PROGRESS OF THE WAR

Dominion, Volume 11, Issue 190, 1 May 1918, Page 4

PROGRESS OF THE WAR

To-DAv'fi news from the Western theatre is perhaps the best that has come through since- the Germans opened their offensive. Attempting to extend his recent gains in Flanders, the enemy has boon heavily and disastrously defeated all along the line, and this in conditions which, from the Allied standpoint, are of good promise as they bear upon the future. Tho attack developed on a front extending from near Meteren, in the western area of the Lys salient, to a point considerably north of Ypres. At all points' i'l completely failed, and correspondents aro unanimous in declaring that tho German losses were upon a colossal scale. This, in any case, represents a fine achievement by the British, French, and Belgian troops engaged, and a most welcome turn of events, but the enemy defeat is all tho more noteworthy on account of the circumstances in which the battle was fought.

No doubt the enemy assumed thai, as a result of his recent success in capturing the highly-important observation point of Mont Kemmel and enforcing a modification of the Allied lino further north, in the vicinity of Iprcs, his latest attack would _ find the Allies ill-proparcd to resist it. Such an assumption was on some grounds not unreasonable, but it has certainly not been realised. It is evident not only that the enemy was very heavily defeated, but that tho Allies fought under very much better conditions than they have been able to command in other lecent battles. One correspondent emphasises the fact that in tho battle which turned, so decidedly against them the Germans fought all day in the open, while the French .and Britishscarcely anywhere left their prepared defences. Along with this and other indications that the Allies hav<* succeeded in establishing sound dofensivo positions there are references to the artillery struggle which imply that in this particular also tho enemy was much more effectively mot than afc some earlier stages of his offensive.

Attacking forces must, of course, in tho ordinary course of events, expose themselves freely, but the feature which stands oub from to-day's reports is that in general tho Allies seem to havo enjoyed the maximum advantages o£ good cover. On a number o£ recent occasions they havo been compelled to fight at a disadvantage in broken and invaded lines—frequently in positions which had been outflanked—but in the battle reported to-day their defensive- organisation as a whole withstood all tests kind tho German attacking formations were slaughtered without gaining a foot oC ground. A splendid proof has thus been given of tho vitality of the Allied defence, and in circumstances which at the outset seemed to very greatly favour tho enemy.

■£ * * i* Onk message- to-day states that the British hold op Ypres is weakening, but according to the latest detailed information on tho subject the Allied lino still turns round tho town at a distance of. about two miles in the oast and south. Since there is no indication, however, that tlio Allies contemplate an attempt to recover Mont Kcmmel, on tho south, it remains probable that.the evacuation of Ypvcs and some adioining ground is only a matter of time. There is little doubt that such a retirement would improve and strengthen the Allied line and givo tlio enemy no advantage ho does not already hold.