PROGRESS OF THE WAR

Dominion, Volume 10, Issue 2971, 8 January 1917, Page 6

PROGRESS OF THE WAR

Bearing in mind that reports at the. end of last week declared that a great battle had either'opened or was about to open on the Sereth, news of tho Rumanian campaign in hand at time of writing is not sensational. Tho port of Braila, on the Danube, has fallen, tho Russo-Rumanians appear to have evacuated the Dobrudja, and in the north-eastern corner of Wallachia. and west and north across Moldavia, the enemy forces have closed in upon the Trotus-Sereth line at many parts of its length. But though heavy righting is reported to-day, at the moment there is nothing to show that a decisive conflict has occurred or that the situation lias undergone any vital change. It is in tho vicinity of theDanube, just short of the point at which it turns east to tho Black Sea, that the enemy has most notably advanced. In South-western. Moldavia some at least of his attacks have been repelled. But in North-eastern Wallachia and in the Dobrudja ho has pushed forward in what are possibly the opening movements of a full-powerpd attempt to force the Sereth lino near the point ab which the river of that name joins the Danube. As reports stand, however, though the Russo-Ru-manians have given way in this region before heavy enemy attacks, tho Seroth line is unbroken. The capture of Braila by tho enemy is not an unexpected event. Some weeks . ago it was reported that the great stores of grain accumulated at Braila were being rapidly removed. So far as the capture of supplies, which is one of tho enemy's main objects in his Rumanian campaign, is concerned, tho capture of Braila is likely to ho a rather barren achievement. Very possibly Galatz, a river port about a dozen miles north of Braila, has also been emptied of supplies, but though Galatz is under bombardment, it does not follow that it is in immediate danger of being occupied by tho enemy. At his nearest approach to. Galatz, in the Dobrudja, the enemy is still separated rom the town by the breadth of the Danube. To reach Galatz by an advance along the left bank of tho Danube, on wnich it stands, he must first force tho Serefch line. The broad effect of tbe news in hand is that the Allies have fallen back on an important section of the front, but that the resisting powers of their main defensive lino have not yet been tested. That the enemy has completed his conquest of the Dobrudja and pressed forward in the area immediately south of the Sereth does not necessarily mean that he is able in the existing balance of. strength to force tho Sereth or the Danube. Until he does one or tho other his success on the eastern section of the front will not be developed to the point of compelling the Allies to retreat. through Moldavia. The situation, therefore, is still one of open possibilities', but it is likely to bo very quickly determined ono way or the other. Enemy reports telling of Russian attacks at the northern end of the main Eastern front, near Riga, and in Bukowina, are chiefly interesting meantime as suggesting the possibility of bigger events. A Russian offensive on the main front at this time might very greatly relieve tho critical situation existing in Rumania. The experience of last winter showed that weather conditions at this time of the year do not mako offensive operations by the Russian armies impracticable, and the Russians are probably better off now, as regards supplies of munitions and otherwise, than they wore at this time last year, when General Ivanoff's successful offensive in Galicia sots limits to Mackensek's southward drive through the Balkans. Defeating the Allies on the Sereth line, the enemy would probably be enabled to occupy Moldavia, but if he gained that measure of success, ho would probably attempt moro. Possibly he would try to reach Odessa. There is still time enough for a powerful diversion on tho main Eastern front to alter tho wliole aspect of the south-eastern campaign. Some of to-day's messages dealing with Greece suggest that tho final answer of the Royalists to the Entenia demands is likely to be a declaration of war. Ono correspondent declares in effect that Constantine is using tho newspapers to stir up sentiment in favour of war.. Another states that while Constan-! TiNB is himself disinclined to go to extremes, his military officers are truculent and aro urging him to make the plunge. Moanfcimo tho Entente demands have apparently not been agreed to, as was recently reported, and tho internal state of Greece seems to be about as bad as it could be. The reservists, an armed mob, have established a- roign of terror, from which it is likely that many Greeks, even of the section

which has shown no inclination to boldly follow the lead of M. VeniziiLOS, would be glad to gain relief. The Allied blockade has already made itself felt in a, serious disorganisation of business, and it is stated that stocks of grain, flour, and barley will only last for about another week. Famine is thus in prospect, and, apart from the possibility that they may be assisted by their German-Bulgar friends, ConSTANTINE and his faction are working upon a limited margin of time. Since the Allies are already under tho necessity of detailing a sufficient force to deal with the Greeks if they should turn from hostile talk to hostile action, it is doubtful whether a Greek declaration of war would make the situation much worse than it is now. The real dangor is, and has been, that tho Bulgar-Germans in Macedonia and tho Greek Royalists south of the neutral zone may act in concert, and it has, of courso, never been in doubt that if Maokensbn opened a powerful offensive in Macedonia, Constantine would gladly seize the opportunity to strike a blow on behalf of his. taskmasters. Isolated action by Greeco should not be particularly dangerous, and unless the Allies are defeated in Macedonia the blockade will doubtless bring Constantine to submission, whether ; or not he is openly at war with tho Entente. It is still quite possible that the enemy may attempt an offensive in Macedonia, but the extent to which ho is involved in Rumania seems to make it unlikely.

A notable achievement in railway construction is reported in tho Sinai Peninsula, lately tho scene of operations in which the Anzac mounted division and other troops have fcakon many prisoners and driven the Turks well back towards the Syrian frontier. A broad-gauge railway has now been carried to El Arish (which was captured in the opening stage of the offensive), the last'fifteen miles being con-1 strucbed in' fifteen days. El Arish is 90 miles cast of the Suez Canal, I and if the enemy, as was reported some time ago, has carried a railway as far south' in Syria as Beersheba, a space o£ no more than 60 miles, as the prow flies, now separates the. British and Turkish railway communications. Succegsfdl raiding by Allied airsquadrons is reported in the Western theatre, and there has been also a considerable stir of minor activities along the fighting fronts. The Germans give what is evidently an exaggerated account of a. fairly successful raid in the statement: "We penetrated tho line eastward of Loos. There wore sanguinary English losses." The true proportions of the' affair appear in Sik Douglas Haig's report. He speaks of it as a raid which gave rise to heavy fighting, but adds that the enemy were speedily driven out, leaving a number of dead. Some British soldiers are missing which no doubt means that they were taken prisoner.