The Daily News. MONDAY, MARCH 5, 1917. DEVELOPMENTS ON WESTERN FRONT.

Taranaki Daily News, 5 March 1917, Page 1

The Daily News. MONDAY, MARCH 5, 1917. DEVELOPMENTS ON WESTERN FRONT.

The retreat of the Germans on the Arras-Bapaume lines forms the subject of an explanation by the German authorities, who, it will be seen by this morning's cables, attempt to show thai it is part of Hindenburg's tactics, and this view is indirectly supported Tjy a .writer in the Nation, who attributes the move to more able advice than the Germans have heretofore acted upon. The military purpose of the great Franco-Bri-tish attack on the Sonimo and Ancre was to thrust back the German front until salients were created to the north and to the south, thus imperilling German occupation of the great iron-pro-ducing region east of Arras and of the Champagne country bounded by the Aisne. This danger was so great tliat Verdun was almost instantly relieved, the strength of Germany being exerted and strained in the effort to prevent the steady advance of the Allies. The movement became a continuous tattle, of which the real interest was often lost to view in the interest of incidental fighting, but the strategic purpose of the Allies remained unaltered. The early cheek at Beaumont Hamel and the long stand made by Thiepva! delayed the fate of the minor salient which appeared south of Arras as the British iouglit their wuy towards Bapaume. It has long been evident that the minor salient would have to be evacuated by the Germans when the British advance threatened it with isolation and made it unprofitable to defend. What is apparently occurring now is the anticipated German retirement in this sector to lines, between Arras and Bapaume, which seem to have been prepared since tlu beginning of winter, and are necessarily much inferior to the broken front upon which a vast constructing army had been employed for nearly two years. The occupation of the iron conntry has been, says a writer in an exchange, the worst blow that has befallen our ally, for this deprived him of the main source of his coal and iron, correspondingly increasing the enemy's

resources. It mentis very much more tlian "map." It is a very real advantage, and its loss "would lie severely felt liy Germany at a time when loss is hard to hear. Were ail Allied advance thrust to the Belgian border from v "ame, by way ol" Cambrai and Mons, , ortii of France and its mineral treasures could hardly be retained by Germany. If to this advance were ad<led a battering of the entire front, so that inu:h German strength was drawn to other sectors and other parts of the German lines broken and fractured, almost anything may conceivably happen. There fire, apparently, several reasons why the. German retreat has been, and is being, carried out. It may be that tliev eould not withstand the formidable pressure of tile British guns and troops; they may be only fighting for time to give the submarine campaign full scope for effect, or possibly it is part of illindenburg's tactics to conserve all his available forces for the great blow which reports state he is preparing. Whatever the reason may "bo, the effect on our forces is intensely stimulating, the men

being keenly anxious not to miss taking part in the advance. Some amusement may be caused by the boastful assertion in one of to-day's cables that the Germans are desirous of abandoning trench fighting, for the reason that m Macedonia and Roumania they have proved superior to tho British in fighting in the open. What opportunities they have had of proving this wild assertion arc only known to themselves, but tho assertion is very much akin to tho oftrepeated "gag" as to the British fleet hiding from the German. At present thf, Germans are taking the line of least re. sistance, but they are nevertheless sustaining losses, though probably not so large as would follow greater resistance. The fall of Bapaume 6eems at hand, and this will certainly be a great moral, as well as a severe military, blow, for the Kaiser, a few months back, personally ordered that Bapaume should be retained at all costs. The fact is that it is the British, and not the Germans, who have now tho better equipment. There has been much boasting of Germany's great offensive, but instead we find the enemy forced ,to act 011 tho defensive. The. submarine campaign will not materially affect the Entente's purpose on land. There will be fierce fighting. for Germany is concentrating her forces on a last effort, but in the result wo may have every confidence, though every possible fighting unit should be utilised in the coming struggle.