The Taihape Daily Times. AND WAIMARINO ADVOCATE WEDNESDAY, MARCH 27, 1918. PROGRESS OF THE BATTLE.

Taihape Daily Times, 27 March 1918, Page 4

The Taihape Daily Times. AND WAIMARINO ADVOCATE

WEDNESDAY, MARCH 27, 1918. PROGRESS OF THE BATTLE.

(With which is incorporated The Tai* hapo Post and Waimarino News)..

Yesterday, we noted that the Kaiser had declared the first stage of the battle that signals his fall was over,

and we were prepared for some degree of a lull. A JLoudon authority remarks, “The Kaiser apparently announced the end of the first stage of the battle because the Germans were wanting breathing time.” Evidently the Most Exalted does not yet control the British as well as the German-Turk-Bulgar and Austro-Hungarian armies, for all these in their greatest possible strength have been hurled against the British front. From critics and experts in France, England and America the one thing we gather is that the situation is critical, but it should not be necessary to state that; it migh be taken for granted that when the full strength of the Central Powers was known to have Been opposed to the length of British front alone, it should be obvious that nothing else could be expected. Britain knew this critical time was coming and has An a long time been preparing for it. Sir Douglas Haig, , more than a week t. fore the battle began, advised that the people must be prepared to lose ground and guns; he made it clear such losses were inevitable. Of course the situation is critical, but so long as the brave fellows and their general who are doing the fighting are highspirited and confident, and while all prance is not alarmed, while there is no sign of panic, or of very extreme concern in Paris there is no occasion j.or wailing in fear and trembling in .nis, country. When the Kaiser announced the first stage of the battle ,vas over*, he forgot that the British had a voice in the matter. No doubt the Kaiser, who had launched about a million men, throwing in his reserves in mad desperation to achieve his objective, was beginning to find he L. used up all the reserves the country around him could hold, wanted time to bring more from a distance. There will he a halt when British commanders want it. As the New York Times says, “The news is disquieting, but there is no occasion to be downhearted. Every offensive since trench warfare" began has been halted; we have undoubted faith in the powers of resistance of the , heroic British.” Is there one amongst us who has less faith in the heroic British than this finest of American newspapers? Then he is a German or a friend of Germany that is a danger to our community. In the region of thd first attack the enemy is being held; he is being driven back at some points, but he has moved the monster war machine further south, against where the French and British lines contact, south-west of La Fere, on down the valley of the Oise, with similar results as in other quarters. Not even the great numbers the French have guarding this road to Paris could prevent such huge solid masses of men, aided by equally huge masses of artillery and machine-guns, from gaining ground. Both French and British have time and again gone through German first, second and third lines; that was victory so far as it went, but there was nothing decisive or final about it, and we need not attach a great deal of importance to the loss of ground we knew was inevitable. When Sir Douglas Haig told us to expect loss Of guns he was aware that a good deal of ground would have to be given or the battle could not involve the loss of many guns. British and French war experts say, “Two armies have been pushed back by an overwhelming mass; if two hundred thousand Germans have fallen, as is likely, it is not a German victory, but a disaster, as they have lost ten per cent of their effectives without seriously lowering the efficiency of the Allies.” The rearguard fighting was deadly to the Germans, so coolly and designedly was their destruction planned and executed. The details of the fighting by overwhelming Britishers fills every man amongst us who has a spot of British blood in his veins with limitless admiration. It is now known that it is the German intention to push forward at the point attacked until German guns can reach the French ■coast, thus separating the Allied armies, but it must not be forgotten that Sir Douglas Haig has under his control some three millions of men. We

have to believe that >. Germany will reach the coast before Haig can utilise his reserves, none of which have yet come into action, before we need reel any alarm. Sir Douglas Haig is now fully aware that Germany will •'continue to throw reserves in with desperate profligacy to got through his lines. Everything has been staked, like the final throw of the gambler’s dice that precedes suicide, on a rapid drive to open warfare, permitting another such rout as the retreat from Mons. Will Haig with his millions achieve as much as General French did with his thousands? Shall we disclose less confidence in our armies than that expressed by the representative of all America, President Wilson, who has assured Sir Douglas 'Haig that he has America’s full confidence, and congratulates him on the heroic stand against such overwhelming numbers? There is not a war expert on earth that can truthfully deny that Germans fight their very best in a winning action and their worst in a losing one, and there are none that will deny that the British can never show their mettle except when they are pitted against great odds. The dogged, indomitable British pluch is never at its best till awakened by the most adverse circumstances. Here is a psychological aspect that time has proved need not be minimised. They emerged from Mons at the Marne against a drive such as the present has not yet commenced to be; a “contemptible little army” stopped the mafeh on Pkris in 1914. and we cannot doubt that British millions will now stop the effort to get a march on to the British Channel, before such a march can bo got through British lines. The battle of Germany’s supreme effort is being waged; German reserves are being used up because the objective must be assured rapidly or it cannot be achieved at all. Hindenburg must do it now, he cannot postpone it; he / must take desperate risks now for he has called up his,last man —his boys of seventeen —and Turks, Bulgars and Austrians have already been thrown in to cut a way to open fighting, while Sir Douglas Haig has not been able to get ipto the melee any of his huge reserves. We are not sure that the British are not giving ground to enable them to inflict such losses; to destroy to such an extent the effectives of his glorious armies that will force Hindenburg to realise that this battle must be his last. An endless chain of German soldiers are being poured into this vortex of death; there is no time to take away the wounded, they carpet the ground for the oncoming gun fodder. British reserves will shortly be moving up—fresh, newlyequipped—to meet the tired, forced, worn-out Germans. The battle continues despite the Kaiser’s desire Tor breathing time; if is impossible to realise any line at present, but we have ample evidence that Haig is exacting a price -which, if Hindenburg continues to pay, must result in Germany becoming bankrupt of men. We cat only wait, and do all we can by putting every penny we can into the I War Loan to provide that which, next I to men, is the greatest essential to ! victory. . I