PROGRESS OF THE WAR

Dominion, Volume 11, Issue 207, 21 May 1918, Page 4

PROGRESS OF THE WAR

Fukthre evidence is supplied today of the Allied aerial supremacy which already operates as an immensely important factor in the Western campaign and is likely to assume greater importance as time goes on. So far as ovents are concerned, pHdo-of place is taken by tho_ Allied raid on Cologne, in which material damage was clono to railway sheds and other establishments in that important industrial centre. Only. six machines were employed—the Allies arc still using the bulk of their available* aorial squadrons againet less distant objectives than Cologne— but, mado as it was in full daylight, tho raid is a striking indication ol what, may be expected from tho effective uso of air forco in tho near future. Cologne is about 160 milos distant from the nearest Allied base, and is situated almost in the heart of the industrial region of the Rhenish provinces and Westphalia. Esson, the home of Germany's greatest arsonal, is a little over forty miles north of Cologne, and in the intervening area are Barmen and Elbcrfeld, which have been called the Leeds and Bradford of Germany. Tho raid on Cologno is ono of the most impressivo demonstrations yet afforded that thu Allies possess tho means of directly attacking the enemy's most vital contresof war industry. The principal limiting factor meantime is the ,number of long-distance bombing aeroplanes available, and thoro arc somo masons for believing that tho number at present employed will before long bo largely increased.

Of tho ability of Uio Allies to overwhelmingly defeat the enemy in tho air now proofs arc being afforded clay by clay. The fact that 100 German aoroplancs wero destroyed on tho West front on two clays of kst week speaks for itself, and tho official rovicw of operations published today also supplies some striking factß. It has been pointed out on various occasions that tho enemy is largely restricted in his bombing raids to night operations. He thua obtains a measure of immunity, but, on the other hand', h faced by much greater difficulties in finding and elfectively attacking bin objectives than if he sent out his aeroplanes in daylight. The Allies do the larger part of their bombing in the daytime, attacking plain-ly-defined objectives and at the mime time demonstrating their complete confidence in their ability to defeat tho_ enemy's defending squadrons. Figures relating to oporatjons during tho month of April presented in tho official roviow show how far development has procflmjod on those linos. During tho I

month British machines dropped approximately ten times as many bombs on objectives behind the enemy lines as the enemy dropped on British positions. And while the British did about three-quarters of their work under this head in tho daytime, the enemy was reduced to_ seeking cover of darkness in carrying out two-thirds of his much smaller total of bomb-dropping. During tho month ho dropped only 687 bombs on British positions in the daytime, while British airmen dropped nearly 18,000 bombs during daylight hours.

In regard to operations on land, expectation and suspense! aro still the ruling features in reports dealing with tho Western campaign. Only minor infantry encounters are reported at time- of writing, but in these tho British have scored pronounced success; notably in tho case- of an Australian attack in tho Aucro valley.