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PROGRESS OF THE WAR

At their face value, to-day's reports of strikes in Berlin and elsewhere in Germany point to a- very serious state of affairs from the onemy's point, of view, but how far these reports are genuine it is impossible to say. It will bs noticed that there are somewhat discrepant estimates of l-he numbers on strike, but this may bo accounted for by the fact that the trouble is extending. Some reports declare that it is extending very rapidly. As a whole, these reports contain excellent news, but it may bo wiso to read them, for the present at least, with a certain amount of scepticism. War-weariness is no doubt doing its work in Germany, and its effects are likely to be aggravated by an infiltration of Bolshevik propaganda. On the other hand, if the situation in Germany were as serious as some reports declare it is probable that less news on the subject would have been permitted to escape. The possibility cannot be overlooked that the .autlioriths may be exploiting the crisis with a view , to discrediting the Minority Socialists and unsettling opinion and stimulating pacifist agitation in Allied countries. Ths last-men-tioned object is, of by far the most important. The possibility of deceiving the Allies by a semblance of revolutionary disorder is one that the. rulers of Germany may be expected to test to the full, and it would certainly bo unwise to attach decisive importance to such events as are reported to-day until they have led to some positive result. At the same time- it is by no means impossible that in setting themselves to create a sham appearance of revolutionary upheaval, the plotters who as yet dominate Germany may sooner or later find themselves confronting the reality.

The Italians to-day report a material extension of their local offensivo on the Asiago Plateau. In this locality »,hey have now gathered in more than 2500 prisoners, captured six guns and other important booty, and recovered the Col Del Rosso and other higli positions between the town of Asiago and the Brenta. The statement that two enemy divisions were almost completely destroyed suggests that the Italians are recovering their former superiority in. organised fighting power. Generally speaking, on a front west of the Piavo and extending well to the westward of the area of the latest battlo tho Italians aro holding tho outermost ridge of the mountain system, with tho Venetian plain immediately in rear. This outer ridge ofhrs a more advantageous position than might be supposed. With their supply-lines runninn; across the plain almost k> the fighting front tho Italians are favourably placed as compared with tlio cnomy, who has'to transport supplies through a wido tract of Alpine

country. In the area of iho present Italian offensive, however, Iho ouomy some time ago cirovi; ku far south as to gain observation of ,i range of Italian coimnuuicaLiuiis. It was presumably with ;i view to remedying this defect in tlieii defensive line that the Italians launched their attack.

In* one of their latest raids on London the Germans made a notable addition to their past achievements in murdering women and children. The facts are not fully reported at time of writing, but it is evident that the single bomli which dropped upon a building in which many people had gathered hit .shelter did fearful execution, anil it is stated that most of the victims were women and children. The building was presumably regarded as a shelter against falling shrapnel and not against bombt. At all events the fail and explosion of the bomb turned it into an inferno. For onco the Germans have accomplished something like the results for which they_ hope in their indiscriminate, bomb-dropping from the safest possible height, but one result is to emphasise their general paucity of success even in murdering non-combatants. Considering the nature and vast extent of their target it is remarkable that they have not succeeded in making wholesale- murder the. rule instead of the rare exception.

Permanent link to this item
Hononga pūmau ki tēnei tūemi

https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/DOM19180201.2.13

Bibliographic details
Ngā taipitopito pukapuka

Dominion, Volume 11, Issue 115, 1 February 1918, Page 4

Word count
Tapeke kupu
668

PROGRESS OF THE WAR Dominion, Volume 11, Issue 115, 1 February 1918, Page 4

PROGRESS OF THE WAR Dominion, Volume 11, Issue 115, 1 February 1918, Page 4

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