PROGRESS OF THE WAR

Dominion, Volume 11, Issue 259, 20 July 1918, Page 6

PROGRESS OF THE WAR

Tho iron it has not been ampli-' f;ed in detail at time of writing, the announcement that the Allies have opened a counter-offensive, opens new arid brighter prospects in the Western campaign. There were only two contingencies in which the Allies were likely at. the present stage to take the action now reported—defensive nocossity or a serious blunder by the enemy laying him open to attack. Had tho Allies failed to directly stem the- German onslaught they might have supplemented their local efforts to this end by beginning a counter-offensive on some other section of the front. A counter-offen-sive in these circumstances would have given no cause , for congratulation, 'but rather the icverso. It, would have emphasised the formidable character of the enemy offensive, and not any desire or readiness on the part of the Allies to attack. Happily, all the evidence in sight supports a belief that the countr-Dffensivc now in progress was launched not as a matter pi iii-t'nsf.it'-, but because ihe enemy laid b.i;->i:r?!f open to atactic. In its foul! effect this evidence seems conclusive. As information stands the enemy has failed to adversely affect the Allied dispositions. It is still an open question whethov he had subordinated all other aims to that of .defeating tho French and American forces and .opening.',a road to Paris, or hoped as.au alter-, native to so weaken the Allied northern front x> to favmu , a renewal of his drive to the coast But he has in any case suffered a disastrous check, and in addition has exposed himself to an atts-ck which dangerously threatens his forces occupying the great salient which extends south to the Manic valley As it is at present visioie, the Al'iod stroke is essentially an attempt to profit by the enemy s serious mistake, and if the Alaes arc as successful in this cntoprißC as in their direct resistance to his move on Paris the result should hwily influence- ihe future course of the campaign.

Tt is not without good roason that the news from France has been hailed with intense, satisfaction and cn-thinsV-m in America. A considerable proportion of the eleven lnin-di-d " thousand men ■ transported •icro'S'tlio Atlantic must still, ot course, be under training, l»jt American trooiis arc reinforcing the Allied lims in vapidly increasing iuurijcrs, and Rcom to Iμ taking a bii? part in-the attack that is now bcW made, on the western- flank o the, o:>rn:an salient. There is oiheinl n"ws" that where their Evoiit follows the valley of the Marno they have driven the- Germans hack across than river, and other reports declare that th«y have captured a dozen towns [•mi villaeps between rioissoin and Chateau Iliicn-y and taken four thousand prisoners. Thwc repprus nwait confirmation, but indications certainly are that llw Americans arc gallantly winning their spurs and ■eve destined to play a great part in l-h'.v Western campaign from this time CorwiU'tl

A rapor.T tliafc th"._}3ritish arc attacking in conjunction, with their allies in the south still awaits confirmation. At the moment of writing ofiVi-i.] reports speak only of a limited hut entirely successful attack in which tli? Australians have further improved their defensive front east oE ViJlcrs Bivtonneux, one of the most important positions A mien , ;. It is. by no moans improbable that attacks on a bigger scale have been launched.