CURRENT WAR TOPICS.

Stratford Evening Post, Volume XXVIV, Issue 99, 1 April 1916, Page 5

CURRENT WAR TOPICS.

Actual war news is suffering from a bad attack of "censor," and to-day there is really nothing of importance respecting the actions in the several theatres. There has been desperate enemy fighting in the West, the Germans affording the world another example of the waste of life. This occurred west of the Meuse in connection ' with the Verdun operations., After a desperate fight lasting the whole of the night, they occupied a ruined village as the result of our forces evacuating the front portion, and retiring to the back. In other sectors all the German attacks were repulsed. Practically the only other references to another theatre show that the Russians have captured on the, Caucasus littoral a few hundred Turks from among a regiment who had participated in the Gallipoli campaign; and also the fact that twice within a month The Porte had approached Britain with separate peace proposals and had twice beep turned down.

Even the activity of the German submarines has been slowed down, and there is a welcome lull in the tantalising list of victims daily falling to thencredit. In its place is a story to stir the feelings and fire the patriotism and loyalty of every true Britisher. It, too, is salty of the sea. This is none other than a record of pluck, endurance,, and heroism recalling the best traditions of the British Navy. First. we" have our airmen setting out to bomb Syft in face of an approaching storm, which burst with the strength of a blizzard of hail and snow before the German coast had been reached. Their readiness to do their duty to their Country in spite of alarming weather conditions might well soften the hearts of the shirkers throughout the Empire. The life and duties of a soldier, leaving, for instance, New Zealand, for the sake of all he loves dear, make not a picnic, but the daily task is beset by calls upon his stamina and bravery to a far lesser extent than is the airman's. To-day's few words about the Sylt raid should calm the minds of the British public who have become alarmed at the charges brought by the newly-elected member for Herts, Mr Pemberton Billing, regarding the inefficiency of the British Air Service.

Then, also, we read of the magnificent courage of the "boys in blue" in their meeting with the German flotilla, which had taken a run out of Kiel or Heligoland. A naval engagement at any time is something about which to conjure up visions of brave deeds and noble sacrifices, but this one was fought in a snowstorm, when the enemy was only occasionally to lie seen, at times being almost on top of the British in the height of the blizzard.' "Sight and Smash" was the order of the day, and a slight idea of the extraordinary conditions of the fight is to be found in the statement that "sighting was only possible at close range and the smashing wiu deadly." The sinking Of two enemy destroyers and the part played by H.S.M. Cleopatra in the destruction of one of them makes a dramatic ending to af" powerful story of modern naval engagement.

* War prophets are not always wrong. lii an article which was reprinted in a London newspaper as far back as the beginning of last September, Mr John L. Balderston, an American, who was special correspondent of tbo . "Pittsburg Despatch" at iJerne, Switzerland, made a list of the "seven I possible moves by Germany." H s 1 list included "an attempt to capture 1 the. fortress of Verdun and the whole I Meuse line in France," and though | "after discussing the whole situation • with experts, German, English, French, and neutral, including one I Chinese officer," he declared he had

' no notion which of the seven moves ■ would be adopted; he was quite certain that one would, and from what

lie went on to say it is clear that lie had strong leanings towards the attack on Verdun. "There are three places on the west front," he says, "where the Germans, by breaking the Allied line, can attain great, perhaps decisive, results. They are along the Metise on the right, near Soissons in the centre, and in Flanders on the left. It may be regarded as certain that either the raid on England or one of these three thrusts will be made if the German High Command thinks success is possible. The object of an attack on the Meuse line would be the opening up of direct rail communication with the Rhine and the great bases of Mew and Strasburg. The fall of Verdun would immensely simplify the munitioning of" the German armies, which must now be accomplished by roundabout roads through Luxemburg and. Belgium.' If the attack is made the sth German Army, under command of the Crown Prince, will drive to the southeast' through the Argonne Forest, striving to join hands with the army which the Germans will push across the MeuSe from St. Mihiel." This is a little wide of the mark, since the main thrust of the attack has been north and south along the Mouse Heights, and it seems from what follows that Mr Balderston expected the German attack tp succeed. But he is nearer right than most of the experts. He goes on: "Victory . would not in itself be decisive, but it would, hy straightening out the lines of communication, " vastly increase the German strength for an attack to follow, especially if the armies from the east could at the same time reduce the fortresses of Toul and Epinal."

The list included, besides the Ver* dun attempt:—A combined naval and military attack upon England • a smash through the French centre at' Soissons, aimed at Paris; an attack on the British line between Ypres and La Bassee, with Calais and Boulogne the objectives; a march on Odessa, down the river Dneister, through South Russia; a sweep through Servia, and on through Bulgaria to join hands with Turkey, and throw the Allies out of the Dardanelles; and a descent into North Italy through the passes of the Alps. The invasion of Servia was very neatly foreseen: "It would be the work of a few weeks to conquer the brave little kingdom which routed five Austrian corps last winter. The attack, if it is made, will probably begin at Semendria, on the Danube, and burst through the river valley which twines among the Servian mountains, reaching the Bulgarian frontier 75 miles from the startingproved compaisant, "the Teutons can •be whisked in a jiffy by rail to Constantinople, and the tenure of the British and French on the Gallipoli Peninsula will be of short duration." 'As to the western front, next to the Verdun venture, this American prophet seemed to fancy an attack on the French centre at Soissons. "This," he said, "looks promising, if you oberve the battle-line on the map." But "the task of breaking through at this crucial position is one that make 3 even what the Germans have been accomplishing in the east seem easy. And all the advantage of position, ocommunication, of numbers, would lie with the French." Between Verdun and Soissons, as between Soissons and La Bassee, he did not think a grea* attack was likely to be made. "The result of success would be less than at Verdun, Soissons, or in Flanders. The British have been working hard ever since they repulsed the Gorman drive for Calais in the great battle in which tiamsters, chauffeurs, cooks, and staff officers were shoved into the breach. The taunting refrain, 'lt's a long, long way to Calais,' which the Tommies hurl at the German trenches when they arc not hurling more substantial missiles, will be appreciated by the Teutons if they ever try to travel that road."

Here is what Mr Ben Tillet says of the strikes at Home. The quotation is from Lloyd's Weekly:—"One other matter. As a trade union secretary of thirty years' standing, and as the head of one of the largest labor organ* isations of the country, T feel that 1 ought to make my position clear. There have been labor disputes and strikes since the war began. I do not say there has been no cause for these

speaking strictly for myself, and giving my personal opinion,l say advisedly j and with all solemnity, thafc who- ' ever is responsible for inducing men to strike at the present moment, ;OTLjvho , ever participates in a strike—Wnether it be of workmen employed in Government departments or of othcrr—?-s undertaking a very grave responsibility. 11 would ask them to remember that they are not jeopardising the person-; or the powers of the capitalists. They are jeopardising the lives and th. limbs of the members of their o«*n class. It is sad enough to think that our brave men are being killed and maimed every day by the enemy.: But that these men should be assassinated by the neglect and indifference of .their own fellow-workmen and fellbw-coun trymen would be the worst and the most unforgivable tragedy of all." Thk is strong language, but it is all too sadly true."