PROGRESS OF THE WAR

Dominion, Volume 11, Issue 64, 8 December 1917, Page 8

PROGRESS OF THE WAR

The "slight withdrawal" on the northern section of tho Cambrni front foreshadowed yesterday by a high military authority has been carried out, and on a somewhat more extended scale than tho use of this term\ implied. The. Germans to-day claim an advance of about two and a half miles on a front of seven and a half miles in the north-eastern area of the British salient. With, the reservation that the . figure of depth stated relates to the enemy's maximum, and not to his general, advance on the front named, this loss of ground ia substantially admitted by Sir Douglas Haig. Some dotails are in doubt as reports stand at the moment of writing,- and there is an absolute conflict between British a.nd German communiques regarding the circumstances in which tho withdrawal was effected, but it is established that the British have found it necessary to evacuate a considerable area of ground—approximately a third of-the territory gained in tho November offensive— and incidentally to abandon some important positions in which ' they threatened Cambrai and the Hindenburg Jine to the north. The Germans claim that in the' recent operations on the Cambrai front they have now captured 9000 prisoners, 188 guns, and machine guns. These dotails are. .distinctly open to suspicion, more especially as the enemy speaks of storming the trenches evacuated by the British, whereas Sir Douglas Haig states that tho withdrawal was carried out without the enemy's knowledge. Correspondents describe in detail the enemy's hurricane bombardment of trenches which some time previously had been systematically destroyed and emptied of defenders, and the massed attacks which followed the bombardment. We are justified in assuming that the enemy is trying to hide his discomfiture by exaggerating his japtures. Skilfully as it was carried out, tho British movement no doubt involved the sacrifice of some men and a certain amount of material, but it is certainly difficult to believe that in his.belated occupation of the abandoned ground tho enemy increased' by fifty per cent.'his previous captdres. of men and material on the Cambrai front..

IN their retirement'the; British -have"taken up- positions'in which they will be enabled, to stoutly defend that section, of ..the' Hindcnburg'line'.which was conquered in the great tank drive oh November 20. They have abandoned positions which were of value- as.jumping off points for. further, attack, but were exposed and difficult to defend. The difficulty of defending them was accentuated when the .-enemy, as a result of his recent success on the southern , flank of tho salient, was enabled to seriously impede the transport of supplies into its forward area. The retirement is 'in effect an invitation to the enemy to persevere to his'heart's content in the policy of massed attacks into which he has lately thrown so much, energy. Tho most important position lost is the Bourlon Hill, on which tho British were established about three miles west of Cambrai.

This hill stands in the angle between the Arras-.Oainbrai and Bapaume:oambrai roads. The summit extends for about a mile and a half from east to west, and varies from half a mile 'to less than a quarter of a mile from "north to south; It is only a little over 320 feet above sea level, but it provides a wido view northward, intothe flank'.of a, strong section, of the Hindonburg line,, north-eastward towards the roads and railways linking. Cambrai with Douai, and eastward. towards Cambrai itself. At the height of their advance the British gained complete command of the hill and descended its steep northern slope, reaching the village of Bourlon. The recovery of this commanding observation point will appreciably relievo the enemy's irhmodiate anxiety for the safety of his line, and no doubt he will throw immense energy into the task of restoring his devastated fortifications.

At Marccfing, which they still hold, tho British are about four miles ahead of the line from which they attacked on November 20, and are separated by about the same distance from Cambrai., The new front sweeps north-west from Marcoing to Moeuvres. .The salient has been much flattened, and will now be so much the easier to defend. Whether the enemy, as ho claims, has captured Graincourt -does not appear from British reports. . It is possible that ..the retirement is" not complete, and that Marcoing.in its turn may. be evacuated, . As an important road and railway.centre it would not bo lightly relinquished, but it may be evacuated in pursuance- of the policy of cutting out those portions of the salient which would be unduly costly to defend. / i> * * »

There is no reason to suppose that these events, on the Cambrai front afford any ground for pessimism. One'correspondent states that. Sir Douglas Haig is shaping his measures with an eye to the transfer' of German reinforcements from tho Russian front, and also in view of Hindenburg's announced determination to force the issuo on the Western front before America brings her weight-to bear. This, of course, is speculation, particularly as regards the reference to Hindenburg. A sufficient reason for tho policy adopted by the British Conimaudcr-ir.-Ohicf appears in the enemy's frantic efforts to recover what ho nas lost. The British offensive on November 20 marked tho worst failure to date of the flexible defensive tactics which the Germans have sought to develop on the Western front. The euemy has found no ... mpro. hopeful remedy than a-, reversion to the policy of massed,attacks,, which only offered him prospects of success in the days nefbro the Allies had developed their resources and he had vast reserves to draw upon. It is a desperate policy, but so long <is tho enemy is'euabled to pursue it, it must bo .met locally by. an economical defensive. For what he has gained in recent days, the enemy has paid a heavy and disproportionate price .in lives. There is every likelihood that the balance will 'be still further • tipped against him as tho struggle continues. That the' enemy has gained any real advantage in the conditions reached is the- last conclusion tho situation ' seems to warrant. .