PROGRESS OF THE WAR

Dominion, Volume 11, Issue 309, 24 September 1918, Page 4

PROGRESS OF THE WAR

. o . The Allied offensive in Macedonia has not achieved the same swift and overwhelming success as the British drive in Palestine, but its' developments to the present stage 'are full of promise. Considering that they are" advancing through rugged mountain country the Serbians, who have taken thus far a leading part in the operations, have made wonderfully rapid headway. To-day's news shows that they have passed Kavadar by_ a mile or two, and are therefore within four or five miles of the Vardar, near Krivolak, which is about 40 miles up the Vardar railway from the point at which it crosses . the Serbo-Greck frontier. North of Kavadar the Serbs are more than 25 miles, as the prow flies, north of the line on which their offensive, opened. The actual distance they have advanced through the mountain country is, of course, very much greater; As information stands their near approach to the Vardar in tho locality indicated marks the extreme limit of their advance for the time being, but they have made noteworthy progress also towards Prilep, a vital centre in the enemy's road communications about, 25 miles north-north-east of Monastir. Striking towards this objective the Serbs have cleared the Uobropoljo mountains and others further north, lying between the Nidge Koshuf range and thj Cerna. and havo crossed the latter river on a fairly wide front. Tho village of Godiyak, which capturcd a day or two ago, is west of the Cerna and about 16 miles cast-south-east of Prilep, but it is likely that by this time the Serbs are a good deal closer to that allimportant centre. IT * * ' * At its present stage the Serbian advance may fairly be described as a bold thrust into the heart of the enemy's communications. There is no doubt that if the Serbs can maintain the ground they have won and develop their thrust as part of an offensive pressed with tho whole strength of the Allied army in Macedonia, the enemy's whole front will ,bc overthrown, and indefinite possibilities will be opened up. As has been shown the Sorbian troops north of Kavadar (presumably cavalry) arc within striking .distance of tho Vasdar railway forty miles up its length from the SerboGreck frontier. Adding to this that the Bulgars or Bulgar-Gcrmans are still holding positions on 'or very near to the frontier on both sides of the Vardar valley, and that the Vardar line is the one continuous railway which runs through Serbia from end to end, the natureof tho threat to the enemy's main communications is apparent. In their near approach to the Vardar the Serbs are also within a fewmiles of' one of tho two roads which run by short and convenient routes from the Vardar valley to Prilep. As to Prilep itself, it is a roadcentro absolutely essential to tho stability of tho whole' western section of the enemy's front in the Balkans.

For tho time being, however, it is only one aide of the story to say that the enemy's "communications arc imminently threatened. Liko all bold adventures of its kind tho Serbian advance involves risfa which may yet prove to be serious. The captured territory constitutes a salient so deep and narrow that it could exist only in mountain country like that of tho Balkans, The confusion into which the enemy has been thrown , and tho heavy losses in men and material he has suffered arc big factors favouring the attacking army, but the latest' Serbian report in hand at time of writing, while it discloses the remarkable advance beyond Kavadar and almost to the Vardar, mentions also that the Bulgar-Gcrmans are bringing up strong reinforcements. Though tho enemy has been heavily defeated he is evidently not at.an end of his resources, and it seems very.necessary that the Serbs should be rapidly and powerfully seconded by. other sections of _ tho Allied array if the offensive is to fulfil its opening promise. Fortunately there is no reason to doubt that this support will be forthcoming. The Serbian divisions, as information stands, constitute a comparatively small part of tho total strength of the Allied army, and it is unlikely that they would' hava been launched in their bold drive towards the Vardar had it not been intended to follow up their opening move with all possible energy, The attacks recently made by British and Greek troops cast of the Vardar, on either side of Lako Doiran, could hardly bo regarded as of more than a holding character. Until to-day this was the only part of the Macedonian front other than •that on which the Serbians and the French, with whom they are cooperating, are engaged on which fighting had been reported since they opened their offensive,

There is now, however, a. brief message which states that in the Ocrna bend the Italians have begun an advance _in conjunction with a general Allied offensive. This is the news for which the situation plainly calls, and it is to bo hoped that it will soon be confirmed by official reports. No more is' said meantime about the Italian attack than that it opened on Saturday, and that tho enemy's front positions were captured. _ It may be noted, however, that in the interior area of the Cerna bend the battlefront runs across the Selechka range, which runs north to the region of Prilcp, the watershed being about five miles oast of that place. Tho range is broken into _ many high peaks, and offers formidable defensive positions, but where, they have, crossed the Cerna the Serbians are attacking in flank, though over difficult country, tho area upon which the Italians arc making a frontal advance fifteen miles or more further south. The situation as a whole is immensely complex, but it should not be long now before some definite measure is afforded of the. strength of the opposing forces-

The accounts given to-day of the developing victory in Palestine largely speak for themselves. lb now seems certain that the Turkish Army in that theatre is completely broken up, and that it will lose, practically the whole of its material and equipment. As a result of the turning and enveloping movements brilliantly carried out by General Allenby'r cavalry and infantry, and the action of the Arab forces which severed , tho enemy's railways east of the Sea of Galilee—■ thus cutting his only railway link with Palestine—the Turkish rem-

nanis are nil but completely trapped. Some of the Jordan ford:;, remain available to Ihe enemy, but these also arc now being occupied, and such elements of the Turkish Army as escape over Jordan towards the Hejaz railway will no doubt have to reckon with the Arabs boforc they reach safety. It is rather soon to estimate the full effect of General Allenby's sweeping victory, but as,it stands it is one of the, most spectacular 1 of the war, and its results are bound to bo far-reaching. Disaster has not often, descended as swiftly on an army as in this case on the Turks in Palestine. 'Only a few days ago they were resting on a strong front with sound railway communications in rear. Now they are enclosed on three sides of a parallelogram of country measuring 50 miles from north to south, and the fourth side is being rapidly closed in. The immediate need of the Ottoman Empire seems to be a new army to defend Damascus.