The Taihape Daily Times AND WAIMARINO ADVOCATE SATURDAY, OCTOBER 21, 1916. PROGRESS OF THE WAR

Taihape Daily Times, Issue 218, 21 October 1916, Page 4

The Taihape Daily Times AND WAIMARINO ADVOCATE

SATURDAY, OCTOBER 21, 1916. PROGRESS OF THE WAR

(With which is incorporated The Ta.l hapo Post and Waimarino News.)

The intense suspense caused by continued obscurity of the war situation, is lifting rapidly, and there is disclosed what could be reasonably expected from the fighting during the last two mouths Hindenburg with his two greatest and most resourceful generals have received a check in the revengeseeking advance on Roumania that will shortly prove to be defeat. From cables received yesterday the AustroGcrmans are nowhere succeeding against the Roumanians in Transylvania, and they are being driven back at many points In the Dobrudja Mackensen and his army of Turks are being pushed off Roumanian territory, and are suffering extreme punishment and huge losses. So much so is this the case that a Vienna communique tells the world that Germans and Austrians are compelled to act on the defensive till reinforcements arrive from other fronts, and that Mackcnsen has to wait for more Turks before he can hope to hold out against the victorious and high-spirited Roumanians. To know that Roumania is tolerably certain of freedom from being overrun by Huu savages in the practice 'of their inhuman orgies is indeed a, relief It seems that the Allies anticipated what has happened and made themselves ready for all contingencies. It is almost impossible to believe that the enemy has sufficient forces and wan material to open up another great offensive, wdifen we know that he could not find troops and guns to stop the impending disaster on the West front. If Germany had the men the first use they would be put to would be to stop the Somme

thrust, which, despite all Geirman ut- \ terances, is ..assuredly successfully ( achieving what was intended —the smashng of the German line on the huge western battlefield, and forcing the fighting on to German territory. From captured army orders the secret that Germany is dangerously short of guns and troops has been disclosed, therefore we have causd* to believe that it was German ignorance of the extent to which Roumania had been reinforced by Russia that resulted in the risk of a speculative effort to punish, and at the same time scare Greece and hearten Turkey and Bulgaria. It seems as though what has happened is all in accord with the Russian book, for often allowing the Huns to get well entan- 1 gled in the Roumanian Alps, they not only fall upon them from Roumania, but Brussilolf is also making a strong bid for success that will enable entire armies to be cut ioff; indeed, it looks very disastrous for Hindenburg’s men. They have been allowed success in a I place that was pregnant with extreme | danger in case of check. In fact, we , have further cause for believing that 1 Germany’s movements are not the outcome of any strategic plan, but they are purely speculative. With Germany the war has reached a hand-to-mouth stage; the forces at her disposal do not permit >of any offensive campaign on a 1 major scale. On the Somme front great progress is being made, the British are at the wall of Bapaume and the French have already commenced unbarring the door to Peronne, and let it be noted, the British are already talking about the open road to Cambrai. This means that Cambrai is in sight; there is no mountainous country to pass over, no natunal strongholds that Germans may improve upon to give trouble such as the miles of crests from which they have just been evicted. It is open country, over which rail-laying for gun transit is comparatively easy, and' over which cavalry can most effectively operate. Cambrai, as most people thought, is then the next objective. To conjecture what must happen when Cambi'ai falls is easy. The German position will be turned, and, if they wait long enough, their flank will be rolled up with disastrous results. It is ten or twelve miles'hook to Cambrai, ’but the road is much,;casier than Hint travelled/'And will be swept over ! witli-losses of men/ insignificant . with those already sustained in: breaking the Somme line. King Constantino and his Greeks constitute a packet of surprises. One day they grant all the Allies’ demands, the next we find .armies concentrating, and guns and munitions being moved in a way that can only mean business. Constantine swearshe. has no. thought of attacking Sarrajl from .the south —then where does "he ' intend attacking him from? not kept an army fully mobilised' to his brother Wilhelm —-then who does 'he intend to attack? He is not playing soldiers. It is too transparent; Roumania was to be “strafed” in fifteen days, then Ferdinand and. l . Constantine were to join forces, and, fall upon the Allies. The estimates were not dependable; they wore faultily made; too much was left to speculation, figures did not work out right, but the risk had to be taken; it was the lust chance. It has failed, and now it is.interesting to see ,how Constantine will save his face, and what lying treachery he will next practice. Evidently the Allies have made the position secure, for they have progressed along the whole front, completing an offensive flnggef, and of greater moment than any before entered upon. On the Russian right it begins at the Pripet marshes, comes down past Vladimir. Volynski, Halcz, Lemberg, Btanislau, the Carpathian passes, joining the Roumanian left at the Borgo pass, then along the whole Roumanian frontier to Orsova, along the Danube against the Bulgars, in the Dobrudja against Mackcnsen. Then there is a gap to be bridged beween Roumania and Sarrail’s forces, the consummation of which may be regarded as assured. Then Italy has joined up in Albania, and,is vigoiirouSly punishing and driving hack the Austrians at the door of Trieste, while being just as successful ion the extreme left in sweeping down upon Trent. All this being ablaze at once combined with what is happening in France and Belgium, is easily the biggest and bloodiest struggle of the whole war, and there are strong indications, despite the talk of years of war, that decisive results may be obtained. It may be mentioned that all this talk of years of wan has .originated in Germany, and is merely an important adjunct to the strenuous peace- campaign that her nulers are now persistently and desperately engaged in. We can afford to discount* the talk about years of war.