The Dominion. MONDAY, MARCH 25, 1918. GERMANY'S DESPERATE EFFORT

Dominion, Volume 11, Issue 159, 25 March 1918, Page 4

The Dominion. MONDAY, MARCH 25, 1918. GERMANY'S DESPERATE EFFORT

A TEEJIENDOUS battle is under way on the Western front with the British armies in what has become for them the unwonted position of fighting on the defensive. The opening fortunes of this battle as they are described in the cablegrams to-day should bo considered with the- fact always in mind that the Allies have made methodical- and deliberate preparations to meet the conditions which have now arisen, and that they are in practically all respects splendidly placed ,to cope with whatever attacks the enemy may launch. In his initial onset, by efforts organised upon a colossal scale, the enemy has gained some ground, and, according to his own account, has effected heavy captures of prisoners and guns. This was to be expected, but it does not by any means follow that the Germans are prospering well in their offensive or that they are in sight of decisive- advantages. Nothing _ that is reported at time of writing is inconsistent with the observation made by a correspondent that the position is much better than was anticipated before the Germans opened their attack, or with M. Clemenceau's statement that the Allied Staffs havo every reason to be satisfied with the results of the first great attack and that for his own part he is extremely pleased with these results. Actual experience in the war has made it very clear that attacking armies prepared to make big enough sacrifices can count with certainty' upon a measure of success in breaking into a defensive line. But experience has demonstrated also the enormous difficulty of building upon an initial success of this character, much more of extending; it to the point of gaining a decision. Probably these facts never had greater weight and 'relevance than as they apply to the titanic struggle which is now in progress on the front of approximately fifty miles from east of Arras to south of St. Quentin. At this stage the commanding feature of the struggle is not the enemy's gain of ground, nor thecaptures of men and guns to which he lays .claim. What does command attention is that the results of his offensive thus far disclosed are manifestly poor when account is taken of the force employed and of the losses entailed. Thus far he has been striking against a defensive which is essentially flexible and not fixed. Yet he has not, according to the United Press Agency's report, gained a single one of his tives, and such headway as ne has gained has been made at the cost of appalling sacrifices—it is estimated that 80,000 Germans were put 911b of action in the first day's fighting —and by massing divisions on a scale- which certainly cannot be maintained for any length of .time. An offensive such as the Germans havo undertaken demands of all things an expanding and long-con-tinued effort, but it already seems in the highest degree improbable that they aro capable of satisfying this condition. Naturally, the position is still far from being cleared up in all its details. As regards essential facts it will bo wise, meantime to rely more

upon Uic official reports than upon supplementary messages which, though interesting and valuable, are in some respects widely at variance. We have it from Sir Douglas Haig that the" British troops aro holding the battle positions upon which they retired on the northern part of the' front attacked (west of Oambrai and further north). Opposite St. Quentin, tho enemy broke into the British defensive system, bui here also the defenders fell back in good order upon prepared positions further west. The British Commandcr-in-Chief docs not detail the new front, and it cannot at the moment bo set out from the particulars supplied by correspondents. It appears, however, that the enemy has recovered all that remained of the British gains in the "tank offensive" of November last, and " in places some ground further west. As a result of formidable converging attacks north and south of'tho Bullecourt salient that famous stronghold, in winning and holding which Australian troops covered themselves with glory last year, is once again in German hands. It is evident that the enemy has also gained ground west of St. Quentin, and .that he has at some points occupied the British advanced positions in intermediate areas. The total change in this battlefront is considerable, but to reeard tho extent of this change as a measure of the enemy's success would be in the last degree fallacious. The- front reached at tho height of a long-continued offensive cannot in 'the nature of things bo the most suitablo upon which to meet such an onset as the Germans have launched. If tho British had been rolled back over as bif an area while they were developing their offensive last year the event would have been disastrous. But in the present circumstances other standards must apply. The initial power and momentum of the enemy's attack, of course, account in part for our loss of ground. But it is a fairly safe conclusion that tho retirement from the positions wrested from the Germans towards the close of last year is governed in a great degree by the requirements of a defensive battle.

The opening phases of this mighty struggle .distinctly suggest that tho enemy is fighting, not with any limited object, _ but in the hope of forcing a decision. There is so much to deter him from such an attempt that it has been difficult to believe ho would venture upon it, and even now some doubt upon the point remains. But in any case the magnitude of tho German effort certainly affords no excuse for any lack of confidence on the part of the Allies. Subjected to what is likely to rank as one of the grimmest ordeals of tho war, the British troops are displaying the invincible gallantry in which they have, never been found wanting. So long as tho same spirit prevails the enemy will never gain his end by the most prodigal expenditure of lives and material on tho Western front. The. present battlo is only tho first chapter of a struggle which must broaden and expand enormously. Though for the time they are playing a waiting game, tho Allies are no longer condemned, as in the days when tho enemy enjoyed a vastly greater superiority in developed strength than ho does to-day, to rest content with a passive defence. Their tesources, in no respect much inferior to those of the enemy, and in some, notably in regard to the vital factor _of aerial power, very greatly superior, will, of course, be brought fully to bear as the struggle develops. _ The broad position which presents itself is that tho Germans, favoured only by a not very pronounced superiority in numbers and in artillery strength, are- apparently determined to force a decisive contest against armies which have time and again defeated them heavily and hopelessly, whether as attackers or in standing, as they now are, upon the defensive. Such a determination argues rather that the enemy is unable to look far ahead than that he has prospects of reaching the result at which he aims. His initial efforts have been mado under the most' favourable conditions, and in spite of the magnitude of his efforts and tho terrible sacrifices made ho has failed in his main purpose. The main British positions which lieahead of him are stronger defensively than those against which his opening attacks were directed, ilis difficulties will increase as he attempts to develop his offensive. Tho concentration he has effected on the British front is in itself tremendously formidable, but in no long time- the campaign will assuredly, demand free movement, and the rapid transfer of strength from point to point, as well as massed concentration against selected objectives. Pursuing the Bame tacfics as in the first days of tho war when they hoped to swiftly overwhelm their enemies, the Germans are at once incurring fearful losses and impairing their meeting the demands which will assuredly arise in the near future. That the British line is by comparison thinly manned is not a sign of weakness. It means, amongst other things, that strong reserves arc held at disposal to be thrown in where they will tell with maximum effect. We can await with confidence tho developments which the future holds.