A WEEK OF THE WAR

Dominion, Volume 11, Issue 219, 4 June 1918, Page 5

A WEEK OF THE WAR

OFFICIAL SUMMARY THE GERMAN THRUST IN THE , WEST FACTORS WHICH FAVOUR TIIE ENEMY 'l|ho following telegraphic review of tho general war situation for the week muled Juno 1 has been received by His Kxcellency tho Governor-General from tho Secrclaryof Stato for tho Colonies:— "The chief military event of the week lias been llio enemy's attack on the front between Soissons and Reims. The attack opened at dawn on Monday, May 27, simultaneously with an attack on tho southern faoe of the Ypres salient. In the Aisno sector tho opening German assault captured the whole of the crest traversed by tho Chemin .Des Dames, and by noon the enemy's centre had advanced as far as the crossing of the River Aisno at Pont Arcy. By midnight of May 27-2S the enemy had succeeded in enlarging the saliont he had thus created, advancing his centre as far south as I he Mont Notre Dame and Fismes, and further opening out his flanks. Hitherto on the west the French had succeeded in holding tho heights between Vauxaillon and Chavignon, but were now obliged to fall back to the plateau oi Laffaux. Meanwhilo tho right of the Allied iiiio which was being held by four British divisions from Craonne to Bcrmericourt Lad.held its grouiuL only bending back its left flank to conform to tho retirement of tho French. All this time it. was evident that tho Allied troops on this sector wero heavily outnumbered by the enemy, and that tho withdrawal would have to continue slowly until reserves could bo brought up. Tho enemy throughout May 29 pressed his advantage hard. By nightfall of May 29 the enemy had reached Dravegny, his southernmost point, and had extended his flanks to the outskirts of Soissons and Reims. At tho tinio of report the enemy advance still continues, and he has reached the right bank of the Marno on a front of about ten miles. Advantage of Interior Lines. "The circumstances appear almost parallel lo those on the l,ys during the first week in April where a comparatively minor operation met with an unexpectedly great initial success which was rapidly taken advantage of by tho Germans. On tho Aisne front the situation was peculiarly favourablo for the enemy. In tho salient whicn ho lias created towards Amiens he has a considerable body of troops concentrated. The salient in question is so deep as to give him very much the advantage of interior lines, and his railway communications in tho area aro excellent • It was therefore easy for him to concentralo at any point a. force sufficiently superior to mako an initial success a certainty, and to exploit that success within tho limits of timo necessary to tho Allies to niovo reserves round their exterior lines. But in tho locality concerned he will havo to advance a considerable distanco over country of such a nature that he will havo to pay a heavy price for it before lie can achieve anything of a decisive xtrntegieal nature, and should ho allow himself to become too deeply involved in so doubtfully profitable an operation he may bo obliged to draw troops from moro decisive sectors, and thus dissiputo in a futile venture strength ivliic.lt ho ought to economise. In this particular theatre the action has proceeded so far as to restore to the operations the element of movement and manoeuvre, in which tho Allied generals are probably more than the equals of the enemy. As has been said, the Allies could afford in a military sense to givo ground in tho locality. Soissons has had to be cvacuatpfl, but the Allied line, though so rapidly withdrawn, has.never lost its cohesion, and tho Allied Higher Command, which now has the advantage of unity, may be trusted to restore tho situation, without allowing the enemy any dccisivo strategical gain. German Reverse in Flanders. "On tho morning of May 27, simultaneously with tho attack on the Aisne, tho enemy once moro attempted to break the Allied front between Locro and Voormezeele, using for the purpose greater forces than any .hitherto used, but within twenty-four hours ho was completely deprived of his slight initial successes, and tho operation was terminated in what was unquestionably a severe defeat for the enemy. Tiic German attempt to characterise this engagement as a 'raid' is so grossly untrue as to alford strong evidence of his disappointment. The American Success. "An operation of this week which is of minor importance strategically but is yet of much significance was l.ho action in which American troops captured tho French town of (,'antigny, north of Montdidier, taking 200 prisoners, including fivo officers, and holding tho positions gained against very heavy counter attacks. The Italian Attack. "On May 20 the Italians carried out a very successful uperatiou on the heights around the Zizolon Peak on the Temnale sector, gaining all their objectives, and capturing 870 prisoners, twelve guns, j and other material. On the following ; night, by a successful coup, they gained : 750 metres of very valuable ground at; Caposile, taking at the same time seven officers aud 133 men prisoner, in addition to considerable material. The War in the Air. "The Air Ministry reports that the lino weather on the Western front broke on the morning of May 23 for several days, but before tho break our aeroplanes did much valuable work. A number of bombing raids were carried out on a variety of objectives, including the enemy's night-flying aerodromes, and nearly 70 tons of bombs were dropped in the battle zone within 38 hours. The efforts of hostile scouts to.intercept our bombers wero fruitless owing to tho of-' fonsivo tactics of our fighters and the excellent gunnery of tho observors of our

two-seater bombing machines. Outside the immediate, battle zone the enemy coastal bases at Zcebrugge, Bruges, and Ostend were attacked at every possible opportunity. In the course of tho week an enemy destroyer was hit and shown by subsequent photographic reconnaissanco to have sunk in tho fairway at Zeebruggc. During the week, in the battle zone and in operations on the Belgian coast, a total of 138 tons of bombs were dropped. Sixty-six of the enemy's aircraft were brought dovgi and twelve were driven down out of control, while fourteen of our machines failed to return. This week the enemy has shown some activity in bombing our back areas at night, and has not scrupled to attack one of our long-established hospitals, the exact location of which must have been well known to his air forces.

"Germany this week has had a forelasto of the lighting power which the now arm is developing. No fewer than 1S distinct raids worn carried out during the week on different military objectives in Gorman territory, us far afield as Golden-/, and Mannheim, in the course of which over 19 tons of dropped with good elfect. The poison gas factories at Liidwigshafcn, for example, were twice attacked and on the second occasion the blackened girders of the buildings, gutted by fire, were clearly visible to our pilots. In homo waters, despite difficult weather conditions, our seaplanes and our airships havo maintained their constant watch for enemy surface and submarine craft, and havo continued to work in close co-operation with our naval forces in the convoying of shipping and the detection and destruction of drifting ciiomy mines. There is little of outstanding interest to record from other theatres of war. In Italy the Allies' air ascendancy remains beyond dispute. In the Adriatic another successful raid was carried out on Durazzo by our seaplanes on May 27, when a number of fires wore started in the buildings of the seaplano station, and an enemy destroyer is reported to havo been sunk after a direct hit. A very successful raid was also carried out on Cattaro." The Food Outlook,

"The Food Ministry reports there has been little chango in Iho position during tho past week. Supplies of bacon and fals are heavy, and though cereal imports were less, fuituro prospects aro favourable, provided there is no relaxation of effort on tho part of Canada and tho United State in sending Hipplies. Tho Home harvest depends much on tho weather, but even if this be good, only n small part of the population can be fed from this source. The need of heavy imports is increased by tho requirements of our Allies. Practically no criticism of the Food Administration has appeared in the Press during the week. v Gorman After-War Trade. "During tho. week evidence has accumulated of German policy with regard to the reconstruction cf their trade after tho war. The now German Tyiperial Economic Department is. endeavouring to reassure the industrial classes and advocating 'tho cultivation of sentiment as essential for the reconstruction of a world economy.' The steps which the Central Powers are taking will 1 make such sonlimont difficult of attainment. Germany has announced that her military operations in Russia aro completed,' and (hat she desires to co-operate economically with the present. Russian Government, This means that she is liiirning her attention to her immediate need, which is the economic exploitation of Southern Russia. The "till terms of the Rumanian pcaco treaty, ■••liich have, now been published, show that tho Central Powers have abandoned all pretence of 'no annexation*.' and have handed over to Bulgaria trio ntmth of tho Dobnija. retaining the rest up to (1)6 St. George's mouth of the Danube under their own joint, rule. Hungary annoxes territory in the nortli-western part o! Wnllachia, and the frontier line in the future will pass along the foothills of the Carpathians so as to secure for Aus-tria-Hungary complete strategical control of all tho entrances to Rumania. The complete control of 'he petroleum industry is placed in the hands of an association directed by the Central Powers, and in case of complaints the court of appeal will lie at Leipzig. "The othor proposals of the German Government for industrial reconstruction are of an extremely anti-domocralic character. The working classes are neither to bo considored nor consulted. Ouit of 370 members of a giant ommitteo appointed by tho Imperial Economic Department to deal with individual industries, tliero are only seven representatives of Labour. How littlo Germany trusts lier working classes is shown by the Government's suppression- of tho memorandum prepared by the recent Inter-Allied Socialist Conference, which was not allowed to reach either the -Majority or Minority Socialists in Germany. Tho Prince of Wales at Rome. "In Allied countries the <vont. of tho week has been the presence of the Prince of Wales in Rome at the celebration of the third anniversary of Italy's declaration of Avar. He was welcomed by representatives of all Haly with an enthusiasm unusual in an official ceremony. On the same day the colours of 'ho Czechoslovak -Vrmy were dedicated on the steps of tho monument to Victor Emanuel. During the week in Bohemia (here have been vigorous manifestations of CjivhoSlovak unanimity. No iwont development is more significant than, the progress made by the oppi\«vol nationalists of Austria-lluiiiiurv in mutual otv ! operation and the I'onmiJrtlion of their < demands." |