PROGRESS OF THE WAR

Dominion, Volume 10, Issue 2962, 28 December 1916, Page 4

PROGRESS OF THE WAR

Nor-much has been heard of the Austrian fleet for a long time past, but reports to-day tell of a sortie by some of its units, which extended as far' as the S,trait of Otrantd, tho passage connecting tho Adriatic with tho lonian Sea. One message states that the enemy endeavoured to force the Strait, but the details supplied suggest that the affair was rather in the nature- of a reconnoitring raid. As information stands at time of writing, only small craft appear to, have beon engaged. At his first approach the enemy ed small, guardships, but does not seem to have succeeded in sfnking any, and the arrival of destroyers sufficed to put him to flight after. a sharp engagement The Austrian losses are unknown,, and on tho Allied side nothing worse is reported than slight damage to a French destroyer • and one guardship. Theso facts hardly bear out the statement that an attempt was made to force tho Strait.

Considering that the- Austrian fleet is for practical purposes securely bottled up, it may seem strange that it should -be able to operate, oven in tho circumstances described, as far afield as tho southern extremity of'the Adriatic. The fact is,' however, that a closo blockade is no more practicable in the Adriatic than it is in tho North Sea, and that the Austrians, like their German allies, have a certain rango_ of freedom within the blockade line. The Italian main fleet, like othor fleets, has to be kept out of the way of submarines until an opportunity appears of bringing the enemy to action. As far as is kno-rfn, the Italian fleet is based upon the Gulf of Taranto,' west of the Strait of Otranto, and probably portion of the French fleet is located in the same neighbourhood. The Strait of Otranto lends itself better to the purposes of a blockading fleet than any part of th 6 North Sea, since it is only fifty miles across from coast to coast.

Patrolling tho breadth of tlio Strait and with a greatly superior fora> in readiness if the enemy should attempt,to force it, tho Allies hold tho latter securely confined to the Adriatic. Within that sea, however, circumstances favour the enemy. On tho Italian eastern coast there arts hardly any harbours worthy of tho name, while on the other side of tho Adriatic the Austriaiis are not only, possessed of excellent naval harbours, but are favoured by the existence of a chain of islands along the Croatian and Dalmatian coasts. Between the islands and the mainland coast are channels, through which, it is possible to rapidly move ships from point to point, along a great part of tho length of tho Adriatic, with little risk of thoir being observed or attacked on route. On the whole, the onemy has not raado very enterprising use of the facilities at his command for raiding operations within tho Adriatic. The affair

now reported in tlio Strait of Otranto possibly marks lio inauguration of a more active policy. The Austrians havo a. certain incentive to make somo use of tbeir fleet in the fact that tho dovolopment of the Italian offensive towards Trieste increasingly 'threatens tho security of their naval bases on the landward side.

So far as it deals with actual events, news from Rumania to-day shows an improving situation. The latest Petrograd communique in hand speaks of the defeat of enemy attacks along a great part of the front, and so lends colour to tho statement in an earlier message that the enemy advance iii Northern Wallachia is'losing its momentum. Some of tho details in tho messages are rather puzzling.' For instance, reference is made "to operations northwest of Bucharest, and reports speak also of'fighting in the vicinity of Dragoalavelo and at, and in the vicinity of, Filipesci. Even if the Allies aro still holding positions in the mountain country of Northern Wallachia they can hardly, at most, be further west than a point duo norm of Bucharest. As to Dragosiavele and Filipesci, both names belong to places well within the urea now occupied by the enemy, and they have either been used in mistake or belong also to places not shown in available maps. However, tho general situation reported is that tho enemy is for tho time firmly held in check on the fron,t across Rumania, and is hardly anywhere making headway.

The outlook in the campaign is still, however, somewhat unoertain on account of suggestive developments in the Dobrudja, and the possibility which is now being canvassed that the enemy is prepared to bring considerable.force to bear upon tho further extension of his invasion. Experts in Paris, it is said, agreo that Bessarabia is now somewhat threatened, though there is a disposition to believe that Muckensen will endeavour to defeat the army opposed to him—that is to say, tho Eusso-Ruraanian army on tho front between the Danube and the I Transylvanian frontier-4)eforc vonI turing on such a difficult operation as the invasion of Bessarabia. A Petrogracl message dealing with tho same subject is still more suggestive. It states that a heavy enemy, concentration in the Dobrudja suggests that the German commanders intend to push along tho Lower Danube with the idea of turning the flank .of the Eusso-Runianians defending the Sereth front (west of the Danube). The present position in the Dobrudja is that the enemy occupies the whole of that territory to the Danube with the exeeption of a small, area in tho north-western corner. Immediately beyond the Danube lies Bessarabia, but the Danube in this part of its course, with its bordering lakes and marshlands, represents much the most formidaule. natural obstacle that Mackensen has yet encountered in the course of his invasion. If ho contrived to break from the Dobrudja into Bessarabia and maintain his ground in the latter .province, the Allies would, of course, be compelled to fall back from the lino on which they are now established across Rumania. But tho invasion of Bessarabia is opposed by extreme difficulties, and would involve serious risks. It is not to be supposed that the Russians, who now definitely hold the upper hand on their main front, have failed to make provision for tho contingency of an attempt by the enemy to turn their southern flank by an invasion of Bessarabia.

When it is definitely known whether or not the enemy contemplates a further extension of his Rumanian enterprise it will' bo possible to form a moro confident estimate of the outlook in Macedonia. Obviously, he will bo much more likely to undertaitc an offonsivo against General Sahhail if he considers that practicable limits havo been reached in tho invasion of Rumania than if be is intent upon carrying the war into Bessarabia. Meantime tho situation in Macedonia shows no great change, but the latest availablo report tells of a British success in the area between the Vardar and Lake Doiran. Enemy trenches in this region wero stormed after preliminary operations extending over several days. No attempt was made to hold the ground won. Evidently tho object aimed at was not gain of ground, but the disorganisation of the enemy's preparations, and on these linos tho operations aro reported to have been entirely success, ful. ,

A German semi-official statement asserts that the Battle of the Socnrno is finished, and that an extensive trench system has again been constructed, with over a dozon lines ,of dofenco. The Battle of the Somme is very far from being finished, and the enemy statement will deceive no ono who haa followed the progress made and tho results achieved in tho Allied offensive. Apart from the enemy's immediate loss in men and material, the result to date of tho Homme battle" hils been to weakon a vital section of his front in a fashion that no amount of repair woj*k will mako good, and it need not bo doubted that tho Allies will carry on the work from tho point to which it has thus far been carried. No doubt tho enemy's main object in issuing his statement is to create an impression that the Allies are powerless to strike an effective blow in the Western theatre "until better weather returns. Judging by the present of British troops in raiding operations it may not 'bo long before further convincing evidence is afforded to the contrary.