PROGRESS OF THE WAR

Dominion, Volume 11, Issue 191, 2 May 1918, Page 4

PROGRESS OF THE WAR

Another,-brilliant achievcmenli by the British forces in Mesopotamia, is reported to-day. As it stands, with its record of outlandish names,' the communique is not particularly illuminating, but what has happened is that British troops have executed a rapid advance of fifty miles from the positions they previously held north of Bagdad, capturing incidentally' close upon a thousand Turks, half a' dozen guns, and a large amoitnt of war material. Tim, achievement is all the more impressive since- it was hardly to be expected after tho Russian collapse that the British forces in Mesopotamia would accomplish much in the region of the Tigris or between that river and the Persian border. Tho advance in this case was not made on t&8 line of the Tigris, but followed a road running parallel to that river at a distance of about forty miles to tho eastward. At tho maximum point of advance mentioned today, the British are now about 150 miles north of Bagdad, and 100 miles south-east of Mosul. The latter town, being the point at which a military road from tho eastern railhead of the uncompleted Bagdad railway reaches the Tigris, is organised as an important depot. Prospects that it may bo occupied by the British invading army now seem a little less remote than they did very recently.

Fok a long time past the dividing lino between British and Turks in tho area between tho Tigris and the Persian border has, or rather had,, been the Jebel Hamrin hills. The Turks last year organised this range as a defensive barrier. The road up which the British advanced crosses the rango about a hundred miles north of Bagdad and Taza Khurmatli, tho northernmost village occupied, stands, as.has been said, about fifty miles further north. British infantry occupied Taza Khurmatli, taking prisoners and guns, and as reports stand the cavalry is continuing the pursuit farther north. While there is no immediate prospect of the offensive in Mesopotamia achieving results_ of decisive importance, this brilliant dash is, amongst _ other things, an additional indication that tho_ Turkish armies are in no condition to profit by the enlarged opportunities which undoubtedly confront them as a result of tho elimination of Bus-' sia as an important factor in the

No important change is reported at time of writing in. tho Western theatre. . The Allies have at some points gained a certain amount of ground, notably in Southern Flanders, and tho absenco of greater events emphasises the magnitude and overwhelming character of the defeat inflicted on the enemy when, he last attempted to push forward.

A host interesting contribution to public knowledge of the Allied fighting strength was made by M. Asduk Tahdieu, French High Commissioner to tho United States, in a speech ' delivered in New York on February. 6. M. Taedieu observed on that occasion that the invasion of tho northern territory had reduced the French population to 35,000,000. A little over 1,000,000 mon had been killed in battlo, nearly 1,000,000 had been maimed and definitely invalided out of the war. Yet: "Officers and soldiers on January 1, 1918, not including the native troops from tho colonies and the workmen in the factories, amount to 4,725,000 men, of whom nearly 3,000,000 are in tho army zono.

Even if it is assumed that the total of 4,725,000 men includes a considerable number who cannot bo classed cither as active troops or as reserves, this statement at its face value strongly supports the assumption that General Foch is holding a. very great force in reserve, and that it does not consist only of Americans or of Italians lately transferred to the Western theatre. In its minimum significance the statement implies that France has three million men actually on service, backed, by a considerable body of reserves, and all but a. comparatively small proportion of her troops aro massed in the Wostom theatre. As they stand these figures should mean that the Allies aro not numerically inferior, but .considerably superior lu the enemy.