The Taihape Daily Times SATURDAY, MARCH 4, 1916. THE WAR.

Taihape Daily Times, Volume 8, Issue 55, 4 March 1916, Page 4

The Taihape Daily Times

SATURDAY, MARCH 4, 1916. THE WAR.

AND WAIMAEINO ADVOC \TE (With which is incorporated The Tai hape Post and Waimarino News.)

Britain and her Allies should feel intense satisfaction at the turn the war has recently taken. Months have been spent in trenches doing little more than making guerilla-like attacks from time to time, feeling weak spots and spying out large accumulations of troops and stores, but feverishly preparing all the while for an offensive when time became opportune.. From all cabled news it seems certain that the Allies were getting something colossal ready towards attaining decisive results. Each side knew what the other was doing, and Germany, deciding it would be too dangerous to 'allow the Allies to have the choice of the sphere of action, massed an army and launched out to capture the highway from Germany to Paris at Verdun. . The Kaiser, as with the first march on Paris that was turned at the battle of the Marne, thought his army for the attack on Verdun was invincible and he took with him journalists, photographers and cinema artists and operators to have this prospective victory broadcasted among the German and neutral peoples, through the press and the picture theatre. He personally witnessed the fight and an eye-witness reports that he stood on a hill at Ornes watching his broken, dispirited brigades retreating from the battle under the diabolical fire of the French seventy-fives. The great German onslaught was repulsed and the German army lost 150,000 of its finest soldiers. The battle of Verdun has been fought and won, there may be a recrudesence, but events are distinctly opposed to that thought. The Kaiser went back to Germany; the German headquarters staff recalled the Crown Prince, who had been appointed to the chief command; other generals have also been ordered to Germany, and cables via Holland state, there is disorganisation and division of opinion, some urging that the offensive 'at Verdun should not be continued. At present, it seems that the French victory is not to be challenged, and we are told that it will be known for certain not later than to-day what the German decision is. In the Douaumont fort there are two thousand Germans, who will never return to their own country, the fort being in possession of the French, Fwho now surround it. It is noteworthy that while the whole force of German accumulations of men and munitions were badly worsted, the main French reserves were not called upon. This is indeed cheering as from Lord Kitchener downwards all experts say the war will go in favour of the greatest numbers, it is in this connection Germany makes every man a soldier. The only hope is that Verdun is not to be 'a singuar event, even if a few tren’ches are lost here and there owing to the coup do main nature of the attacks, fer neither Germany or the Allies con’d continue to fight long with such losses frequently recurring. In other theatres progress is highy satisfactory. Turkey and Bulgaria are on the brink of a revolutionary precipice. Enemy forces in Macedonia are not numerous enough to stop the huge Allied army at Salonika from moving forward when climatic conditions become favourable.. The TurkoGermans have had to abondon the thrust for Egypt; Mesopotamia gives no cause for 'anxiety, and the Caucai sian expedition is well on the road to Bagdad, the Russians having moved on past Hamadan and captured Kermansh'ah. In Turkish Armenia the ' Erzeroum captures have led to other progress, advances having been made inland to Kharput and along the Black Sea, Trebizond is now being threatened. Russia evidently has stronger forces in that quarter than was generally supposed, and it is almost certain that with British success in Mesopotamia and Russian movement towards Constantinople from Trebizond, Turkey will be on her knees, desiring peace. In Galicia the Russians are still overpowering the Austro-Ger-mans, and from the long silence in that quarter it is presumed that something of extreme importance is happening in negotiations with Roum'ania. Indeed, yesterday’s cables stated that leaflets were being distributed throughout that theatre of war intimating that the Allies, Greece and\ Roumania were starting an offensive in April. It is not improbable that the German failure at Verdun may hasten a decision in the Balkans, en-

tirely in favour of the Allies. The past weeks’ tables have furnished good grounds for a much more cheerful outlook. Since the above was in type cables state that the Germans have recommenced their efforts 'at Verdun with redoubled violence.