PROGRESS OF THE WAR

Dominion, Volume 10, Issue 2930, 16 November 1916, Page 4

PROGRESS OF THE WAR

■ The British assault on theflerman positions north-west of Thiepval is still developing prosperously .as reports stand at time of writing, and is now fully entitled to rank as one of the major operations of the offensive. Five thousand prisoners have already been counted, and more are coming in, and the enemy line has been further deeply penetrated. The attacking troops have now reached and captured the village of Beaucourt, more than a mile cast of Beaumont-Hamcl, and about a mile and a quarter north-east of St. Pierre Divion. These two villages were the chief items in the gains reported yesterday, so that it can be seen that the assault is making very rapid headway. A success-' ful local advance is reported also cast of the Butto de Warlencourt, that is to say some miles east of the area of the main attack, and at a distance of about two and a half miles from Bapaume. According to one message to-day Sir Douglas Haig is intent upon removing an awkward angle in the line before resuming the grand attack upon Bapaume. It is certain at all events that the threat to Bapaume has very materially developed in two days of battle. The British advance from the Eouth has alreadj;

very greatly- reduccd tile valuci of Bapaume to the enemy as a depot ana road junction. The ViJi^g d )j as . for some time past bee- eaKy range of the SUM, Unci has uo ooubt subjected to a bomwhich has compelled the "%ma>na to reorganise their communications and improvise a new junction further to the rear.

This does not detract from, but rather emphasises the fact that the capture of Bapaume would represent a big forward stop in the •Allied drive into the enemy's main communications. The threat, now rapidly developing is not to Bapaume alone, but to railway junctions on the north-west and east (Achict-le-Grand and Velu). The extent to which the enemy communications have already been invaded can only be accurately grasped by reference to a large-scale map, but the position- was recently sum-med--up by Mr. Hilaire Belloc in the statement that very little further advance northward would make both the railway junctions mention-* ed in the Bapaume neighbourhood Unusable, as the junction east of Chaulnes had already been made unusable by the French. So much achived Me. Belloo stated, the whole German front on the' Somme would be dependent almost entirely upon road traffic for its supply. Tliis may stand as an outline of the position to-das, except that the invasion of the enemy communications both north and south of the Sommo has been perceptibly extended since Mr. Belloc wrote. The brilliant British assault on the salient northwest of Thicpval does, not directly develop the threat to Bapaume and the adjacent railway junctions, but it is doing a great deal to clear the way for movement against these objectives on the front further east, and it is very possible that the successful local thrust east of the Butte de Warlencourt heralds much more important events to follow in the near future.

* * # » The British achievement on this occasion is, of course, very much more notable on account of the circumstances in which it was carried out. In tho words of ono correBpondent the reduction of the Beaucourt salient was a magnificent victory, won under most, unfavourable conditions, in a roadless morass of treacherous mudholes. It;is to bo remembered also that the attack opened before daylight in a thick mist. Wonderfully efficient organisation must have combined with the gallantry of the attacking troops to drive home a victorious assault over such ground and in such conditions and in the circumstances ample proof is afforded that the British Army has very completely surmounted the problems of organisation- which at an earlier stage of the war conspired, with its deficiencies in material equipment to hamper and limit its efforts. Aa to the larger significance of late events there seems no reason to dissent from the opinion expressed by tho military expert of tho New York Times that the British success proves that the Germans have insufficient reserves to protect their entire line, and so are open to surprise attacks in unexpected places to an extent which creates, the possibility of a general abandonment of the German front. The American writer probably lays rather too much emphasis on the factor of surprise, but generally speaking his conclusions seem to bo sound.

Though fcho Serbians have taken a further heavy haul of prisoners on the approaches to Monastir no radical chango appears 'in the situation on the Macedonian front, as it was reported yesterday. The eHsmy has suffered heavily in desperately-oontcsted battles, and is losing one position after _ another, but he has not yot been driven back upon Monasbir. Seasons for doubting whether the Allies will attempt a general advance north through, the Balkans this season retain their foroe, but in view of the persistence and success of the attacks in which the Serbians aro taking a leading part it seems likely that the position may. be changed materially to the advantage of the Allies before winter compels a stay of operations. The fact that a majority of the thousand prisoners taken by the Serbians in recent fighting were Germans tends to discredit the'report (published yesterday to the effect that the Bulgars are being denied German reinforcements in Macedonia. If the Germans are in fact reinforcing the Macedonian front it of course follows that the Serbians in their present aotivities- are' rendering material assistance to Rumania.

A 'situation broadly unchanged is reported in the Rumanian campaigns. The Rumanians have given ground slightly, in two of the Wallachian valleys. .At time of writing no new light is thrown upon, the position in the Dobrudja.