Progress of the War.

Press, Volume LI, Issue 15267, 1 May 1915, Page 8

Progress of the War.

Messages thi.s # morning emphasise the importance of last week's offensive by the enemy, and prepare us for a terrible casualty list. "Eye-witness" gives a clear and vivid account of the part played by the British, which shows that once again the Army covered itself with glory. At first the British had to retire, which they did with their usual stubbornness. Then they advanced, but the numbers of tho enemy on their front; and his success farther along the lino, compelled them ,to retire again. There seems to have been as much desperate fighting, especially hand-to-hand work, packed into those few days as into any similar period since the war began. The "Daily Mail" draws attention to the contradictions between the Allies' and the Germans' official ■statements, , and asks for a definite announcement as to the ground lost. As regards one part of the front "Eye-witness enlightens us. The British lino was half a mile beyond St. Julicu, and wo were driven beyond that place. Jt is stated this morning thafc the line has been re-established well beyond it, but there is no official confirmation of this. The Allies are estimated to have lost more men in five days than in any other battle of the war, which means that their losses were over 100,000, for that was the rough total of casualties in the long struggle on tho left when the Germans made their first bid for Calais. Terrible as such losses are. it must be borne in mind that tho enemy has also suffered very severely, and that he expected to do much more than make a dent in the Allied line. [it cost us 13,000 casualties to gain less than a mile at Neuve-Chapelle, while ivo inflicted heavier losses than we sustained. It must have cost the Germans eeveral times this number to mako an advance in Flanders perhaps in the end no greater than this. Moreover, whereas at Neuve-Chapelle we held on to what we took, north of Ypres the Allies continue to make progress in thoir oounter-offeusivo. Wβ are still without detaiis of tho operations of the Dardanelles, but » correspondent of the ''Daily Chronicle," who ■ witnessed the operations from an islaud near the .entrance to the Strait, has sent a vivid account of the bombardment on Sunday and Monday. The

men on the transports, which were lying to the north side of the entrance, saw an awe-inspiring spectacle that they will remomber to tho end of their dnys. The news from the Eastern theatre shows renewed activity in Northern Poland, while in tho direction of Stryi. where the enemy is pressing his turning movement, "desperate engagements are still pro- " gressing." As similar reports have Leen received for some days, tho Russians at best are only holding their own. There has been another air raid .on England, bombs having been dropped at Ipswich and Bury St. Edmunds, in Suffolk. Ipswich is not far from the destroyer base of Harwich., which seems to be studiously avoided by the enemy. But the most important British news to-day is Mr Lloyd George's statement about the drink evil and the Government's measures to dual with it. It is not pleasant to be told that the slackness in the shipyards is causing naval commanders serious anxiety.