CURRENT WAR TOPICS.

Stratford Evening Post, Volume XXX, Issue 51, 3 June 1916, Page 5

CURRENT WAR TOPICS.

At last the Grand Fleet has had an opportunity of coming to grips with the Germans on the high seas. A short, tantalisingly short, message arrives to-day staging that a naval tattle, had taken place in the North

Sea, and that a number of German % warships were sunk. This is very good news, but until our losses are known there is no room for any boasting. While all feel, sure that our toys in blue will have maintained the glorious traditions of the Navy, and that our superiority in guns and ships will also again find confirmation, it would be childish to base any conclusions on the fact that the British Fleet ;got through the fight without material losses. These must be. expected, and sincere hope may only be expressed that the brave officers and sailors who have made the .supreme sacrifice may not be counted too largely. As to the ships, well, there are other ''hearts of oak," "and'plenty, anxiously .waiting to take up the task of fighting the German ships and men I whenever they can be caught upon the seas. But of this, more anon.

In ,the West there are the same rei ports of continual sanguinary.fighting, but there is nothing particularly new. The French have gained a few hundred yards o'f trenches in" one sector at Verdun and the Germans claim minor success in another. So the game of war see-saw goes on. The much-talked a* Allied offensive is as far off as ever—as,far as we all authorities give" the Central Powers credit for "getting their blow in fust!" They must have put on a' good spurt in munition-making, or their organisation in this respect is better than is generally known, for such tactics as have been indulged in could not have been sustained without some huge stores of shells and munitions of all descriptions. In spite of all that has been said about the "attrition" policy, it is not at all likely that the Allies would not have struck "fust" if they had been ready.-

The Austro-Italian campaign proceeds with vigor, but the enemy appears to have been brought to a standstill, after suffering enormous losses and'at the gain of comparatively little country. At the same time, the offensive, which struck the Italians like a cyclone, is a severe blow to the prestige of General Cadorna, but it is just possible that he has a | stronger lot of trenches in the line of retreat. It is unfortunate that the. strip of mountain country in the Trentino which the Italians won at the cost of so much blood should have so soon been recaptured by the enemy. It is interesting to learn that forces of Bulgarians are assisting the Austrians in this campaign, as it points to the possibility that the Austrians have not too many men to play with.

The Russians have met with a set bacfc in their campaign in Aeia Minor. "'T&'lMi ke»rd <>f their movements was '* 'wWa U»y occupied Mamahatuii,halfway 1 ' between fcttsrum '' '*m fcriinfan." *W wer * *> u ? h " ing «i to the latter* plaea «n *»™ *?%£ Constantinople! That, at any rato, wag their intention, phrased, ol course, in the best possible term*. Now we learn that they have been compelled to evacuate the town evidently having been in danger of being caught bv the two forces of the enemy \from the direction of Erzingan in trout and Diarbekir in the south. The llv.*sians have been divided into several forces, among which may be mentioned—Trebizond on the north,at iYlama.iatun, towards Mosul in the soutli, no. to mention their numbers in Persu. And, further, the Central Powers have been alive to the great effect on the Turks of the Russian advance in A»:ia Minor, and they have made energetic efforts to overthrow the invaders. It was reported that 40,000 Austro-Ger mans had gone to the assistance of the Turks in this quarter. 'I hough the Central Powers could ill afford sii-h a number from the Balkans at the time, the necessities of the case de-

manded sacrifices in some direction. Since that report it is possible other forces have arrived in Asia Minor to n.eet the Russian advance, and although the retirement of the Russians was no doubt conducted with due regard for strategy, there was always the danger of this reverse. Until further facts come to hand, the position need not be more closely discussed.

One of the most important results of the entrenchment system has been the huge development of sniping in this war. Of course, there have always been snipers, right away behind the time of the old sharpshooters, as far back as the first man who waited for his enemy behind a tree' with arrow on string. But in this war sniping has become a fine and widely practised art, and the sniper is often a highly privileged person. He was well looked after in Gallipoli, but this is said to be particularly the case along the Western Front. Soon after the beginning ol the war, when what was left of the British regular army had become merged in the new drafts, the .Germans are said to have been so much the superiors'of the British at sniping that working parties Would now and then take pretty big risks in the belief that they were safe enough. They, do not do that now. A counter-sniping movement grew up, training schools for snipers were established, and the material offering was put through «a fine sieve. Those who passed the test were given individual and highly technical instruction, such as it would be quite impossible to give the ordinary soldier, until finallv large numbers of men were produced who did not miss very often at any reasonable target. Snipers have to take great risks and submit sometimes to great hardships and be adepts at scheming, under difficulties, so that it is natural that they should have their little privileges. "Somebody has called them the petted darlings of the aimy," said a battalion commander to a newspaper correspondent in Franco. "Perhaps thev are, but they are doing fine work. We don't hamper them in any way. If a man wants a particular kind of rifle, or sight, we get it for him. He is the expert, and is allowed to work with the tools he likes best.

Mr Pemberton Billing, "M.P. for the Empyrean," as some unkind persons called him, was recently "counted out" in the British House of Commons, which refused him a quorum. In spite of the enthusiasm with which Mr Pemberton Billing has taken upon himself to represent the air service, if one may judge by .a letter published in the "Spectator," the air service is not grateful at all. The letter, which was signed, comes from "members of the naval' air service who have been in the Eastern Mediterranean for the last 14 months." It says that "our united recollection of Mr Billing's attainments as an aviator are that under the able tuition of Mr Barnwell ho won a bet by taking an Aero Club certificate irt one day's flying; that, presuming on the knowledge' so acquired, he'designed''ai& seaplane which was shown a't tlie Aero Show, 1814.. That seaplane showed ignorance .of the .first principles of flight, and "could not have flown without radical structural alteration. We heard that Mr Billing had acted as transport officer during the arrangement of the Frederikshaven raid, but we have yet to learn that Mr Billing has ever flown on active service either as pilot or observer, or indeed that he has done any further flying after taking his Aero Club certificate. Perhaps someone who knows Mr Pemberton Billing's more recent flying record will kindly tell us whether he has done anything which justifies a claim to speak with authority on matters relating to flying."