THE POSITION REVIEWED.

Hokitika Guardian, 4 May 1918, Page 2

THE POSITION REVIEWED.

FAILURE.OF ENEMY ATTACK

’THE ALLIES WELDED

(Reuter’s Telegrams.) LONDON, May 3. Router’s French Headquarters’ correspondent' says: “ Under the German blows, the Allied Armies have been welded together as never before. Now there is no point of junction at which

the Germans can thrust, tho process of welding is complete; but it will not stop there, as Ffanco-British divisions will now ,be mbved about on the. solrd-

ly-kuittcd front at the wish of our High Command, just as freely as the German divisions are.

Against, the enemy’s territorial gains there must he set the fact that he has had to engage 140 divisions in five weeks. A considerable number of these, have been twice engaged, and some thrice. .Adding up these re-ap-pearances, there is the total of 185 engagements 'of divisions, which is equivalent to a mass of three and a half million men, whom the enemy have already put into the battle. As some Gorman divisions are never withdrawn until they have sustained a severe loss —on the average 2500 men per division •—it would bo reasonable to reckon the enemy’s losses since the beginning of the battle at not less than three hundred thousand.

The Germans began the offensive with a reserve of 650,000 in depots in France and at home. Behind these there is only the 1920 class, consisting of youths, half of whom are under 18 years.

The enemy’s genuine fighting reserve has thus been half exhausted before. he has covered anything like half the distance to the goal he aimed at. The rdekless employment of his divisions has left him with a total of 66, out of a total of 206 in France, which have not yet been engaged against the English. Of these, twelve are Landsturm divisions, which cannot be used for the purpose of the offensive. The Germans can thus have little, hope that the remaining sixty divisions will accomplish what- the first hundred and forty failed to,.achieve. Already the German Staff must he anxiously realising that their reserves of fresh troops are no greater than those under General Foch. Commenting on the impending battle, Reuter’s correspondent adds t-hat he believes that tho Germans will be unable to reassemble the conditions which rendered their manoeuvre at Riga possible; but they will endeavour to repeat their surprise blow, which answered so well in March. The difficulties of manoeuvring the large masses of troops to be brought into the battle aro too great to permit of their disengagement. The main line of attack along the Somme towards Amiens, and in Flanders upon Hazebrouck, aro not likely to he changed, but experimental local assaults are possihTb, with n view to opening un new sectors for an attack such as produced the unexpected success against tho Portuguese recently.