WEEKLY SUMMARY

Taranaki Daily News, 13 August 1918, Page 5

WEEKLY SUMMARY

PAST WEEK'S WAR OPERATIONS. rfcJtfOD OP ACUTE ANXIETY OVER. 4E3ULT OF SECOND MAKNE BATTLE. Wellington Last Night. The following official summary of the war nfcwa has been received by "the Act-inf-Preaier from the Ministry for Information, feted London August 10: (t it not beyond the power of the (toman* to make another great attack before the end of the year, but their rbUKe* of Accomplishing anything decisirt are small, and the period of acute Anxiety may no* be said to have ended. Thia is the result of the second battle •f the Maine, Which was a great success, largely owing to General* Foeha leadership. When he assumed command the •hole situation on the Western front was gravely compromised, and the British Army had suffered a reverse in ■neb. circumstances that powerful influence* were always at work in urging Che commander to use reserves in order to restore the situation, bnt General Foci, met the successive blows without aay attempt to retaliate, and refused to be defected from his purpose, despite the critical situation and tmdiscerning cnticisau. FOOTS FORESIGHT. In his counter-stroke he displayed .-crual foresight. It is true that the front chosen was the obvious one to choose, since the Germans presented their flank to their opponent", and t aparatively small advance had been e in their Whole position within lb* salient, which was almost untenable, but all depended upon accurately estimating the effect of the attack and on choosing the psychological moment. THE CRITICAL PERIOD. On .Tuiy 18 the situation was very critical for the French. In these circumstances, it needed great boldness on the part of General Foch to disregard the attack on the Maine front ana 10 refuse to divert troops to meet it, Wiith would spoil his plan. He used the trbofe of his reserves for the counterstroke, which was brilliantly »u«essfnl, out if it had been otherwise the results would have been dirastrous for Jbe French. TENACITY OF ALLIED TROOPS. The tenacity of the Allied troops eon(NjuM largely to these results, which wo nt?'fe*VC Deen impossible without the mafninceu* resistance of the British ArmV during Marsh and April and of tre "French Artf? during May and June. The armies were then fighting under conditions entailing a severe strain against an overwhelming ».. P tno lity in numbers Without any prospect *»f relief. AMERICA'S MAGNIFICENT RESPONSE. The third, and not the least important factor was the magnificent response of the Americans to the call. This help was rendered possible only by the assistance of the British Navy and rtfi British merchant service, and when %m Americans arrived they displayed iL ««BJ}tV«t fighting qualities under very disaif\^*!**< eous circumstances for trcop* trained andl unaccustomed to ww Cond,t,ons Without American prompt »" d *"»"*• * he Allies' success won.. 4 *•«■ »"■ ,m P°sfSE CAMPAIGNS IN JfOßtiU: The Allied campaign in Northern '.*"• ;ia has opened ( successfully with the iceofation of Archangel.. The population has been released from the Bolshevik reign of terror and greeted the Alii* with the utmost enthusiasm. TM downfall of the Bolsheviks' authority was accomplished practical!? without resistance. Larg* quantities of rolling stock and store* and two heavy batteries were captured by ua at Archangel. BOLSHEVIKS AND THE CZECHOSLOVAKS. Mtanwhil* the Bolshevik Government is AHng all possible within its power to overwhelm the Oecho-Stovaks before outside help reaches them. The Bolsheviks are believed to have made an agreement with the Germans by wnicli the latter make no further advance, so that the Bolsheviks can traasfer all their forces to deal with tie Cweh* o* the Vtfda, frent. The ljobfteviks were severely defeated in the Caspian region, and Ute unti-Soishevik movement is widespread and progressing in TurkesUn. , The hostile faeces at Archangel are reported to consist of about 8000 men, while the German forces north of the GnW of Finland number earn. SO/WO.

OBSCURE SITUATION IN fiERMAXY.

The situation in Germany remains obscur. We may guess that the military authorities have bankrupted their promises to the German people, and that a German victory would be obtained before autumn. They are now trying to invent some new promises to stimulate the waning endurance of the German people. It is believed that in many towns and parts of the country people are laboring under the deepest depression, while the Austrians, on the other hand, are not wholly displeased that Germany. who mocked at the Austrian defeat have now had a Piave of her own. CHANGE IX AUSTRIAN" TONE AND TEMPER. In these circumstances, it is significant to note, rumored changes of the Austrian tone and temper, as well as the symptoms among neutral nations, are growing that assured ultimate victory lies with the Allies and not with tne Germans. Signs are not wanting that Siberia, is not tile only part of the dismembered Ruseian Empire that will give trouble to the Germans, who had hoped to assimilate the entire empire, but th p various composing races in the Ukraine and Lithuania are alike coming to prefer national aspirations to German tyranny. ALLIES' FOOD REQUIREMENTS. Considerable progress has been made in preparing the programme of food requirements under the auspices of the inter-Allied Food Council. This will serve as r l>rfsis for the appointment of imports needed by the population of tne respective Allied countries. The Dominions' representatives can be present whenever their interests are affected. The harvest has been hampered by unfavorable weather and difficulty in procuring adequate skilled labor. It is hoped that this trouble has been cured by releasing several thousand soldiers for agricultural furlough. AMERICA'S HEUP OF SUPPLIES. The Americans' promise of plentiful supplies of bacon has been received with jatisfaction. They will come in particularly useful during the whiter and early spring, when a certain shortage of meat is expected, owing to the deficiency in foddef and the heavy demands of the Allied forces. MARKED AERIAL ACTIVITY. Exceptional severity has marked the week's air fighting throug'noul the British zone in the operations in the West. Much of this was reconnaissance and offensive patrols behind the German lines, but the bombing operations on the Belgian coast were not less decisive, both a? regards the damage done and the toll of enemy machines destroyed. Fires were started at the Drugeoiie works, an important enemy organisation east of Nieuport. A big fire at Zeebrugge, caused bv our bombs, was followed by a heavy explosion. In three daylight raids upon Bruges, Ostend, and Zeebrugge, our squadrons were opposed by powerful enemy formations. Four British machines are reported missing, but 14 enemy machines were destroyed and 17 were driven down helpk'st. In Belgium alone 17 tons of bombs were dropped on military objectives, and much damage was done. ON THE WESTERN FRONT. On the British \Veßtern land front the British air fighting was uniformly successful. On three successive days the enemy lost lj. 2ii, and 11 machines respectively, besides 1H more driven down, and only 12 British machines were reported missing. In all, 17 British machines failed to return, but 81 enemy machines were destroyed and 30 driven down. RAIDS ON GERMAN TOWNS. The Royal Air Force mid independent

' lort*i also had heavy fighting in jjij course of 20 raids; into German Large German forces contested otir progress during an early morning raid OH Saarbrucken. and very were fighting took place, which resulted in the loss of seven British machines. Nevertheless, our squadrons immediately resumed the attack, and guceesufnlly dropped manj; bombs on the station and factories of Saarbrucken, and this time returned without loss, In the course of effective raide on Tifres and Offeitburg, <memy machines were destroyed and one driven down. Two British machines failed to return. Among other objectives bombed were the stations at R'astatt and Sollrogen, Baden and Bosche works, the Dainißr works, tlie railway station at Stuttgart, and the bamieka at Hagenau, Bad weather much hampflrgd operation* in the Mediterranean theatres, tut on the Italian and Palestine fronts 10 enemy machine# were destroyed. No j British marines are reported mining.