WAR NOTES

Taihape Daily Times, 15 February 1918, Page 3

WAR NOTES

A London correspondent to a contemporary writes: — TIRED OF WAR. "The German army is unquestionably war-tired. The German nation is war-weary, but this applies to others also. There is probably no more popular growling in Germany than there is in England. Munition trains continue to roll to the west, and Germany is making airplanes, submarines, and shells a t a rate hitherto unequalled. Two or three million prisoners are all making munitions in one form or another. "As to the possibility of a revolution, Heine, the keenest student of Prussian psychology once remarked that revolutions in Germany were impossible, because 'verboten.' This is cynical, but it is literally true. The machine-guns await every German with revolution in his heart. Liebknecht, the only Prussian who will ever lead a revolution, is now in penai servitude."

NO CAUSE FOR TEUTON JOY. In answer to German claims of accomplishment in their encircling counter-attack at Cambrai, BrigadierGeneral McLachlan, Military Attache of the British Embassy in Washington, has issued a statement recounting some of the things done by the British and French, with the comment that there is no necessity for pessimism.

"On the 20th November. 1917," said General McLachlan, "the British maCe their celebrated attack opposite Cambrai, and captured both the Hindenburg line and the Hindenburg support line along a front of some nine miles. Ten days later (November 30), the Germans heavly reinforced their troops there and tried to recapture all the lost ground, and, in their own words, to 'turn our embryonic victory into defeat by an encircling counterattack.' Thqy claimed to have taken 6000 prisoners and one hundred guns.

BRITISH ACCOMPLISHMENTS. "I do not admit the accuracy of these figures, but, assuming for the sake of argument, that these figures are correct, I should like to give a few facts as to what the British did. These guns were the first guns lost by the British on the West front since the second battle of Ypres; in April. 1915, and before this battle of November 30, 1917, the British on the West front had only lost 84 guns, whereas the number of German guns captured by us since the beginning of the war is 614.

"The net result of the fighting on the Cambrai front is that we still re main in possession of both the Hindenburg line and the' Hindenburg support line on a front of nine miles. On this front we have advanced a distance of between 3000 and 4000 yards. We have captured since the 20th November to Bth January 11,000 prisoners and 138 guns, captures which are considerably greater than those claimed by the Germans. In addition to these results we have inflicted casualties on the enemy which are out oall proportion to our own.