PROGRESS OF THE WAR

Dominion, Volume 12, Issue 3, 28 September 1918, Page 6

PROGRESS OF THE WAR

. Preliminary details at time of writing suggest that the* attack which French and American armies' have _ opened. on" the. Champagne front in France is destined to develop on a- very great scale." -According to. one unofficial report the battle-front • extends, across fiftyfour, miles of country, and .other messages show : that, lighting . is- in progress on considerable portions of the-front from the region of Reims to-'the-'west- bank of the' Menser-a front which includes the Argdnne ■ Forest.' The only official news in hand at thq.-moment is. a French communique, which states' that progress has been made at- certain points to»a depth of close on'four miles, and that'the_ battle continues. Other.-reports credit -the-..Americans with an advance of seven miles in the area-immediately- west- o.t the Meuse—the: western ; section .of the Verdun front.. All the towns named at time of writing as captured by the Americans are situated in- thewestern half of ■ the area between the Meuse iand the Argorihe,'and it is fairly, certairi that if. the''advance described ;has been made .important'headway has been ' made simultaneously.' further .west, and also" east' of the •Meii'se. , The front, mentionedviri one cablegram, as corresponding with-.that:"on■■ wnich\ the French attacked in September,. 1915, -extends'about'twenty-five' miles west from 'the "western skirts' of the -Argbnne. '■'•" ■'■■''

' As has. been' said; .the' scanty de- • tails- available' indicate that the battle is on an enormous scale, and general considerations' equally, suggest that big. issues arc at stake.-An •offensive in the Champagne and t-Tio region" of Verdun is an attack -in flank upon the greatxsalient Which the .enemy.holds in franco and Flanders—an'.'attack which threatens a : drive.into the neck of the salient and across itsTvital communications. Ifc is late. in., ilio year to begin .an operation of this nature, but it is. possible that there may still be weeks of -fairly good campaigning weatherj and it is noteworthy also that a published interview with Marshal Foon is interpreted as meaning that there will be no cessation of operations during the winter. There must, of course, be-a serious check on operations, but it may bo some time yet before the check is fully imposed. All things considered the great atkek reported to-day is very possibly of extremely serious import, for the enemy even as it bears upon his prospects in the very'near, future.-

.«•■.--.•*-.• _ ■■-..- *: . * One of the:'mo'st arresting detail facts thus ■ far ■ brought to. light is that an American army is in position west of the Mouse. Very probably this means that a second American army, additional to that wrfich lately flattened .the' St. Mihiel salient and gained a line menacing tho Lorraine frontier, is now in action. »■■»■• * *

Events,are moving .apace in the Balkans, and plenty of /justification appears for_ the uneasiness that is said to be rife at Sofia. The Serbs arc making splendid 'progress along the Va-rdar and on either side of that great military _ avenue _Furthcr south the British have crossed tho Bulgarian south-western frontier ' north _of Lake Doiran. Not many details of the part played by the Italians havo been reported during the last day or two, but according t6 oiie.rcpOrfc'"to-day they havo surrounded the Bulgarian First Army in the neighbourhood of Krushovo, .about 15 miles west of Prilep. At all points the outlook ■is most promising. . The rapid development and extension of the Allied attacks suggest growing demoralisation on the part of; the enemy, as. well as fine gallantry-and enterprise on the part of the attacking forces-, and if the enemy is in fact a prey to demoralisation his plight is desperate. The situation in.which he is now .placed is one from which he Ayould Have great difficulty in escaping, even if-his armies were retiring in .good-order-and he had ample . reinforcements at hand. There is every reason to believe that in actual' fact he is. in both re: spects much less favourably placed) • * ■ » »

" -Ik regard to .the invasion of the enemy's communications and the peril to which he is, as a result, exposed, no-tw'o opinions are possible. At the moment'of writing a -report that the. Serbs have captured Vclcs, on 'the Vardar' line', lacks official confirmation* but there is no reason to .'doubt that it is true. Official reports show that on Tuesday last'the Serbs had. advanced oil a wide front astride, the Vardar to within a. comparatively short distance of -Vclcs. - -East of the Vardar they had reached, .the River. Kriva Lakovitza ".apd the outskirts of Ishtip, ■■■■ a'" town seventeen miles east' of"' Veles','. and on . the .other side . of. the Vardar valley they were .'then about ten miles distant from Veles on the approach from the south;., Even at this,' stage they had cut all the roads but one by-which the B'ulgars could retreat from Southern Serbia west of the Vardar. .'For the Bulgarian forces, apparently numerous, which are still- endeavouring to _ retreat from ■that area; the Serbian movement on Veles is of fatal import. ■'At.the most moderate estimate the skilfully directed drive of the Serbians arid the French and Italian forces which are- co-operating with them .west of.the Vardar, promises to result in'further heavy captures and the redemption of an immense tract of Serbian and Albanian territory. Victory on a much greater scale is quite possibly in prospect. The nature of the. country favours the enemy in any attempt he may make to establish a hew defensive line, but as the campaign develops it becomes more and more doubtful whether such an achievement is within 'his power. It is of material importance in this connection that there is reported to be intense, and growing ill-feeling between the Buigars and the Germans. The one thins that might for the time being set limits to. the Bulgarian disaster is the speedy introduction of strong- German reinforcements. But such aid would hardly be cfiectuai unless mutual trust and a snirit of .loyal co-operation marked the relations.of the -Kaiser's troops and those of. Tsar ' Ferdinand. >; Taking .reports at their face value, friendly co-operation, between.tho Germans arid'Bulgars is already out of the ..question. .-;.' ■:.-..:

Til e "British movement across the. Bulgarian frontier south of the road-centre of Strunmitza, is one. that may rapidly "come to assume commanding importance. The initial •■:-achievement' in ' breaking 'through'the Bulgarian frontier by, way of-a pass two-thousand feet high is described by Serbian mili'tary experts in London as a, magnificent feat of arms, and from such a beginning much is to" be hoped." Since they were unable to arrest the British onslaught on the formidable, defences-of "the" frontier, tTie Bulga.rs are hardly likely to meet with better fortune in_ opposing'- an advance, on Strumnitza ancl. east of that' place towards the' Struma valley." Where they have crossed the" frontier the British arc at most half a dozen miles south of Strumnitza, and that'rjldec -stands Iwel.vc' miles west of the Struma valley, which is the best and most convenient route leading.nortlrto'the"capital .'of; Bulgaria from. Greek Macedonia. The :British.;attaek is" at Once an invasion of Bulgaria and a flank movement threatening the Bulgarian front which follows the Struma valley across Greek Macedonia to the sea.' This portion of the enemy front is supported by a. railway,but one which follows an exceedingly'long and- roundabout route, Its best"and most.direct supply line is the excellent road which-runs-down the Struma valley from Sofia. ' A' glance at the map will show what a vital place this road takes in the enemy's defensive... .organisation. There is no doubt that an invasion of Bulgaria up, the Struma valley offers-big possibilities, and the strong-defences.: which' the. Bulgars hold where the. valley, enters": Greek' Macedonia;wilf be of no avaiTif: tie Allies continue -to-advance Eastward by way of Strumnitza. .Prospects of developing such, an invasion are now distinctly good. The 'enemy's' whole defensive organisation is already- heavily strained;, -and no doubt,' in,addition,to,"the '•British divisions' commanded by General Milne, a strong force of Greeks is available to second the efforts of the Serbs, French, .an'd:.l.talians'.ia Serbia and Albania, by driving north into Bulgaria along the Struma; It is, of course, very ".possible thai,one development- of'the Allied northei-ii: operations may bo an invasion of Bulgaria from the west. '