PROGRESS OF THE WAR

Dominion, Volume 10, Issue 3153, 3 August 1917, Page 4

PROGRESS OF THE WAR

To-day's reports make it abundantly clear that tho Allies have opened a breach in tiio enemy's lino in Flanders which he is desperately anxious to closc. As reports stand a halt has been called in tho advance, and the Allies aro meeting tremendously heavy counter-attacks. Some light 'is thrown upon, the conditions of the i latest fighting in a messago from Mr. Philip Gibbs which statee that tho enemy is rushing up reserves in omnibuses and on light railways over shell-swept roads. As the Germans aro now located a. great part.of their'front in Southern Flanders is under dominating fire from tho Allied- guns, and the i same'of course applies.to tho cn- ! emy's advanced communications. In some places east and north-east of Ypres the enemy still holds the higher ground, but the advantage involved is limited. The Allies aro nowhero on tho bdttlefront facc.d by such an obstaclo as Messincs Eidge. In his most advantageous positions tho enemy holds tho crest of a 1 gradual riso and in general, Vs has 'been said, his lines and.commumcatons are under dominating fire. Tho manner in which hq is'rushing up reserves and developing his counterattacks is thus a very striking evidenco / of tho apprehension with which ho regards tho outlook and awaits the resumption of tho Allied advancc. Theso countcr-atfcacks aro certainly' entailing . desperately heavy losses, and up to the present they havo'done extremely little to alter tho position, for tho- better from the enemy's point of view. •* • . # • * > * ■

In tho latest British official report available at tho moment ot writing, Sir Douglas Haiq states that after a number of failures tho enemy succceded in driving the British but of tho littlo villigo of bt. Julic'n. about three miles north-east of Yprcs. lAt St. Juhen and on north and south tho Allies are now facing into a wido area of almost level plain, so that tho recovery of tho village by tho enomy is not of great importance. The capture of St. Julicn and a penetration of -pritish advanced positions a few miles further south, near tho lpres-lioul-ers railway, arc his only gams re'nortcd at time of writing. lhjs means that up to the present his counter-attacks,, though mado, undoubtedly .at terrible cost, have broken down in all but total failure. Tho French meantime have somowhat extended their advance m tho northern part of tho battlefront. At the moment there is no news of evonts in tho southern area, towards tne Franco-Belgian border where New Zealand Division has a place in tho attacking army. * * * *

According to M. Marcel Hutin, the Franco-British advance has secured all observation points and intermediary positions around Ypres. This is not definitely established in the ' detail netts, but. tho Allies have at all _ evonts mastered most of the dominating elovations (none of them of any great altitude) in tho battle area, and aro in a fair way to attack tho enemy all along the line on the open plain and in the comparatively near neighbourhood of depots and communicafcioa centres vitci-1 .to tho Htfl- - bility of the larger part of his Western line. For tho moment heavy rain and the necessity of consolidating new ground constructing communications combine with the enemy's counter-attacks to bring tho Allies to .(I halt. But there.is littlo doubt that tho offensive which lias (opened so well will be speedily resumed. . \

Tiie latest news from the Eastern theatre is anything but good. After "holding tho enemy for a timo on tlio Zbrucz River, on the eastern frontier of Galicia, tho Russians have now been defeated in this area, Ilio enemy has made good the crossing of the Zbnicz and extended his invasion of Russian territory, and tho Russians admit that, their losses were hcavv. Further south they are falling 'back on Ozcrnowit/, and the north-western frontier of Rumania, and according to an Austrian report they have been defeated also in Southern Bukowina. Bad y as affiivs arc going, the Revolutionary armies may still be far from irretrievable disaster, but a retreat which would give the enemy complete possession of the Danube months and possibly enable lam to occupv all Rumania is a distinct Possibility- The immediate outlook is not improved by the news that somcthins; like a deadlock lias been I- .ached in tho attempt to form a representative. National Government in Russia, k '