REINFORCEMENTS LACKING.

Taihape Daily Times, Volume 8, Issue 125, 27 May 1916, Page 5

REINFORCEMENTS LACKING.

* MAN PROBLEM DISCjUSSED. (Independent Cable Association). "Although the German commanders do not dare to confess the failure of the Verdun enterprise by closing down on it and cutting off the losses," says the Pari s correspondent of the "Daily Chronicle," "the stress of public interest among the Allies has been altogether relieved, and any anxiety that may be felt is passing to other fields where events of a different character are preparing. "Now that 300,000 of the best German soldiers have been lest on the hi)lside s of the Meuse, a grave and daily aggravated situation faces the Kaiser and his Grand Staff. The tide has definitely turned from the west to the east, and the leng-evaded destiny is closing in upon them. "At no moment in the battle of Verdun have they dared to bring any unit from before the British front, bur other parts of the German front have been stripped of all superfluous strength. The forces in Russia have been similarly crippled to feed the adventure." Writing in the "Echo de Paris," General Cherfils says: "Since September last 21 divisions have been transferred from the east to the west, 15 from Russia direct, and five or six others by way of Serbia or by some other indirect way. They thus have left in Russia a mere curtain of German troops, while Bulgaria and Turkey are being gradually left to shift for themselves. "If the Germans contemplate a great offensive against. Riga 'and the Dvina they must reinforce. Forty r eight divisions of infantry (960,000) are spread alcng a front of 330 miles, which gives much less than two men for each yard. This is little enough for defence. For an attack ten would be needed for each yard.

""Where such reinforcements are to come from is very doubtful. The depots in Germany contain the necessary numbers, but the quality of the German infantry has certainly much deteriorated. Nor would the wreckage from the battle of Verdun provide a striking force, even if the Crown Prince could disengage his men. "There is every reason to hope that with the clos e of the battle of Verdun there is opening a new and final stage of the war in which the authors will be brought to reason, if not by imminent threat, then by the actual hand of famine and military disaster."