PROGRESS OF THE WAR

Dominion, Volume 10, Issue 3172, 24 August 1917, Page 4

PROGRESS OF THE WAR

To-day's reports show that the great Italian offensive on tho Isonzo iront is developing with continued success. Progress has been made at many points into the formidableAustrian defences. More than 13,000 prisoners are in hand, and the number is still rising, and thirty guns and a great quantity of material have also been captured. Tho latest communique in hand states that the Italians have inado important headway in tho mountain country north of Gorizia, and in tho south they arc attacking heavily on the western slopes and on tho flanks of tho great .Hermada stronghold which dominates tho road to Trieste. Tho region of' thoir main attack has yet to appear. At an immediate view the Uarso Plateau, on tho south, seems to offer tho best possibilities of an advance, but it cannot bo assumed off-hand that tho attack in the mountainous region north of Gorizia is of secondary importance. It is true that the Austrian front is backed by a wide area of mountain country, but tho extent of this area is certainly not the measure of the Austrian powers of defence. The avenues of communication into tho mountain country are few and severely restricted, and difficulties of cross-communication seriously complicate tho position of tho defenders. _ It is more than likely that operations northward of Gorizia may ultimately play a very big part in the solution of tho problem by which the Italians are confronted.

Very heavy .fighting with comparatively little change of ground is reported in tho Lens area. An appreciation of the nature of tho .battle is assisted by tho particulars given' to-day of the German concentration in defence of Lens. This tremendous massing of men in an area which has becomo a _ deathtrap is an evident confession by the enemy of tho vulnerability of his defensive organisation. As it appears in tho torse official reports, the British attack on Lens lacks the spectacular character of tho Italian offensivo and that of the 'dashing French assault at Verdun, but it is certainly a tremendous contribution to tho enemy's defeat.

Late messages bring news of successful British attacks in Flanders, and show also that tho French have added to their gains and defeated all counter-attacks on tho Verdun front. , In. Moldavia, where a heavy battle is still in progress, no great change is disclosed. The position is still critical, but tho enemy seenus to have made little headway in re-, cent fighting. News of an increasing artillery bombardment' and of some outpost fighting at different points on tho Russian main front may be regarded tentatively as good. Tho enemy is hardly likely at tho present stago to invito new demands upon his strength, and tho indications noted possibly betoken an ex-' pectation of Russian; attacks. *'* * . *

German aeroplanes raiding England have now on a number of occasions been stopped at or near tho coast, though London is; presumably at all times their objective, and tho circumstances carry a plain suggestion of steadily improving efficiency in the British defensive organisation. Reports of the latest raid, on Wednesday morning, mention that tho hostile aircraft ■wove prevented from penetrating inland, and in other ways attest tho, efficiency of the British defence. Tho casualty roll in the coastal towns attacked was not heavy by tho standards of previous raids, and tho material damage done was comparatively slight. It is particularly noteworthy that two of tho raiding machines were brought down, not by defending aeroplanes, but by gunfire. Though much has been done since the war began to improve antiaircraft artillery and increase its effcctivei range, comparatively few aeroplanes are brought down by gunfire, oven on the fighting fronts. In a description of tho German raid on London early last month a correspondent stated that while they wero over the city tho raidors wore always within range of antiaircraft guns, which registered many hits, though none of the Germans were brought down by the artillery. British airmen, he added, often returned from the German lines with machines punctured by bullets and pilots wounded, so it was not surprising that the difficult targets wero not brought down over London.

Although the development of Britain's defences against aeroplane attack is necessarily subordinated to the demands of tho war theatres, these defences aro, in themselves formidable, and aggressive as well as defensive measures are taken to impose limits on German raids. The position was interestingly reviewed not long ago by tho aeronautical correspondent of tho Manchester Guardian. "A great number of aeroplanes," he remarked, "would bo needed to defend the whole south-east coast, say, from Dungcness to Harwich, and a small squadron of German aeroplane* could worry tho whole of that long line so that more defenders would be needed than could well be spared from the needs of the army in France. Nothing would please the Germanß better than to think that by making such little raids once a month or so even at the cost of half a dozen aeroplanes every trip, they could force us toxkeep a number of our best aeroplanes and pilots in England. There are, however, two ways, or rathpr two parts of one way, of getting over this difficulty— namely, by continually bombing tho German aerodromes _ in Flanders from which such raids must start and by meeting such raiders as reach this country with fighting pilots who aro in training for work abroad but who aro not yet quite highly trained enough to tackle the crack Germin aviators. Some time ago General Brancker, deputy director general of military aeronautics, in a highly educative speech, laid it down as' an axiofii that 'though it might bo impossible to prevent enemy aeroplanes from reaching this country if they onco started, it was possible to build such an air fleet that no country would dare to attack' us for fear or the consequences. * * *

"To this ono may safely add," the correspondent continued, "that such an air fleet may prevent enemy aeroplanes from starting by simply destroying tho points from which they can start. Such raids need

shed accommodation for many aeroplanes, and much material in the way of supplies of bombs and fuel. •In order to reach England they must start from somewhere in Belgium owing to the limited time the aeroplanes can remain in the air w.itbout coming down for more petrol. And they must leave the .Belgian coast somewhere between Nieuport and the Dutch frontier. Therefore the places at which these raiding aeroplanes can concentrate aro distinctly limited in number, and aro all within an area which is less than an hour's flying from British aerodromes at Dunkirk. So it may well be cheaper to concentrate our bombing and fighting machines in Flanders than to spread them along the south-east coast. As to the other part of the prograni'mo, we havo continually hundrods and hundreds of young pilots in training purely as air fighters- who aro flying very fast aeroplanes very well, and at any given time a certain number of them aro not yet good enough to meet the best Germans in France. Yet those same men would bo quite good enough to tackle bombing machines still laden with enough petrol for the long journey home to Belgium. Tho youngsters would enjoy the chance of such a fight, and if it came off it would bo useful preliminary training for tho hard work it the front. So doubtless we shall be able to put a stop to these sporadic aeroplane raids."

Some further proofs of tho failure of the Zeppelin as a fighting and raiding machine aro given to-day. Two of the big airships which attempted a raid on tho Yorkshire coast on Tuesday night were easily repelled, and another is reported to have been destroyed by naval forces off the Jutland coast. During the last year tho following Zeppelins have been destroyed, apart from tho latest addition to the .list:— September 2, 1916, L 21, at Cufflcy; September 23, two brought down in Essex; October 1, ono destroyed at Potters Bar; November 27, two destroyed on North-East Coast; March 17, 1917, Kent raider destroyed by French near Compiegne; May 14. L 22 destroyed in North Sea; Juno 14, L 43 destroyed in North Sea.