A WEEK OF THE WAR

Dominion, Volume 12, Issue 10, 7 October 1918, Page 6

A WEEK OF THE WAR

[ ' BRITAIN'S ROLE IN THE GREAT i

INCREASING DIFFICULTIES

IN GERMANY

[ /MIDDLE EASTERN PERIL U:.,-,,^."";.-.■'"' gone: !.■ The-Acting-Prime Minister (the Hon. ' '■''• ■"■ Sir Jjames Allen) has received from the ?:?;>.'.Ministry';of • Information. the. following !-. • ■'..summary of the war. operations for the }-■:■-■■■ ' ■ week ended ..October 4:— '. b.7 .-In the,triumphant advance on. the [■'■:'.■ ;.Western front the part played by the I:'■;,'■'■ .- British Army wa.s.most important, not K 'only, during the : triumph of: the past S' : . week, but during the whole of the proS \ vious month, for by our continued presr •' .-'sure between St. Quentin and the Senj:,|.: see River we compelled the .eijemy to p■■•:■'.•" hring the bulk of his best divisions to -.: meet this, attack, thus distracted r.. him from other points-on the front. \J : , ■:'■ The continued disbanding of broken E-.'.V'.'- divisions,and the passing of the woundyV: -'. ediri'en straight back to the front, and |'r .'the;substitution of.women for men on jvV-'V the'lines of ■ all show I;..- '■ how the man-power declines in Geri."■;'■, • :many. It is reported, too, that rcprisoners from Russia are conS'!.' side'rably tainted with Bolshevism.

[/;;':,'. ■■- Improvement in Russia. te:': ; The. situation in Russia-Siberia shows ■' :: . ; "'signs rf improvement,- and the! victory ■ ?•:''; : by . General Poole's forces (in \ North i" ; Russia) now proves to have been most i'.:. . > complete. The enemy's forces have i-~. ■' been'completely dispersed, and are now i,:s\ : - hiding about the countryside.

':;■;. The New Situation In t'no Middle East, ' -vV The withdrawal of Bulgaria from the !;S.W- : war, cuts the land communications be- ;,';/ Iween the Central Powers and. Turkey,, I- 5 V. ;■ and opens the southern frontiers of ';;.. Austria and Rumania to invasion. The !;;; ; ,\. Central Powers are further .endangered ftv', r .'■•; by the intense .hostility of the subject nationalities Vof Austria-Hungary, as v'V ! -' well aa by the clianco of Rumania's revfiyl- entrance' into the war. To avoid per- /:^.■';. ils Jind \keep Turkey fighting, 'the Cen- (■''!, i tral'Powers must build a new froni'on MM the 'Danube, and reinforce Turkey .All ■/ -'""they have to. do this are some thipyf.'?... 'three German, and thirteen Austrian (..-';, divisions in' Russia, but bringing these f/ V; ; -to the Balkans would mean the abanis ;•'.donment of all the German gains from [:":}". the Br'est-Litovsk Treaty. It is to-be P :,, remembered, however, that the German I s >. control over the Black Sea _allows of fW: . /the rapid dispatch of reinforcements to !&■■< '• Constantinople, : and she also has an '.'-■ : ; excellent railway service for concentraj': :', tion on the Danube ifront. Meanwhile !i : i-'':v.oir victory here and in Palestine has j'f?:'' completely'aitergfl'tbesituktion in the ;jv' Middle East, removing all danger r>f hv'i.: ,' German-Turkish penetration- in Asia -'and "almost certainly -the ';'■:/;, : eiiemy to retire from ■';Russia. j [;. :.'■':Balkans'-.. triumphNalmost 1 overshado -is" (;,;■;: that, in Palestine, but the serious daniff-. gef. now threatening Constantinople f ;i';> .-will-most probably compel the transfer '■';"■' of a groat part of-the Turkish army for r*~■-'-, the defence of her imperilled European' ) ;, ifboting.'•■■''' ■"■_•'<•■

;, New Light on Austrian Peace Note. 0 V.' ';• New light /upon /the circumstances ; : '.'.'.'.'•."' surrounding, the Austrian Peace Note ;'": ;; indioates tnat it'was sent without the [::■• --. assent and bo-operation of Germany, ;•-.;';.. but not without Germany's knowledge. yl, "This, shows a clear break between the iv;' German and Austrian views. Bul;■:■';'garia's defection must increase this, './and it will mean the' collapse of the i: ;! -whole system of■ alliance's on' which ;': : ; : Germany hoped to build her .domina--;.';V: tion over Central .'and Eastern.Europe. ■■-J:".. It'is most unlikely that' Bulgaria with'.drew without first' vainly' begging for I; ■ '' German aid, and her action is the clearVk" : . : est proof of Germany's declining power. Her 'withdrawal 'must also sharpen l-jy ' Austria's anxieties''about her own in- [■':■';},' ternal stability. In the face of, tho '•;';.■. .'danger abroad and the misery and"dis- [■;,'.; : '\ tension...at home.' the' German Govern-. ■/■K'-; : '''m6ijt'''is : .'' in":"increasing difficulties. ■■V;;' Dummy;proposals for more effective ;;.;;.;■ .popular, control that the machin-|r.v.'.'-ery .'of. German government, foundj V'■'''.'.ed- r on^..Bucces'sfTil ! - warfare, is now

fe,:'shaken to'its 'depths, though it.is'most f ~;:■'' doubtful if even a : sham. liberalisation could cope with her'troubles. Some suggest a. military dictatorship 'p; : - solution, though this would f, ; ' ; :-' be'.'thc'flattest', 'abandonment of the |f.,i '..■; whole Hohenzolleni theory oif a quasip Divine autooracy. •' N... , Turkey's position is paradoxical. 0 She seized and destroyed the oil; wells i; ! ;.;,-> ' ai'l ßaku,' whioh.was directly challenged mil by' Gefniany, 1 ■ since',by the Rnsso-Ger- £;.-.'•. man'treaty of 'August 27 Baku waa ex- {.'';.■'> eluded from' :the" territories Turkey r-iV'mightoccupy;. But in the south the fall f ■■::■'■ : ; pf Damascus ' loosens the Turkish grip j'-!.-;.T : on the southern Turkish Empire, even i..ij ~thongh. they, can Btill advance in the r'i G-Caucasus a/id Northern Persia, Considering the long ill-feeling- between }-; : Bulgaria and Turkey, interesting de- : yelopments liiay be expected ifrom the J effect of Bulgaria's withdrawal, upon ■:■,. jhis complex'situation. .•

j J With "the Airmen on the west Front. j;l'-' 'During "last'week,' in spite of fre- /-; v.'; quent'--bad weather, the British airmen lj\': maintained ' practically "• a continuous [..';.':.' patrol;along the battlef root, day and ';;• - An immense number of reconi .. • naissances and bombing-flights were unl : .y-dertakeii, and the enemy was attacked at!vital,positions in his rear. Some ; ; . "* 300 tons of bombs' were dropped on.the , ; .; German "railway and military organisaf ;-:.','tions between . the- coast and the y- Somme. '•" More than .a third of these j ■:.■■' were dropped between sunset and dawn, , shattering the'enemy's; night transport {-''-■ of troops and material. To show the j scale of the reconnaisance work in con- ! nection with the simultaneous-British ■ offensives, we learn that 8102 aerial j.; : photographs were taken'.' Many of ! '■-'■ these"had been obtained far behind the , '•■''" fighting zone. Heavy air battles were ;■. ■' continued throughout the week, and ;;. were uniformly successful in our eyes,' ',';"' since against 109 British machines re- !"'.':' ported missing, 154 of tho enemy's i ■■'.y__- were destroyed, 76 were driven down,. \f r and 31 kite balloons were shot down. t on fire. By coast, the British airmen, !V . besides many raids on the enemy's milil\ . . tary and naval bases, .co-operated with- > .'■■'.. ;the Belgian Army in its advance, heav- ?•■'; ; ilybombing, the railway junction at (,: Cortemarck and Thourout throughout ! the battle, and vigorously attacking tho ['-.■ Germans transport and trains both ! with bombs and machine-gun fire. The j R.A.F. Independent Forces worked in i conjunction with the American First ; . Ar'my and kept up a most ' successful [ ... offensive jgainst. the German railway i ' communication lines south of Luxem- ;■■'■' bourg. \ ■', The F|oocl Outlook. !.-; -The maximum prices of milk have }'■•. been amended in deference 'to the food j'. policy of the Food Controller; so that : '' .it"is. hoped that friction will cease. i ■■':' Fish prices were reduced to balance tho ;-.;: increase for meat. The fruit crops i. •" have failed, the supply, of bla'ck- [.; berries is excoediug anticipations, and j-' ■ ' jam stocks are considerably improved.