Progress of the War.

Press, Volume LIV, Issue 16305, 31 August 1918, Page 8

Progress of the War.

There is no slackening in the enormous pressure on the enemy from the north of the Scarpe to fclio Ailette— a line which, without making allowance for the smal'i additions which the irregularities make, is fifty miles in length. This is, of course, not the -whole offensive lino, which continues eastward from Noyon for nearly twenty miles more, where it joins up with the line of tlie Aisne, which has figured little in the recent fighting, although to-day there is news of some energy on the part of the enemy at Fismette and Bazoches. South of the Ancre. in the Bullecourt region, a breach has been made in the so-called Hindeuburg line, which started from south of Lens, and thence passed west) of Cambrai, trending south-ward to its terminus at 1/aon. The fighting is moefc severe north of the Scarpe, and in the Bullecourt region, where the enemy's strongest defences have already been reached. Bapaume has been occupied, and although th© enemy is resisting fiercely at Longueval and .Flora, the general retirement continues, and we may expect this week-end to hear of the occupation of Combles and Peronne. South of Peronne the Somme has been reached at various points, and the French have crossed the Canal du Nord, "which runs south to Noyon from Rouy-le-Grand, where the Somme, following it up-stream, turns eastward to Ham. Noyon cannot long be held in the sharp salient that will be produced by the continuation of the pressure upon Catigny. This offensive, which in every part is a continuation of Foch's blow on the Marne, has now lasted an unusually long time—six weeks. The big March drive, launched on March 21st, was on a fifty-mile front, and was not stopped for nine days, during which th© maximum advance was thirty-five miles. The subsequent offensives may thus be tabulated:— Length Max. of front advance Date. Date, in miles, m miles, of halt. Yprcs .. April 9 30 10 April 15 Aisne .. May 27 25 32 June 1 Oiso .. J mitt 9 21 6 June lu Rheitns July IS oO •> July 18 In tho present progressive offensive practically the whole of tho salient won in the drive for the Marne was recover©! by Foch by the end of July, and the subsequent offensives have carried on the pressure without giving the enemy a moment's rest. A six-weeks' offensive, still going strong, is something quite new in th© West, but it will not be surprising if it is kept up as long as the weather makes active operations practicable. How great a change has taken place in the situation since the early part of July can be best appreciated by those who read th© newspapers up to July Bth. The attack of July 15th was expected, and in most of the articles by the military writers there was discernible behind their unaffected confidence the assumption that the . anemy would keep on with his policy of limited offensives until the end of the autumn. Nothing like the present heavy and tireless and long-continued l 3rivo was expected, apparently, by anybody.