The Daily News. TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 29, 1916. GERMANY'S FORLORN HOPE.

Taranaki Daily News, 29 February 1916, Page 4

The Daily News. TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 29, 1916. GERMANY'S FORLORN HOPE.

It will, no doubt, be remembered that a', the commencement of the war the army of the Crown Prince struck southwest from Luxemburg down the west bank of the Meuse and through the forest of the Argonne, with the intention of deploying in the plain of Chalons. General Sarrail's armies then gave a convincing exhibition of thei. fighting powers at the battle of the Murne, and not only thwarted the Crown Prince's anticipated triumphal march to Paris, but compelled that fire-eating scion of the House of Hohenzollern to beat a retreat, and thereafter to hold the name" of Sarrail as a portent of evil for the German arms. General Sarrail is now at Salonika, so the Crown Prince is once more trying his luck, backed up by the paternal blessing of the great War Lord, and by the still more substantial aid of armed forces, the number of which may be anything between a quarter and three-quarters of a million, together with ! artillery and equipments gathered from all the scenes of the German operations. ft is stated in one of to-day's cables that the thoughts of the whole of France are concentrated on Verdun, and it may Treasonably be supposed that the thoughts of the German nation are also r.entred on the same locality. There the parallel ends, for, whereas the French nre equally as anxious as they were over the outcome of the struggle at tlic Marne, there is less apprehension; but with Germany it is a forlorn hope bom of desperation, and a sure indication of her inability to successfully carry through a real grand offensive in the West. The pitiless, thundering bombardment of the heavy guns brfluglit back from the Russian and Serbian fronts to swell 'he chorus and add lo the force of the tremendous artillery may be impressive in its way, but the mere obliteration of forward trenches fs by no means victory, though in mere useless destruction it is effective. The prospects of tlie Crown Prince are not nearly as promising as was the case at his first attempt, although the sacrifice of half a million troops is not to he deemed of any consequence. During the ■interval that has occurred between the battle of the Marne and the present battle of Verdun the French have made good use of their time and opportunities ■n making the position practically impregnable, and their confidence in sue"•ess rests on a good solid foundationplus ample munitions. The Germans are merely heating against the iron bars like caged beasts. They have taken unto themselves the law of the jungle, pitting ; t against the laws of civilisation and humanity, and there can be but one termination of such a savage strugglecivilisation, freedom and justice must "ircvail. In attacking Verdun the Crown r"rince is tempting fate. Verdun is a .'iristling labyrinth of trendies, barbed wire, and guns, and is not likely to fall wing to lack of artillery or high explosive shells. It is a terrible spectacle fhis outpouring of hundreds of thousands of lives on a forlorn hope, but it must be regarded as the opening scene of the final net of the drama, though the fall of the curtain, before it rises again on t.he apotheosis, may. take longer than we wish.

aster in aiystery until after the war. The Malejsi was outward bound for India with one hundred and forty pascngers and mails, and had not proceeded far on her journey when, an hour before mid-day a loud explosion, which was heard on shore, heralded her doom—another victim of this terrible* war. Fortunately she vwas only two miles from Dover, so that all sorts of craft were quickly on the scene and the work of icscuc proceeded with. This was no easy task, for the vessel luuTa heavy list, which prevented the launching of the port-side boats, and most of the survivors had to he taken from the sloping decks. Although at first it was hoped no lives had been lost, it is now stated that there are 147 victims, and all those who survive of the passengers and crew will certainly have lost the greater part of their belongings. Much as the loss of both of these vessels is to be regretted, it seems marvellous that so large a number of ships traversing the, dangerous waterways around Britain should escape damage and sail to, and fro in security; but when a disaster does happen it brings home to us with emphasis the terrible nature of modern warfare, while it creates a yearning for that peace to which ive are all looking forward. Meanwhile our courage must not abate nor our activities slacken, for there are many horrors to face before the victory of today gives place to the peace of tomorrow.