OFFICIAL REVIEW

Taranaki Daily News, 20 August 1918, Page 5

OFFICIAL REVIEW

LAST WEEK'S WAR OPERATIONS. DEGRESSION* IK GERMANY. QBE AT *CTI*I. BATTLES. Telegraph-—Press Association. Wellington, Last Night. The following official weekly record baa been forwarded to the Acting-Prime by the Ministry of Information: Recent military events have bad a markedly depressing effect upon German ndbUe opinion, despite all attempts to tatooolage the teal state of things. The convfctka obviously grows that not only hat the- German summer campaign on the' western front failed, but that Germany in the east has assumed an impossibly heavy political burden. from the chaos in Russia emerges the fact th%t the Bolshevik regime is falling, whilf. the succeeding government, of whatever form, is not likely to be friendly to German Imperialism, which supported the Bolsheviks. Germany took advantage of the temporary revolutionary distraction to sow seeds of trouble in Russia, and now will reap the whirlwind ol) her own account. THE CZECHO SLOVAKS. Meanwhile the Csecho-Slovaks are vaih«Hy contending against superior forces and superior armament. They have maintained their hold in an extremely critical condition while awaiting adequate Allied help, on which their very existence depends, unless we are to sacrifice this heroic Allied nation, which Britain has just recognised as such. - FURTHER TROUBLES FOR GERMANY. Ukrainian peasants, exasperated by German military methods, are giving obstinate trouble to their oppressors, while Bulgaria and Turkey almost openly revel in their dissatisfaction with each other and Germany . In Austria conditions are going from bad to worse. Even a harmless woman and children, assembled before a shop iet bread, are reported to have been flred opoa by the troops, while the disaffection of a corrupt army, and open revolt among ths units, are not uncommon. Neverthlleas these symptoms must be discounted, for Germany is still the pillar ~of the Central Alliance, and only understands such physical arguments as a crushing military defeat. CONTROLLING FOOD SUPPLIES. The Allies' food controllers are busily settling the food programme for the ensuing year. It Is evident that Britain will be dependant throughout the winter and spring en the home supply of meat. This empMMKS the need for a winter supply of bacon, and for increased provision of feeding stuffs, without which it will be difficult to get enough to meet the ration, even though this is reduced. The importance of feeding stuffs is also evident in connection with the grave question of winter milk supply, the adequacy of which depends upon the increased distribution of fodder to farmers. The improved weather conditions should make ue grain reserves reasonably safe, and justify the estimated yield of the potato crop. THE SOMME ATTACK. The attack south of the Somme was . so successful that it exceeded expectations. The atopy's whole front trench system was overran at the greatest cost to the enemy,' and with the slightest loss to onr own troops. The German machine goners did not show the same lighting qualities as during the attack on Villers Bretonneux, but on this occasion left or surrendered with their guns. Meanwhile the first British attack between the Somme and the An ere was temporarily held up by a German attack. which caused some confusion, and upsSt o*r arrangement, but by August 0 all was well and the whole objective was obtained. The Allies planned a convenhf aovemnt in the Montdidier salient Iran three directions. This plan WW most successful, and the town of MflfctdSdier was surrounded and captured, with a krge number of prisoners, the enemy beipg smplstety taken by surprise, aid feebly resisting. Frames meanwhile continues all along the Whole front, and the latest news states that the French are masters of the entire Lassigny ridge, a most important point, the grand dominating a considerable extent of country to the north. During the put week the advance made wu from ten to fifteen miles on a for ly-five-mile front, while over 30,000 friMMrt tad nearly 700 guns were »kea. German looses were disproportionate!* greater than those of the Allies, and it is probable the complete Allied casualties do not equal the- number of Germans captured. . ; GERMAN LOSSES. No previous offensive has shown anytbigguks neb a preponderance of Ger- ' It is now probable that the ' to withdraw further, behind tin

despite their unfavorable position west of the river. Our nearnesß to the important junction of Chaulnes hampers the enemy's usual line of railway running from Peronne through Chaulnes to Roye, and his communications across the river are further made uncomfortable by the fact that Allied airmen are constantly bombing the bridges. On the rest of the front the Germans have begun a withdrawal in the Serre salient, probably to obtain a better line and shortened front. They also continue withdrawing on the Lys salient. These withdrawals seem to indicate that the enemy does not contemplate any further offensive on the British front, but definite conclusions are at present unsafe. However, last week's work greatly diminishes the further offensive power of the Germans. The German shortage of man-power and preponderant riflfl strength of the Allies, make it more and more doubtful whether the Germans will risk another big attack in France this year. FINLAND MAY DECLARE WAB. In northern Russia there is increasing evidence to show that the Germans contemplate an early attack on the Murman railway. It is most probable that before long Finland will declare war. The Bolshevik rearguard occupies positions about a hundred miles south of Archangel, and is apparently largely ofiicered by Germans. AN OBSCURE SITUATION. The situation in the rest of European Russia remains obscure. It is reported that the defeat of the Czechs in the Samara region is unconfirmed, though their peril in eastern Siberia still makes most urgent demands for relief, 'ihe arrival of the first British battalion in eastern Siberia, and the advance guard of the Allied contingent at Vladivostock was greeted enthusiastically by the Czechs, and our prompt aid, together with public recognition of their national aspirations, should have the strongest appeal to compatriots all over the world. TO THE CASPIAN SEA. In north-west Persia and the Caucasus the British right flnak in Mesopotamia has been extended to the Caspian Sea to assist the Armenians and the pro-En-tente elements in the Caucasus, and to form a barrier across Persia against Turko-German penetration. A British , contingent has arrived at Baku, and is helping to defend the place. Other forces are of smaller military value, though the Russian general now appointed, it is hoped, may pull them into shape. AERIAL FIGHTING. The outstanding features of the week's air fighting has been the severe magnitude of the conflicts on the British western front, particularly in the first five days of the offensive. The battle raged heaviest on Thursday, August 8, between Albert and the Amiens —Roye ' Road, where the enemy's forces were considerably increased after the opening attack, so fighting on an unparalleled scale continued throughout the day. Fifty British machines are reported to be missing, but 48 of the enemy machines are known to have been destroyed, and 17 driven down helpless. After their initial reverses, the enemy's air resistance was noticeably weakened, but during the four following days, while there were 98 British machines reported missing, 142 enemy machines were destroyed, and 73 driven down, making a total bag of 280 enemy aircraft knocked out during the battle, without counting kite balloons. During the wnole week on the British western front 107 British machines were destroyed and 108 driven down. Meanwhile British bombing squadrons throughout the week attacked enemy aerodromes, etc., dropping the usual number of bombs, and causing the usual handsome amount of damage to the enemy's military material and personnel. HELPING THE FIELD FORCES. Much valuable help was also given the British infantry, cavalry and tank units in tiie attack by low-flying scouts, which ceaselessly hovered over the battlefield in considerable numbers, attacking the enemy's resisting points and raking the already congested roads of retreating armies with machine-gun fire. Moreover, the usual immense amount of contact patrol and battery counter work was successfully carried out, and thousands of negatives were taken during the battle by British photographic squadrons. ATTACKS ON ENEMY NAVAL BASES In the Belgian theatre the British continuous offensive against the German naval bases was pitilessly persisted in, with the usual results. There were many direct hits, and a number of destructive fires, on all the usual points of attack. The R_A.F. independent force made a number of telling destructive raids on German territory, attacking the usual military objectives, while on August 12 a successful raid was carried out on aeroplane and chemical works at Frankfort. Several bursts were observed in the centre of the objective. No British machines were reported missing in the Mediterranean and eastern theatres, but in the course of British air activity eight enemy machines were destroyed and two brought down. On August 11 a Royal Air Force contingent, in combination with the Navy, successfully attacked a zeppelin over the North Sea, and brought it down, blazing,