PROGRESS OF THE WAR

Dominion, Volume 9, Issue 2869, 6 September 1916, Page 4

PROGRESS OF THE WAR

— j One big battle has followed another on front. A" late lhiiSs'ago brings news of a brilliant and highly successful attack made by the French on a front extending to a point south of Chaulnes, which lies about nine miles south of the Somnifl. This means an extension by several miles of the front on which the battle has hitherto been fought. The gains recorded are important and include the capture or closc investment of several villages and towns. At the same time further progress lias been made north of the Somme, and the tide of battle has evidently turned decidedly against the enemy also at Verdun. Correspondents relate that An/.ae troops attacked and defeated sonic of Germany's best troops, a battalion of the Prussian Guard, in reccnt fighting, in tho vicinity of Thiepval. One correspondent speaks of Australians, but it is not mentioned whether New Zealanders also were engaged in the battle.

Sudden prominence is given to events on the southern confines of Rumania by tho news that in tho Dobruja Rumanian troops are falling back upon their Russian Allies before a general Bulgar-Gcrman offensive towards Constanza. The "Dobruja owes its importance to tho fact that it affords access to Bulgaria fron'l the north without the necessity of forcing the passage of the Danube. The southern frontier of the Dobruja touches the Black Sea coast at a point 60 miles south of the Danube, and runs north-west to that river at a point about a hundred miles inland from tho coast. It thus includes an extensive area south of the river. Constanza lies about GO niiles (as the crow Hies) north of the point at which the Bulgarian and Rumanian frontiers join.

It is through the Dobruja (hat tho Russians arc expected to advance into ancl the reports now received indicate that the enemy is making a definite effort to forestall the Russian invasion. The German Press is said to bo starring tho enterprise. It leports that General von Maokensen is in command, and suggests that the Dobruja campaign "may decide the Balkan issue." This, to say tho least, is running somewhat ahead of events. Tho chief interest of the la-tor reports is in their indication that the Germans

have succeeded, presumably by sending reinforcements into Bulgaria, in stampeding that country into a for-lorn-hope attempt to defeat the orderly development of tho Allied plans in tho Balkans. It had already beon reported that tho Rumanian frontier guards in tho Dobruja were falling back beforo Bulgarian attacks. The present news implies that the attacks are important, but tho decisive encounter which is imminent, if tho news is in accordance with fact, has yet to take place. At all events, it has not been reported at time of writing, but ajlong with tho news of the enemy invasion it is announced that the Russians in tho Dobruja arc rapidly advancing. * * * *

The Balkan campaign may now be expected to take shapo speedily, for obviously action in the Dobruja is likely to give the signal for action elsewhere, notably on the normem frontier of Greece. It will bo the natural policy of the Allies to bring their full weight to bear upon Bulgaria simultaneously in north and south Nothing is definitely known about tho Russian strength in Rumania, but unless Bulgaria has been more heavily reinforced by her allies than seems likely, slio will presumably be outnumbered on both tho fronts, between which she must now divide her forces. Tho only recent report dealing with tho matter indicated that the Allies in Greece were possessed of a numerical superiority over the enemy. As to the other front, it seems probable that .Rumania has resigned operations on her southern frontier to the Russians in order to concentrate her own forces chiofly against Transylvania, Presumably Rumania would not take this course_ without being assured that Russia would bring an adequato force to bear. Continued enemy progress in the Dobruja, would, of course, mean a dangerous threat to Rumania, but tho invasion chiefly commands attention at tho mominfc as being-likely to lead to a general explosion. .

Partly because of tho brevity of the Russian official communiques and partly as a result of attention being diverted to Transylvania and tho Balkans, the Eastern theatre has dropped somewhat out of notice during the last week or two, but it is now beginning to command again the , attentibn to which it is entitled as the scene of tho Russian main offensive. Reports from both sides toll, though still briefly, of an increasing stir of battle at various points in Southern Russia and Galicia, and there aro pretty clear indications that General Bbusiloff has resumed in full vigour tho great forward thrust which aims for the time being at the reduction of Kovdl" and Lombcrg.' The issues at stake aro by this time pretty well understood. 1 With the two great junctions at bis hack—Kovel in Southern Russia and Lcmberg in Galicia—the enemy onjoys a pronounced^advantage in the matter of communications. In Galicia his front is conveniently served by lateral railways by numerous feeder lines radiating from Lemborg, and in Southorn'Rus- [ sia he is at least better off in the matter of railways than are the Russians. But with these advantages in his favour the enemy has been unable to prevent' a rapid reduotion of the margin by which ho retains thorn. His lines are still thro to out well in advance of Ijombcrg—at their nearest approach tho Russians are about 50 miles distant from that place—but tho even more important junction of Kovel is much more closely threatened. On the 'rail'vay approaches from the east the Russians are, and have been f-u' soii'e time, about twenty miles distant Ji'om Kovel, and they are _ now shown to bo attacking heavily in tho direction of Vladimir Volynski.

This placo stands about 30 miles south 1 and ■ a littlo west of Kovol, oil ii road and light railway which run south from Ivovcl to tho Galician, frontier; Tho light railway, according to some reports, lias-now been carried into contact with the Oalician system. Striking towards yiadimir Volynski, tho Russians thus aim in tho first instance at cutting the most dircct' communications between Kovfil and Galicia, and ultimately at turning the KoVcl dofcncea ou the south. What distance separates them from their immediate objective of Vladimir Volynski is not at the moment quite clear, but it is probably not more than fifteen miles, and quite possibly may be a good deal less. Continued heavy fighting has been reported during the last few days on this line of advance, and the Russians have "a way of saying little about progress made towards a given point until they havo reached or very closely approached it.

In a goneral view, the outlook in tho Eastern theatro promises well. The new developments in the Balkans and in Transylvania mean that the enemy has a new call to meet, but there is no reason to suppose that thoy have involved any material reduction of olio force at General Bbhsiloff's disposal north of tho Carpathians. The general tendency of the Balkan developments is, of course, to affect tho balanco of strength in the main theatre unfavourably to the enemy, and it is on this account all the more likely that the commander of the Russian southern armies may soon be able to carry forward over another important stage the great enterprise which ho opened in June. For tho time the enemy seems to be doggedly resisting tho Russian attacks both in Southern Russia and Galicia and his defence derives great strength from resting upon excellent communications. But Russian success in the movement against Ivovel alone would bring disaster upon the Aus-tro-Germans. It would immediately compcl a general and extended retreat which would open .'wide opportunities for the enterprise of the mobile Russian troops. Incidentally it would deprive the enemy of the advantage ho now derives from having the Pripet marshes as aft extensive area or dead, or easily defended, ground, between tho central and southern sections of his front. In its details the actual position reached is not by any means clear at the moment, but there is no doubt that the enemy must either maintain the defences around KoVcl which are now again being vigorously assaill eel, or resign himself to a_ general I retreat and all that it in'volves. With recont events in the Western theatre, this state of affairs indicates that the enemy is likely to labour under very serious difficulties and limitations in finding'reinforcements for the south-eastern theatre, pressing as tho demand in that quarter undoubtedly is.

Though most of the reports from the Eastern theatre relate to fighting on the southern front and in

tbo Carpathians, there is news also of a scries of German attacks in tho region of Baranovitehi, the great junction which supports tho enemy's central front, north of tho Pripot marshes. The attacks completely failed, but they serve as a reminder of, the fact that at Baranovitehi tho enemy is even more definitely in the grip of circumstances against which he .is unablo to make head than_ at Kovcl. The Eussiantf aro establish" ed at a distance of about 8000 yards from the junction at Baranovitehi, where fivo important railways meet, and they have made no recent afrtompfc to approach closer.. It ■is pretty plain that they arc awaiting here the outcome of the southern operations, particularly tho movement against Kovel. No doubt when the final phase of the operations against Kovel is reached, Baranovitehi will also be powerfully attacked. The immediate importance of Baranovitehi to the enemy is that its' loss would sever a useful lateral railway behind his front. 1 The lino upon which he would next have to depend to serve a similar purpose lies about 50 miles further west.