PROGRESS OF THE WAR

Dominion, Volume 10, Issue 2903, 16 October 1916, Page 4

PROGRESS OF THE WAR

Though events of the first importance are astir on the Sommo and elsewhere, there is much in the current news to fasten attention on the south-eastern theatre, where Germany is believod to bo meditating a powerful blow against Rumania, and where ab the same time there are pretty positive indications that the Allies are on tho immediate eve of an offensive aiming at the conquest of the territory held by tho enemy south of the Danube. v Statements which havo been'made during the lasb few days regarding a heavy Gorman concentration in Transylvania cannot, of course, be ignored, but up to the present reports dealing with actual events do not show the position of Rumania in that theatre to be either shaken or seriously endangered. On the other hand, events in Greece and on tho Greek frontier are developing apace and unless reports dealing with this section of the campaign are quite misleading, Germany will very soon need to do much more than powerfully attack Rumania in order to avert disaster in tho south-eastern theatre.

Correspondents are agreed that .tho Allies, by their seizure of Greek warships, forts and railways, and other recent acts, foiled a very for-midable-German plot in Greece, a plot organised on a big scale and aiming at a treacherous attack on the Allies at a critical stage in their campaign. It is suggested also that the plot'was only detected and suppressed at thei eleventh hour, but better evidence than has yet been supplied is needed to establish an assertion which would reflect so gravely -upon the responsible military a-nd diplomatic representatives of the Entente in Greece. At all events the plot has been foiled, and possibly tho Entente measures were delayed to a so'mowhat_ late hour only in order that it might be tho more effectually suppressed. Though the power of tho Greek Provisional evidently rising, the political situation still retains its features of obscurity and uncertainty, and is not made clearer by the report coming from Athens to the .effect that the Entente has recognised the new Greek Cabinet, the latest of the series of puppet Ministries created by King Constantine. But in campaign developments as they, are reported to-day, there is a distinct suggestion that the Allies are now free to act in something like their full power against the enemy forces in Serbia . and Bulgaria.

It was shown at the.end of the last week that tho Bulgarian defences on the approach to Mo'nastir and further east had bee.n heavily penetrated in such a manner as to expose the Bulgars to a serious danger of being outflanked on the Vavdar line, the most important of the military avenues running north through the Balkans. This section of the campaign has lost none of its interest and promise, though, no pronounced development is reported at the moment of writing) but a critical situation for tho enemy has arisen also further east, beyond the Struma, where tho British section of the Allied armj; is operating. In

the operations of the last few weeks east of the Struma., the British have driven a, wedge across the railway which runs into Eastern Macedonia, and aro also in immediate touch' with the road which closely follows the course of the railway southward as far as Seres. Savyak, mentioned in a communique to-day as one of the points at which the British are in contact with the enemy, is a village standing immediately east of this highway, which is a very important link in the Bulgarian communications. Its severance will tend to isolate the Bulgarian forces in Eastern Macedonia from • those which are being steadily driven northward. A great battle is predicted in the Struma region, and the prediction gains colour from the present extent and effect of the British advance and from the possibility that the Allied plans contemplate an invasion of Bulgaria by way of the Struma valley, which is traversed by a good road running north to Sofia. . . .

Official reports dealing with recent events in the Somme offensive have .been very brief, but semi-offi-cial and other messages from Paris indicate that- good headway is being made in the movement against Bapaume. Disregarding other communications of which it is the centre, Bapaumo is at the point of a V formed-by two main roads approaching it from Albert, on the south-west, and Perdnne, on the south-south-east. The reports mentioned speak of forward progress in the area between these roads, both northward, and eastward towards that section .of the Bapaume-Per-onne road which is immediately defended by the fortified village of Le Transloy and a low ridge, spoken of by Sib Douglas Haig not long ago as the German fourth line in this locality. Le Transloy stands lour miles distant from Bapaume, and it is not here that the British have made their closest approach to that centre, but the attacks described are evidently of a most formidable character, and are subjecting the enemy to an enormous strain. The statement speaks, for itself that the Germans are making frantic efforts to construct fresh defences covering Bapaume, and, incidentally, are employing large numbers of Russian prisoners in this work. Such employment of prisoners is contrary to the laws of war in any case, but it becomes a particularly foul crime when, as in the present instance, the unfortunate prisoners are condemned to labour under the artillery fire of their own friends and allies. Such infamies will hardly enable the Germans to maintain their crumbling line, and as to the general outlook the continued effect and good prospects of the Allied offensive are evident.