ono of the battlo-eruisers, tho Soydlitz, is :i Avrock, and was only Halved by being run ashoro. Necessarily this nows is unofficial, but tho correspondent claims that his information is reliable, and very possibly it is, The terms of AdsniiAi. Jelmcob's report, and a statement made last month by Mr. Balfour, equally mako it probable that tho High Seas Fleet is in just such a plight as is now described. From

Apinm Jkllicof/s voport, it is highly probable that five German Dreadnoughts (including two bat-tle-cruisers) were sent to the bottom, apart from one prc-Dreadnought battleship and a number of cruisers and smaller craft. If threo superDreadnoughts, two of them originally intended to be completed this year, and another next year, are in commission, Germany had 26 Dreadnoughts at disposal before the Battle of Jutland. With five of these at the bottom, and half of the remainder docked in such a, state that they will not emerge for months, the High Seas Fleet is for tho time being eliminated. If the correspondent is right in his facts, the Seydlitz battle-cruiser must be added to the list of Dreadnoughts permanently lost to Germany, making the probable total of ships of this class lost, six.