PROGRESS OF THE WAR

Dominion, Volume 10, Issue 2919, 3 November 1916, Page 6

PROGRESS OF THE WAR

Three villages and a footing on the railway which runs into Eastern Macedonia by way of Seres, have been gained by the British section of General Sarrail's army in a successful attack on the Bulgar lines beyond tho Struma. Prosenik, ono of the capturcd villages, is on the railway about midway between Demirhissar and Seres, Up to tho present the railway has apparently only been crossed by British patrols, but with the occupation' of Prosenik it is definitely cut. Barakli Juma is five miles northwest of Prosenik and about tho samo west of the railway. The name of tho third village is cabled as Kumli. This is perhaps Kamila, about RRvcn miles south-east of Prosenik. If it is, thq battle was fought 011 a front of about a dozen miles, and tho total Bulgar losses may have been heavy. An official message speaks of 315 prisoners being taken in Barakli Juma alone. This is an event to awaken now hopes of a forward move in Macedonia, but while the military news is good, the political situation evidently still leaves much to be desired. It is a question whether Allied diplomacy is not still in some respects lagging behind the times in the Balkans. Yesterday wo had a statement on tho subject of relations with Greece made in Parliament by Lord Robert Cecil (Under-Secre-tary for Foreign Affairs). Ho asked in the first place that a oucstion as to whether Britain ha.d refused to recognise tho VenizElos Government should bo postponed.

For the rest, while he strongly protested against the allegation that the Allied Governments were propping up King Constantine, ho remarked that anything assisting in the reunion of Grcecc was desirable. Now wo have a communique issued by the Venizelos Government, and, set together, Loed .Robert Cecil's Bt&tement and the communique point to an extremely unsatisfactory stato of affairs. The Provisional Government declares roundly that the Athens Government is not to bo trusted, and warns the Entente Powers that they must still bo on their guard against treachery by the troops remaining under Constantine's control. At the same time the Provisional Government affirms its own ability to carry out all enterprises and form a well-cquip-ped_ army. The acts, if not the policy of the Allies, suggest that these latter claims arc well-founded. M. Venizelos and his colleagues are established at Salonika. Exercising control over a considerable proportion of the Greek population, they are assembling troops, and to all appearance are co-operating heartily with the Allies.

On the other hand the Allies havo had to tako drastic measures to safeguard themselves against treacherous attack by tho Constantine faction and the troops under its control. In tho circumstances it should bo the natural policy of the Allies to make common cause with tho patriotic who are making ready to clear their territory of invaders, and to thrust aside tho opposite and pro-German faction headed by Kino Constantine. Lord Robert Cecil's statement suggests that instead a policy of hesitation and half-mea-sures is being pursued. To withhold open recognition of tho Venizelos Government and to work for the reunion of Greece, with its dissonant and pro-German elements, is so nearly tho same thing as propping up King Constantine that tho difference hardly matters. For all that Lord Robert Cecil has shown to the contrary the Allies are, by a vague and Undecided policy, notably assisting Constantine to continuo the campaign he has carried on so long_ in Germany's interests. It is possible that the consecmences have ! already been serious. Weather and incidental transport problems have lately done a good deal to hamper Allied progress in Macedonia, but if it had been practicable to act earlier and in better weather these would have been much less formidable. Bad diplomacy and political dolays may therefore have a good deal to answer for where the Balkan campaign is conIn a Petrograd message to-day it is stated that the failure of co-operation from Salonika compelled tho Russo-Rumanians to retire in the Dobrudja. Accepting this assertion at its face value, it seems much more likely _ that the failure was due to political than to purely military causes, and such a theory certainly gains, a great deal of support from the lame, halting, and quibbling statement mado by Lord Robert Cecil. .

A hisinq tide of battle is reported on the Russian southern front, and according to one message the renewal of the offensive in this region takes its place amongst tie. measures concerted by Russia for the relief of Rumania. Tho relief of Rumania is not necessarily, Qr even probably, the largest -aspect of the matter. Rumania once restored to a sound defensive position, and of this there are now excellent' prospects, may not represent the best theatre immediately available for offensive operations on a big scale. In spite of the loss of the Dobrudja, Rumania is commandingly placed in reference to Bulgaria, but in order that this advantage may bo turned to account, full co-operation by the Allies in Macedonia seems essential, and on present appearances it may bo some littlo time before General SatceaHj is free to act on a big scalo. with the whole force under iiis command. Abandonment of tho futile project of promoting a reunion between Greek patriots and pro-Ger-mans seems to be an essential preliminary. The developments'indicated on the Russian main front are at all events worth observing for their own sake. Tho Russians have for a long time boon held up by the enemy defences at Halicz, on tho Dniester, but the.v are said to"be now working round thorn both on north and south.; The collapse of the defence in this region would lay open a rango of very important communications, and seriously endanger Lemberg. The Russians are reported also to be developing a strong attack in the lower part, of Southern Russia, towards Vladimir Volynski A forward drive on this section of tlie front would enable them to interpose between Lemberg and Kovel, and probably 'to outflank the latter place, which is without exception tho most important railway junction on tho present Eastern front.

Whatevek the immediate prospects may be on' the Russian southern front, Russia is gradually bringing to bear a mighty body of power which, is still a very long way from having reached its maximum possible development. Much that assists an understanding of the spirit 'in which Russia is facing tho future, as well as soma interesting detail information, is contained in a recent article by the Duke de Morny in an English publication. The _real_ strength and moral determination of Russia to-day, he declares, come from below. They spring from the heart of tho Russian peasant and from the splendid effort he is making to win complete emancipation from German tutelage. Before the war Russia was ruled by Germans. German influence surrounded tho Tsar, and the peasant felt the iron hand of the Teuton oppressor. Tho directors, managers, and sub-managers of all industries | were Gorman. The Russian peasant, like his Tsar, has cast off German tutelage, and he is determined that tho shall. be final. It is thus that the Duke de 'Morny roads the internal state of Russia to-day. The Tsar has, of course, done much to confirm the spirit of tho nation, and when, after the disasters of 1915, he placed himself at the head of his armies, he set the seal upon tho national determination. "Russia," says the Duke de Morny, "is finding its Tsar, and the Tsar is finding his people." Again: "If the Tsar, himself, or any clique around him, tried to stop the war until the full measure of revenge has been oxactcd. such a step would not be tolerated for a moment by the people and by the army. That alone could cause a revolution to-day." Russia to-day, as the Duke de Morny states the facts, is immensely more powerful than she was in 1914, but there is a vastly greater margin between her present power,

and the power she is capable of sending into tho field if the war lasts enough. In 1014, he states, a nation that had twenty million men at call possessed three million rifles, and no reserves of ammunition, l'leld-guns were correspondingly short, and Russia had four thousand machine-guns, against Germany's forty-two thousand. Russia, tho Duke be Morny states, opened her great offensive this year with four million two hundred thousand men, having rifles and equipment available for this' number. She had yet at call some fourteen million men—"and such men, too. Their physique, endurance, and courage havo never been surpassed." Russia, of course, will never even remotely approach a muster of her total available men, but as munitions and equipment are made available by her own efforts and the_ assistance of her Allies, she is steadily building up her armies, and ultimately they will greatly exceed their strength to-day. We may well believe, with the Duke i>e Morny, that the uprising of all Russia, from Vladivostock to the Niemen, has dumbfounded the Germans, who thought that they had finished with the Russian armies after the great drive of IDIS.

The Germans are being informed by their newspapers that the 'Somrnc crisis" is over, but reports from the scene of operations show that the offensive is being methodically developed. In their latest attack, a joint operation, tho Allies have extended their advancc towards Le Transloy, on tho Bapaume-Pe-ronne road. The French have also captured a strongly organised system of trenches "westward" of St. Pierre Vaast Wood. This should probably be "eastward." At ail earlier stage the French penetrated tho wood named, Tvhich stands somo miles east of Combles. Close as winter is, and much as bad weather and mud are impeding the Allies, the enemy is by no means guaranteed against further shattering defeats in the Somme region ' in the near future.

On one section of the Wallaehian front, south of the Rotherthurm Pass, the Rumanians have suffered a local set-back, but the campaign generally retains the- favourable aspect' it has lately worn. Loss of ground at one point is compensated by gains elsewhere, and by the continued security of vital points like tho defiles south of the' Predeal Pass. -