NOTES ON THE WAD.

Lyttelton Times, Volume CXVII, Issue 17287, 30 September 1916, Page 8

NOTES ON THE WAD.

The next- lino of the German defeuces on the Bapaume-PeroiMio front is doscribed in a message this morning as following the crest of a ridge north of Rancour#, ro'ughly parallel with the Rapaume road. This is the line indicated by Sir Douglas Haig in a roce-nt survey of tho fighting. Tho works constructed by the enemy would be apparent enough to aviators, especially as reserves would be busily employed perfecting them, and though the message states that the trenches were located by cavalry patrols pushing beyond Combles it is apparent from tho report -of the-Commander-m-Chief that tfie preparation of tho new line of defence'had been observed some weeks ago. The mention of cavalry patrols, however, suggests that after the breakdown of.the enemy’s resistance atMorval and- Lcsbffiufs he left the country west of the Peronnc-Bapaume road fairly clear, and that tho British infantry might have carried their advanco a good deal farther if it had been so •desired. Mounted troops wero used in earlier stages of tho Great Push, and -though they had no great opportunity to distinguish themselves tlyty rendered very useful service- That they have again been used implies that, the last forward mo to of the Allies was organised on a largo "scale, nud that the attainment of the objectives meant the decisive defeat of tho enemy on a wide front. Oho is tempted to believe that if Combles bad been evacuated by tho Germans when Morva.l was carried, the advance might, hot have been checked until !o Transloy .and Sailly had also been occupied.

Tho month that closes to-day has brought a very substantial change in tho position north of the Sommo. The Great Push, it will bo recalled, opened on J’uly 1. and by the end of the month tho British front included Ovillers, Pozipres, tho two Bazentins and Longueval, and sharp salients had been driven out to High Wood and to the edge of Guillomont. The depth of tho advance made was about three miles, and tho ground captured included the whole of the complicated systems of defence prepared by the enemy- on a front of about . seven miles. The French advance north 1 of tho Somme had boon comparatively small, but it included virtually the whole of t]ie Germans’ first series of defences from the British right to tho river. South of the river• they had made their extraordinary rush to Biaches apd were content to rest on this advance,, merely improving their new front from time to time. They had advanced to a depth of between five and six miles, but on a narrow front, and they co’ald do little more until the armies to the uort-h of the river had made a similar stride forward. ■ August was occupied mainly in the consolidation of the positions that had been captured and in preparations for the continuation of the offensive. There was plenty of activity along the Allied front, but the fighting was mainly positional in character, and as a matter of fact tho Germans came to the conclusion that the worst was over and that they had stopped an Allied advance in the west, probably for the season. They were kept extraordinarily busy in Galicia, however, where the Austrians worn being • systematicallybattered, and as the Italians opened their offensive on tho Isouzo early in August the enemy was given no peace. Several German divisions were transferred from France to Volhynia or Galicia, and towards the end of the month, as the French and British were still comparatively quiet, preparations were made for the more extensive reinforcement of the enemy’s eastern front. Tho French, however, carried Mauvepas by-way of earnest of what was io follow, and brought German troops that were Milder orders for the east back io .the Sommo in a hurry. The eastern area continued to monopoliro attention, because of the entry of Rumania into the war. and by the end; of August the enemy’s General Staff was facing a terribly difficult situation. Any doubts concerning the capacity of the Allies to continue the offensive in the west wore sot at rest early in this month, for attacks were delivered on a front of five or six miles north of the Sommo. the British capturing Guillomont nnd the French taking Le Forest and Glory. A day later the French were fighting vigorously on the southern (lank of their salient and developing a threat against Chatlines. AYithin a week tho British lia'd stormed Ginchy. On September 14 the. French carried Bouchavesnes in a characteristic rush, and a day later Courcelette.

Martinpuich and Flers had been brought under British occupation, this being the big 'battle in which tho Now Zealanders distinguished themselves. Once more there was a French movement south of the river, just by way of reminding the enemy that ho could not afford.,to neglect the position there, and after/tho repulse of a great German counter-attack on the French front north of tho river the Allies gathered momentum for perhaps the most important attack delivered since the first stages of tho offensive. Tho storming of Morval, Lesbceufs andRnnoourt prepared the wa„y for the occupation of Combles and Gucudecourt, arid the British advnnced their left by storming Thiepval.

The September results have therefore been ns important as those of July, except that in July the Allies broke through tho long established and elaborate defences of tho first system. To balancb the difficulty of tho initial offensive, it may be stated that in July the Allies were attacking defences thathad been precisely located, whereas in September they were obstructed by newly ‘ constructed or perfected fortifications of great strength. Moreover, the enemy had hrought probably twoscore divisions to the Somme to reinforce or replace shattered formations. The successes-have included the storming of several intensely strong positions, nnd the total advance on a front of twelve miles - has averaged nearly three miles. Moreover, the month's work has really involved the capture of the- long ridge from Thiepval to Combles, which was virtually the backbone of the whole defensive system of the enemy between tho Ancre and ' the Somme. The season is so far advanced that it is hardly possible to be optimistic regarding tho operations of the rest of the year, but in view of tho evidences of German demoralisation a month may see important changes, and it will be the policy of the Allies to give the enemy no time for the reorganisation of his broken divisions.