The Auckland Star: WITH WHICH ARE INCORPORATED The Evening News, Morning News and The Echo. MONDAY, FEBRUARY 28, 1916, THE GERMAN OFFENSIVE.

Auckland Star, Volume XLVII, Issue 50, 28 February 1916, Page 4

The Auckland Star: WITH WHICH ARE INCORPORATED The Evening News, Morning News and The Echo.

MONDAY, FEBRUARY 28, 1916, THE GERMAN OFFENSIVE.

Si For the cause that lacks aatiatanee. For the wrong that needs resistance, Fur the future in the distance, And th» gooi that toe caw Im

7 . FOT . soa 6 : tinie'past'"Gehnany' : lials been trying to find some weak'spot in' the Allied line in th 6 West where she may break through tlie cordon wmeii hems in her armies and deprives her of all initiative, .or where she may deal the Allies ; a, severe blow that will weaken theirspring offensive. The Balkan campaign was partly undertaken in the hope that the Allies would weaken their line in the. West and *o give the Teuton armies a chance to escape from their present imprisonment. Then we had threats against "Egypt, tales of huge preparations- for a naval battle that was to pave the way for an invasion of England, rumours of a new submarine activity, a. projected' conquest of India, together with many other grandiose conceptions, all designed to keep' the British- from being sent to strengthen the line in France and Flanders; - These attempts, at intimidation failed of their object, and so the German commanders had perforce to test the line to see ii 1 at^-anyVplace.it showed sign* of weakness. They seem to have divided the line into five sections, and to have threatened attacks against each in turn. Tlje first section, stretches from Xieuport on the sea to Albert, and here the Germans launched attacks against Guinchy,. Meseines, Neuville, La Folie and . the salient, round . Ypres. They managed in some cases to pierce our. first line of trenches, but they were 6cion ejected by counter-attacks, and the one j success they had at Frifie . waa so costly that it was said their wounded exceeded, .in. number the great looses they sustained earlier .in the year at Loos.' Troops' are 6aid to have been brought up from the Balkans for this great. attack, causing the projected campaign again6t Salonika to "be abandoned for the time being. The nest section of the line stretches from Albert to IScy'tfrid 'SoifisdisV'and' forms'-a kind of elbow. ' This is the nearest point to Paris, and the Gentians delivered a series of fierce attacks against the] ireijQh. .positions, round Soissons, and .actually * reached, the French trenches near, the Grouy road,_ only to be driven out-again by an immediate counter: jftttacjt, jrbich. resulted, in the capture o£ ■A.largs.number.of prisoners, The next section . comprises the open Champagne district west of the Forest of Argonne, and here .the .Germans made violent attempts to. drive the French back from the • positions they had gained in the region round Tahure. Here again they had eomo success at first, gaining a footing-in. the" first-line trenches on the Tahnrtf Toad,' but the French rapidly Sent up _ reinforcements and soon won Itaiflk the to6fc ground, inflicting considerable losses on the enemy. All attempts to break the French line in the Vosges failed from the start, owing .'to the exceedingly- strong positions held there, and,ihe 'difficult totuxef of the country. 70niy 7 oho ' Section remained—that of VcrdOT'-ancl ■ here the Germans 'seem to have nut forth their maximum ,■■ •- r ■ ,'. , a<i strength, as. success would'mean the withdrawal, of thff armies of the South and ..the 'uncovering of the "road from Metz to Paris. It is the most "important section an the whole line, and it is small wonder that gigantic efforts are being made to pierce it. " "

The Argonne is a natural rampart against an invasion of Prance from the eastward. Through it there runs" the main road from Paris and the Upper ilarne by Verdun to Aletz and Germany, wHile '-'aimthcr'"• road, 'branching from ■ "Verdun" "by Varennes, crosses the ridge further north at Grand Pre.. Both these roads are 5 barred where they meet at the crossing of the Mease by the. fortress of Verdun. The Germans possess some advantages in this region, as they have moat excellent Tines of railway "communication behind them. Lines from liuxem. burg, Coblehtz, .Spires and Strasburg all «>nverge at Metz; and numerous advanced .depots iaye been established in the neighbourhood; Besides the main Tines running eastward there is a perfect network of lines running north and south "which'permit the' enemy to mass men very rapidly upon any point of this sectori But' this, advantage is to some,, extent by the iactihat" in'this region the French .also possess e*eeptional railway facilities. ■Not *>nlyare thereithe two."big.double lines-to Paris and -Chalons, but then? arel-three lines leading south as well as a cW system; pf connecting lines, and thus the .army can, 1» rapidly. from all .depots- that lie .towai6> Paris, from all-between the-|rontier-and ; 7the centre, and,frpm'.all those farther, south.' Thfere is no,-.other part pf :thfi hattle line in the West to -which rperves in men and material couid be mojee idly, sent than' the. sector ropnd ?e,rdun. The, Germans seemed'to have used the forests of the Argonne for the purpose of massing troops and concealing: their operations from the 'French. This gave, them an initial "advantage, buC the French, woujd 'be ; able to vse t&eir unt I iijvajlecl, system * V>f,yafli»ays ,jn,..th'U Ityip&b pf ittepps' ' throVri forward. The" present German . ..Verdun differs-., from the

•early efforta in" that- it appears to bean attempt-at direct attack on the field -fortifications instead: 'of' an attempt to complete the investment oi the city.

One must admire the coolness and confidence of the' French, both soldiers and civilians, but it seems to us that in our news to-day this tone, from London as well as Paris, is slightly overdone." There is in attempt to make light of the German successes, but the position as revealed to-day is serious. The French admit that the Germans have advanced four miles. Fort Tfoiiaumont, which fell to the Germans yesterday, is only five mile's'from the citadel. The fort, or some position near 'it, was "retaken by the French, but the* Germans aTe still either in it or close to it. Any further advance in this direction would compel the French commander to withdraw his line eastward of this point:. The partial success of this tremendous assault shows that the Germans still have plenty of men to use, that moral of the men is excellent, and that there is a huge supply of shells; three points which! should be considered by those who think the war will 60on be over. There have been signs on both fronts'that the moral of the Germans is deteriorating, but troops that can storm positions as these Germans have done near Verdun are a .formidable enemy. But the most important question is, can the (Sermon* afford .to," lose" the men that this advance lias cc«t them? The Allies hold that they cannot No great counter-attack seems to have been made by the Fi-ench, though, as we have pointed out, there are finst-dase facilities for -bringing up troops, and no offensive on a large scale has been launched by, the Allies on any other part'of the line. The French staff is credited with -having elaborated a method of idllijjg the greatest possible' number of Germans. This great asaault of the enemy, though it wrests the initiative from fine lFrench, ■and gains ground, is- being turned against him in the matter of attrition. Such an : attack may have been Just what was 'desired by the French Staff, with, its long view of thfi way, tjiough" 'probably' the enemy has penetrated further than waa thought possible, and tie situation, northeast of .Verdun is .now .causing some apprehension at headquarters. 'In epite of the confident tone of tbe "news, apprehension will be widely felt until we Hear that the attack, has .subsided.