PROGRESS OF THE WAR

Dominion, Volume 10, Issue 3042, 31 March 1917, Page 10

PROGRESS OF THE WAR

Events are reported iir Palestine which leave no room for doubt as to whether it is intended to develop an offensive campaign in that territory .from Egypt as a base. The offensive has already, made a promising beginning. A body of Turks, twenty thousand strong, has been: heavily defeated south of Gaza by a British force including the Anzac mounted ;oorps:' Gaza stands near the coast of Palestine; 'about thirtymiles north-east of Eafa, on the Turco-Egyptian frontier. The battle reported to-day was fought five miles south of Gaza, and therefore at. a. distance of about forty-nye, miles from Jerusalem. The com-, pleteness of the onemy defeat is 'made fully evident in'-tho; messages, .which mention the capture of 800 prisoners, including the commander and staff of'the Eilty-third Turkish! Division, apart from very heavy casualties under other heads; and since a railway is being .constructed in the wako'of the British advance it is-likely that the 'measure'of success already won will be speedily built upon: . , |

It is not to be supposed that an advance of this character would have been undertaken except as the beginning of an extended invasion of Palestine. While the British operations _ were confined to the Sinai Peninsula the question was still in doubt. The defensive lines covering the Suez Canal have 'now been extended well forward into the area- of the peninsula, and road and railway communications have been constructed which in case of need would facilitate the rapid concentration of force at any threatened point. Even when the British advanced to El Arish and beyond that plaoe ; to Eafa,-,on-the. frontier, and ni&i "• drove .baojc, .the Turks ■in ciW iniadlb aiSd" soutiierri"area of the Sinai--Peninsula, it s'eemod possible vtihafc'the:object in:view.was'mainly .defensive. At all events, it remained an 1 , open question .whethor anytbarig more ambitious was' contemplated; than a diversion 'in "favour ! of. the Allies in-; other -Turkish theatres., But now ..that -a, British force is moving north through Palestine, constructing''a'- railway as it. goes, the only conclusion^possible ; is that. it is intended to drive home the invasion- which has opened prosperously,on the lines reported today; , . » ■ «■•»•».-•.

The circumstances, of the' campaign as they are disclosed are in some respects peculiar. v The British ■are- advancing north and constructing a railway along the '.coastal route, and will no, doubt derive some advantage from naval coFurther inland the Turks < have carried a-railway at.least as far'south as Beersheba, which, stands south-east of Gaza at a'distance of about twenty-five miles. Another enemy asset is is the Hejas railway which runs south through the east-. era confines of Palestine, passing ■ about thirty miles east of the Dead Sea, and approaches within about fifty smiles of tho Sinai frontier towards ite southern end. the British'arVmovirig ; north along the coast route and have covered up to tho present about a third of the distance from the. Egyptian frontier to Jerusalem, tho Turks are possessed r of communications which, if: they.. had. troops. enough- at t dis-.:posal,-,wouid'. enable ..them-to .rapidly iConcentrato agamsfc\theD.Sinaijfron-:;tier,-,a,-; long t -,w.ayf .-south •qn'whioh::the: British'are 1 : advancing. It is likely, however, that the position is profoundly modified, by the .depletion of Turkey's resources and the call made upon them in other theatres. than Palestine. Considering her lo_sses> and the extent to which-she is already occupied, it is tolerably certain: that sEe willsbe at a loss to find 'adequate forces'either for, the defence of Palestine of for a counter-offensive on the lines'suggested. Provision for the contingency of an: enemy counter-offensive must, of course, have.a place;in,the British plans, but late events, in the Middle East as well.as iii Palestine, suggest that Turkey is approaching . a condition of exhaustion, and it is not unlikely that lack-or resources will prevent' 'her .attempting, to checkmate the invasion, of, Palestine by making a new attack on. the ■ Sinai frontier. .. ' ' "■; ■ . # W IF « ■ The natural features of the country which" the British troops have now entered should present no very serious obstacles to progress. Much ■'•of Western Palestine consists of low 'hills, merging into mountainous elevations on .the east. From thirds to three-fourths of the coun-' ..try: is-.on. the of the' main watershed. A maritime plain 1 ' follows nearly the ■ whole, length of the seab6ard.3:'lt has'ar'fflaximum ' Breadth ;6| about twenty mile's,; : but over. a'considerable' part'of -.its lo'ngth is ; much narrower." Generally. : speaking, Palestine is fertile, and . .fairly well watered. _ Many of the . nver-c6urses'af.e;dry in summer, but. ■' springs'are numerous.'. March, is ;a,f| very wet month, and the rains pome \ to .an end in-'.'April.., .The., winter J crops (barley and wheat) 'are-bar- j vested from April to June. One-re;, , suit' of the v British invasion may be' \ to effect a not unimportant feduc- ' tion of enemy food supplies.'. . ■ ( '*.' ■ ■'; »' ! V. 1 ■■• ■» ' ..■•.■')

So far as actual events l are -concerned, the position on the West front shows, no material change at time of writing, though the British have captured another village in the area east of Bapaume.' There is' significance; however, in the statement made by the French in an official report that they, are everywhere in contact with the enemy on the southern part. of tUe front-oh which he has been retreating.'' This presumably means that they, are in oontaofc with the ohemy main forces, for contact with his rearguards' has, of course, never been lost. One reading of the situation as .it stands is that the Germans have been so vigorously pursued in their'move-, ment to the rear that their plans of retreat havo been badly upset. Whether this is the-correct reading remains.to be seen, but facts, which command attention . arp that. the' Germans have, rather weakened than strengthened their-; position.by- the -retreat thus far-made, and that.'thoy' are : for "the time- being practically, at a standstill; • Unofficial- reports' to-day declare' that ■•'the" ''enemy ,_. is burning villa'ges 'many ■- miles .behind his front in France, and is carry,ing out similar destruction. twenty miles. behintT the'present line of contact in Belgium. If these reports are accurate, and the enemy is making ready to continue his retreat, the inference is warranted that his present stand in the region north, from the Aisne is a matter of hard necessity and not qf choice. ; ,

Neutral sailors, who' were taken prisoner, on < British ships by the German raider Moewe, •' and have

now/been released, are credited with statements throwing further light upon her recent cruise. In particular, they_describe the.end of the Otaki, which was sunk by the Moewe off Cape Town, but not until sho had put up a heroic.fight against impossible odds. The raider-would certainly be far. -more .heavily gunned than the British ship, and it says, much for the gallant determination of_ the captain: and crew of the Otaki that m such ah'.'unequal 'contest they 'set 'tho -enemy : : ship ; on fire, and took some, toll of her crew. According to to-day's 'mes-. sage, the 'master of' the Otaki,'OOa t tain Silba, and other : members-of ship's complement, are believed to have been killed, but this. is. at ..variance with the statement of the owners of the ship that Captain Silba and his. officers are pris-' oners of war in Germany. . A _ crisis has. suddenly arisen in •.Spain, but at time of ■• writing its precise nature has not been- made known. 'Martial law hasbeen proclaimed throughout the country, and tho Government. has denounced as seditious",an appeal v to the people,, the- contents- and authorship of which' are meantime undisclosed. Possibly the explanation may be that the pro-German faction, which is fairly numerous in Spain, though it- has lately seemed to be outweighted and (discredited, has started an insurrection in Germany's interests. "In the early days of.the war the opinion: in Spain, largely as the result of an "active and insidious German .propaganda, distinctly leaned to Germany; Tho position has since been considerably modified by Spanish resentment at the piratical activities of the German submarines. Spain has suffered to a, material extent; both in loss of ships' and by interruption 01 trade*. and..it has recently,seemed.nbt.im.possible.that the Spanish';':Gdverhment;inight go beyond merely .verbal protests against -...- outrageous violation; of : international law. An uprising of German partisans in .Spain with 'inte'nt'to 'prevent any. such departure, and gener-, ally with, a.view, to serving Germany's ! interests, 'is not by any means, an impossibility. -■;• - ••;' ;•; ',]