The Daily News. THURSDAY, AUGUST 3, 1916.

Taranaki Daily News, 3 August 1916, Page 4

The Daily News. THURSDAY, AUGUST 3, 1916.

WESTERN FRONT TOPICS. Evidently the enemy is going to -make a supreme effort to cheek the advance of the Anglo-French forces. He has, we are told by Dutch cable messages, concentrated a huge army and masses of artillery, including big calibre naval guns, hoping to counteract the British superiority in men, but it may be taken for granted that the Anglo-French did not start the ,; big push" until they vere fully equipped with guns and munitions. Their progress has not been rapid. Considering the nature of the defences, the wonder is that they have made the headway they have. The Germans regarded their positions as impregnable, but they did. not take into account the effectiveness of the Allies' new guns and explosives and the gallantry of the men. !t is the opinion of some experts that the British on this section of tlu front have got over the worst part of their job, and that the tactical features which still have to bo met are less formidable than those already overcome. Major Sleeman, the Imperial officer now Director of Military Training in New Zealand, in an address to garrison officers at Wellington on Monday, expressed this opinion. The knowledge that even their strongest position could be taken with the rapidity with which those on the Somme had been must, he concluded, be very disheartening to the Germans, who had relied upon being able to hold up even a great attack. The German defences that the Anglo-French had broken up were remarkably strong, being prepared with the greatest care to resist the heaviest attacks. This being! so. we can look with the greatest confidence to the Western advance being maintained, despite the German reinforcements in men and guns. We liave the .men to keep up the pressure, ind, what is equally important, the guns and munition;. The fighting will not diminish in intensity; rathei the reverse, for the Germans are now desperate, feeling that if they are broken here it is all over with them and then Empire. We can expect the severest fighting of the

war, ami mu.it lit- jirojuiri'd for heavy losso, of men. Jt is a sad feature of the situation that we can only expect peace as the result of the sacrifice of thousands more of our most valuable Vinos.