PROGRESS OF THE WAR

Dominion, Volume 11, Issue 180, 19 April 1918, Page 4

PROGRESS OF THE WAR

Events are moving rapidly in the battle area in Northern Franco and Flanders. To-day's reports picture a conflict of redoubled intensity, marked by sudden and dramatic changes of fortune. Counter-at-tacks undertaken by the British, were at first conspicuously successful, but according to the latest newsin hand the success has not been maintained. The enemy was driven out of part of Wytschaete village, so that tho British troops were for the time in restored possession of the northern end of the Messines llidge, where it reaches its greatest elevation, and at tho same time the enemy was dislodged from Meteren, where he was reported yesterday to have widened his attacking _ front onposite the railway junction of Hazebrouck, the objective of _ his westward thrust. At both points, however, tho British have again been forced back from the ground temporarily recovered. * * « These events are overshadowed by a British retirement east of Ypres, which is not yet exactly defined, though the possibility appears that it amounts to the abandonment of a great part of the Passchendaele Ridge, which, with the Messines Ridge, was gained in tho British offensive in Flanders last year. British reports on tho subject thus far available give no details, but the Germans claim that they have captured Poelcapelle, Langemarck and Passchendaele, and have advanced thoir lines near Becclaero and Gheluvelt. If this is in accordance with the facts the Passchendaele Ridge is again in the enemy's hands, and the British line east and north-east of YpreS everywhere been drawn back towards the Yscr Canal. If the enemy has gained as much as he claims, it is fairly certain that be has gained more. There is no suggestion that the retirement was made under direct pressure of enemy attack. It was apparently carried out deliberately, thoughi on what grounds has yet to be disclosed. The most obvious explanation is that the southern flank of the Passchendaele defences was fatally weakened when the enemy captured Wytschaete. * # * # The margin by which the British Army is defending its vital communications has now been seriously ! narrowed, but it does not by any means follow that disaster is in sight. As the British "high military authority" points out to-da-v the battle must be regarded not from the point of view of the losses and sufferings of the British Army, but from the viewpoint of the Entente. If the British troops are able to maintain their heroic resistance long enough to create an opening for the effective use of the total Allied strength, such success as the enemy now seems to have won will prove to be illusory. The French are already co-operating on the northern battlcfront. They arc, perhaps, on the eve of co-operating on a much greater scale. At all events, there can be no thought of attempting to strike a balance until the Allies have brought their whole weight to bear.