CURRENT WAR TOPICS.

Stratford Evening Post, Volume XXX, Issue 48, 31 May 1916, Page 5

CURRENT WAR TOPICS.

The Germans are continuing their efforts at Verdun with unabated vigor. Though they are not making much headway, it is not foe want of trying. Intense bombardment precedes the attacks, and the plan appears to be something like this: If the trenches upon which their lire is concentrated are found by the advance of the infantry not to have been destroyed, then they retire and another bombardment is sot going; this is continued until success crowns their arms. With the exception of about three hundred yards of trenches at Cumieres, captured after n prosecution of these tactics, the French held their ground. Redoubled violence is the description of the bombardment in this quarter since yesterday. The French admit having to retire on the Bethincourt-Cmniores road (the 300, yards referred to above), but stood their ground further to the right, and''hung on to the outskirts of the village. At Fort Douaumonl, artillery fighting is reported to be very active A faint, idea of the expenditure of projectiles is given by a writer in the Echo de 'Paris. He states that along a front of seven and a-half miles between Avbcourt and Cumieres there are 100 heavy batteries and an unknown number of light guns.’ Whsit effect they" cobid produce when in full fire is beyond the comprehension of anv but those on the scene.

Some items that came over the cables yesterday regarding the position in the Balkans are corrected today. Now we learn that Demir Hissar is not, out of Greek hands, only that the, population loft on the approach of the Bulgarians. The position from the Allied point of view, however, is not materially altered, as it may be assumed that the news is correct in solar as the advance of the enemy to that town,' some 45- miles north-east of Salonika is concerned. To a certain extent, the latest report is borne but by another cable, which states that an important concentration of Bulgars is going on at Nevarakop (spelt in some maps, Nevrokop), a town of 11,000 inhabitants, ten miles from the Graeco-Bulgarian border, and about thirty miles northeast of Demir Hissar. Patrols only may have reached Demir Hissar, or the concentration may refer to the initial operations of the Bulgars prior to the offensive being taken.

The Bulgars must be presenting a menacing attitudei in their advance, for we read that the inhabitants ot Seres (or Siros), which has a population of about 30,000, mostly Bulgarians, and is situated on the SalonikaConstantinople railway over forty miles to the north-east of Salonika, and south of Demir-Hissar, are petitioning the Government for protection from the oncoming invaders. They point out that powerful bands of comitadjis (so-called Bulgar irregulars) had appeared at Drama, about thirty-five miles from Seres westward along the railway line and 20 miles from Kavalla, which yesterday was mentioned us the objective of the column debouching from Xaathi. The reply of the authorities is not known, but the spirit of the people appears to lie altoge id against allowing the invasion to bo continued without sharp measures being taken by Greece to repel the invaders.

There is absolutely no fresh news to enlighten us on the danger to the Italian position from the thrust of the Austrians through the Trentino. The Austrians, according to their claims,

are still advancing successfully towards the main positions on the Asiago Plateau. On the Italian part there is an admission of a retirement on the Upper

Astico owing to the intensity of the artillery fire of the Austrians. Disv*cussing the position, “Shrapnell,” in the Otago Daily Times says: That is certainly an alarming feature, as it shows that the Austrians are moving forward their heavy metal with considerable celerity. It is the rapid movement of the Austrian artillery that the Lilians will have o fear and contend against. If the Italians can bring up sufficient reserves, artillery and machine guns, they may bo able to hold up the Austrian advance as the French have held up the Germans at \ erdun, although the Germans have the ad vantage in heavy artillery.

The purpose of the Austrians is to advance along the \al Sugana and down the Brenta and the Astico, anti after occupying tire Asiago Plateau to bring forward their heavy guns, dominate the valleys descending into the plains of Verona and Vicenza, and then swing their forces to'’the south-west, and occupy those towns. They will, however, suffer the disadvantage of having very awkward communications behind them, and having to face forces quite as large, if not much larger, than they can afford to throw into Italy. As soon as their armies arc over the border, and deployed in the Italian plains, if they reach them, there will be some great battles, and the Italians in hand-to-hand fighting will give as good as they get. If the Austrians meet with a defeat, it will Do a serious one, for they will find it harder to retire than to advance by the way they came. Already they are being severely punished for their temerity, and whole I regiments have been repeatedly caught in difficult country and have been annihilated.' The patriotism of the Italian soldiery is too 1 ardent to permit their hated and ancient foe to make his advances without paying a heavy price for them. Behind , the. Italians are strategical railways, which will enable General Cadorna to throw quickly large forces against any point heavily threatened, and to turn the tide of any decisive battle that mat develop when the Austrians attempt t° capture either Verona or Vicenza. The worst that can happen to the Italians at the present moment is that the Austrians may not attempt to push rapidly forward to those two important centres.