PROGRESS OF THE WAR

Dominion, Volume 10, Issue 3068, 2 May 1917, Page 4

PROGRESS OF THE WAR

Though attention has beon chiefly concentrated of late on the British section of the Western front, violent artillery bombardment has been practically continuous along a great part of the front on which tho French are developing their offensive, and in recent days it has witnessed also a. good deal of local fighting. To-day more important events are reported in the shape of a successful French attack upon hill positions in the Champagne. The area of the operations is that in which two well-defined groups of hills rise above'the mostly level country east of Reims. One group begins about five, miles east of that city and ; measures some five or six miles from north to south and about three miles from east to west. The second, four or five miles further east, is a contorted oblong, measuring about four miles either way, with the village of Moronvillers standing not far from the centre of its northern half. The town of Beine, mentioned in the news today, is almost exactly midway between the, two hill groups. It is a junction of main roads, and N&uroy, about midway between Beino and Moronvillers, is also a road centre of some importance.

The principal achievement reported by tho' French at time of writing is tho oapture of several fortified trenches extending from south of Beine to the hills on the west. Mount Cornillet, though not shown in available maps, is evidently an element in the first of the two hill groups, mentioned above, easE of Reims. . In their attack the French penetrated' the enemy defences to a depth of from five hundred to a thousand yards, and in such an area this progress is important. The nature of an attack which was driven home a mile or two further east is clearly indicated .in the report. High Mount, the summit of which ; was recently captured .'by the French, is one of the western bastions of the Moronvillers massif, or plateau, as it is sometimes called. In their latest advance the French pushed forward their lines on' the northern and north-eastern slopes of High Mount as far as the Nauroy-Moronvillers road, which was formerly a useful line of lateral communication to the enemy, but must by this time be completely dominated by the French artillery over the greater part of its length. fa It will be seen that the' French are pushing forward on and round the eastern fringe of the hill gxoup standing nearest to Reims, on tho western part of the Moronvillers group, and in the country between. Tho apparent aim is to outflank the remaining positions held by the Germans in both hill groups, and the latest attacks have, of _ course, a direct relation to the earlier operations in which the French gained new positions east and north-west of Reims, and further east, beyond tho Moronvillers plateau, pushed north, after capturing Auberive, to tho outskirts of Vaudesincourt. Each advance in this latter area is a step towards outflanking the Moronvillers massif on tho east. Tho importance which the enemy attaches to his positions in the hills east of Reims has been evidenced in numerous counter-attacks upon High Mount and other vantage point 6 won by tho French. In spite of his costly efforts- his remaining positions in this area, are now further jeopardised.'

Official reports dealing with events on tho Arras sector show that the British have gained more ground south of the Biver Scarpo, and completely repulsed enemy attacks upon the new positions. 'On a considerable part of the front, however, the infantry battle seems to havo momentarily given place to an intense conflict of artillery. A German official report, which gains a significance it would hardly hold "otherwise from being forwarded without comment by the High Commissioner, alleges that the British losses in Saturday's fighting included a thousand men taken prisoner and that forty British machine-guns were captured and ten tanks' destroyed. At time of writing these claims are not specifically contradicted. Tho main trend of the battle is, of course, not in doubt. In the attack which opened on Saturday morning the British advanced materially beyond the line on which they had met and broken a long succession of enemy counter-' attacks. They captured Arleux-en-Gohelle, positions north and south of tho village of Oppy, and others south of the Scarpe. By Sunday forenoon they had captured close on a thousand prisoners. It is evident, however, that unsuccessful attacks were made upon Oppy village, and it is possible that in this section of the operations somo British troops were cut off. Saturday's, attack was made, not upon a continuous line, but upon a series of strong positions in conditions of comparatively open fighting, as compared with normal conditions of attack on fortified lines. .TEo German report meantime awaits confirmation or denial, but if it is true that a British force.was cut off at Oppy, tho enemy is not likely to have under-stated his capture. **; . «

Foe the .moment the pro-German party appears to hold the upper hand in Spain. The new Premier, Senor Maura, while professing general sympathy with Britain and Franco, has, declared that Germany has done nothing to deserve a rupture of relations, and that Spain must not and could not enter the war. Senor Maura has changed his tone notably since, in a speech which was regarded as the Spanish political event of last, summer,'" he questioned the efficacy of "strict neutrality" and suggested "an even-, tual approximation" to France and England. This pronouncement, which threatened to lead public opinion, in a direction highly detrimental to German interests, was. the immediate cause of the formation by tho Germans and their supporters in Spain of a league for the main.tenance of neutrality. To-day Senor Maura ■ is' expressing himself in terms of which the league to maintain neutrality must heartily approve. Another indication ol tho lines on which the new Spanish Government is shaping its policy is given in the announcement that ithas prohibited tho export of all metals. Apart from its effect.on Spanish business interests, the prohibition will presumably deprive the Allies of important supplies of copper. The Germans have long ■been attempting to induce Spain to prohibit the export of contraband to Allied countries, and with Senor Maur* »t EEh head of affairs t&oy t

seem to be gaining their eud. It has yet to be seen, however, whether the Maura Government is capable of holding office. The prohibition of metal exports will intensify. the commercial crisis created in Spain by tho operation of Germany's illegal blockade, and should on that account strengthen tho hands of the late Premier (Count Romanones) in his declared opposition to the present Ministry and advocacy of a policy of active retaliation upon Germany's aggression.

A Turkish report ,which professes to describe the state of affairs on tho Sinai front miay safely be dismissed as an invention. It is doubtful whether the Turks retain any foothold in the Sinai Peninsula. At all events in the north they have been driven between 15 and 20 miles beyond the Sinai frontier towards Gaza, in Southern Palestine, and their allegations of heavy British losses and of a daily increasing total of prisoners are in obvious conflict with recent British official reports covering operations in this quarter. The last event reported in Palestine was the capture and consolidation of advanced elements in- the enemy line covering Gaza. The present lull is no doubt accounted for in part by the delay incidental to the improvement of British communications, including the extension of the road and broadgauge railway whioh are being constructed along the line of invasion, and in part to the timing, of the campaign with operations in other theatres. A message which states that thousands of the Syrian troops ; of tho Porte are deserting, and that a reign of terror exists in the cities of Palestino, is probably much nearer to the facts than the report issued by the Turkish military authorities. From Mesopotamia there is definite news showing,that matters are going badly with the Turks. An official report states that the Turkish Eighteenth Army Corps, which was recently driven beyond Samaria, on the Tigris, has entrenched 15 miles north of that place, and it is added that in three days of' fighting near Samara and further south the losses of this enemy, corps aggregated 4000 men.