WAR NOTES.

Taranaki Daily News, 18 April 1917, Page 8

WAR NOTES.

SHIPBUILDER V. SUB-MARINE. ' One-half of the total tonnage, of the British merchant marine has been withdrawn for war purposes and the losses of the other half, by mine, torpedo and submarine), have increased to a point at which it becomes necessary for Great Britain to make good the loss by building new ships, as expeditiously and in such numbers as may be necessary. Numerous orders have already been placed for a new standardised type of ship of about nine thousand tons dead weight. These cargo boats will be single dock, of simple and ine\-|.e'isivc specification, and bot'ii hull and engines are standardised. Orders for twenty have been given on the Clyde and about fifty in all have been contracted for. As completed the vessels will be taken over by the Admiralty and used for grain and food carrying. 'The naval programme is - about completed and British shipyards can now turn their vast capacities to account in combating the submarine menace by construction of merchant ships, -which it is admitted they are perfectly well able to do. ; OUR OBJECTIVES. Two of our most immediate objectives are tiie rather large to.wii3.niid important railway,centres of Downwind Cambrai, lying respectively Id and' 12 miles ahead of our present front. It is easy' to exaggerate t'heir strategical importance as railway centre's, because a tremendous amount of railway building l|as been done by the enemy since the war, and the main trunk lines in all directions. So it is no> likely that the loss cf these two centres will be more than an inconvenience to the enemy. On the other hand, it is not easy to exaggerate their tactical importance. These French towns are not built of wood, like New Zealand towns. The buildings are usually substantia structures of stone, and brick, with large and deep underground cellars. Moreovcft the streets are generally relatively narrow irregular. Such labyrinths of strong buildings, winding streets, and deep cellars can readily be converted into fortresses of enormous strength. The amount of battering which a strongly-built house will stand is astonishing, and even when the buildings- are knocked down the immense, piles of -bricks and stones afford,, good cover, and help to break the force .of the bombardrtiont. The enemy will not have neglected the possibilities of fortification offered by these towns, wo may tie sure. We 'have two ways of dealing with them. One is by direct attack, and the other is by encircling them. If direct attacks are made, the tanks should give invaluable aid in dealing with the innumerable machine gunners concealed among the narrow streets, but to encircle them firstwould seem to be the wiser policy. The enemy would then either have to retire voluntarily from t'heir powerful fortifications, and save us the task of capturing them) or they would be surrounded and cut oil'. At present our tactics do not show any signs, of being directed toward? the surrounding of these two towns; but it is too early for that. By striking along the valley of the Scarpa we can pass Cambr.ii I>y the north'and by the south of Douai, while a steady 'forward movement by Croisiiles and Btilleeourt will bring us round by the south of Cambrai, enabling us to surround it in conjunction with the movement by the north.