PROGRESS OF THE WAR

Dominion, Volume 8, Issue 2558, 4 September 1915, Page 4

PROGRESS OF THE WAR

o A vehy informative dispatch from Mn. Ashmead Bartlett throws new light upon the nature of the fighting at the Dardanelles up to August 19. It does not bring matters up to date, for an official report has told of a further important gain of ground within the last few. days, but it describes very clearly tho leading features of o,nc of the greatest battles that has been fought upon the Gallipoli Peninsula since the campaign opened. The prize of the battle—a prize not yet wrested from the Turks—was the high and ■rugged ridge which runs- up the peninsula from a point east of Gaba Tepo to the area east ■ and, a little south of Suvla Bay." The crest of the ridge lies a little more than two miles from tho outer coast at Sari Bail - , towards its northern end, .and approaches considerably nearer to the coast as it runs south. Sari Bail' has an elevation of 974 feet, and the l'idge runs , into a still higher, peak about .-half a mile further north. ; Possession of this ridge would have placed the most advanced 'of the invading troops in this region only about a third of the way across. tho peninsula, but th'e real importance of this great natural barrier is that its'crest commands' the Narrows,- and therefore more. or less effectively' dominates the breadth, of tho peninsula lying between. '• » * * » Any doubts on this point aro cleared up by Mr. Bartlett's dispatch. One battalion of Ghurkas, operating in the near neighbourhood of the New Zcalanders, actually reached the crest of the range. As' Mr. Bartlett says, they obtained a view of the promised land; they saw the waters of the Dardanelles lying boncath, and looked down on tho at Kilid Bahiv A Turkish transport was seen steaming south. When f the ridge, : which was so nearly gained a few weeks ago, is finally mastered •' no more Turkish transports will steam either south or north in the Dardanelles. Tho New Zealanders and the troops ■ fighting in .their company, woji an incomplete victory, not through any failure on' tlisir own part, but becauso of the lesser.progress made by, the forces landed at Suvla Bay.. In his general statement on this point Mii. Bartlett's account is in harmony with the official The forces landed at Suvla Bay probably encountered unforeseen difficulties. In any ease they "failb'd 1 to dislodge the enoiny artillery from-' positions iu which it apparently onfiladcs, or at all events commands,, the slopes of Sari Bail*. As events' turned, the Australians and New Zealanders and the British and Indian' troops with whom'they weroin immediate touch stopped just short of a docisive victory, and after all but mastering the crest which wad their objective,, were forced to retire to the, lower spurs. The position has &ico been materially improved both in the region east of Suvla Bay, and in the area further south occupied by the Australians and New Zealanders. v . ■. * # * * .The strenuous efforts made to capture the Sari Bair ridge havo late : ly overshadowed .other-features of the campaign which are nevertheless of very great importance. Only tho possession of" artillery positions, dominating the Narrows will finally pen up the Turks in the limited space of the peninsula', north and south of the Narrows in which their principal strongholds are situated, but meantime their available avenues 6f supply' havo been very greatly contracted by the enterprising attacks of British submarines. An official report to-day mentions that the under-water craft have lately sunk four transports in;the Dardanelles, north' of Nagara, and that an'othor Turkish ship was sunk a couple of weeks ago by aviators. Losing ships at this rate the Turks should soon be in difficulties, even as regards tie maintenance of the ferry service across the Narrows, which is tho final link in their line of communication with Constantinople by way of the Asiatic shore of the strait. , Indeed, although there is tio reported instanoo of a transport being . sunk in, tho immediate vicinity of the Narrows, it is doubtful whether tho ferry-passage of the strait at this pointSconstitutes a satisfactory avonuo of supply.' Ships crossing between Chanak and Kilid Bahr at night arc probably immune from - sub* marine attack,, but they havo to bo protected during the daytime, and tho fact that two transports, were torpedoed as they lay at anchor in' a bay half a dozen miles north of til® Narrows suggests that effective means of protection are lacking.' That transports should continue to brave the submarine peril by steaming down the Dardanelles also suggests strongly that the Turks aro not ablo v to maintain a ferry service across tho Narrows assuring them an adequate flow of supplies. * # * * i Apparently the depredations of the submarines have in themselves gono far to isolate the defenders of Gallipoli so far as sea-transport is concerned. It must be confcssod that reports of recent battles afford rio indication that tho Turks are hampered by a shortage of munitions and supplies, but they are no doubt_ drawing upon stores of war material accumulated in tbc peninsula. ' The submarine attack's upon their communications are bound , to , exert a potent influence even though it is not immediatelyjolt. Another factor tending to set a definite limit upon the continued resistance of tho Turks is the Itussian interference with their coal supply. Just .how muoh tho Turks, assisted by,, tho j Germans, havo accomplished in enlarging tho arsenals at Constantinople is not known. But coal is the only source of power available, at Constantinople, and it is also , largely used as a raw material in the manufacture of explosives. The whole of the mines available to the Turks aro situated in Asia Minor, 1 south from the Black Sea. coast. , .TJioy ar? connected .wits tgs coaaji.^

by rail, and from tho coast the coal has to bo transported by 'sea-. The llussian Black Sea Fleet has at frequent intervals bombarded, the coal ports, destroying their equipment, and has sunk hundreds of vessels, large and small, employed in carrying coal. The supplies available for military purposes "in, Turkey must in this way have been very greatly reduced. In their aggregate effect the reduction of coal supplies and the destruction of transports by submarine attack must have materially affected the position of the Turks. : ■ * * * i . anting situation' in the Eastern theatre lias not developed much beyond the point to which it was* carried by yesterday's i news. There is a -German report that the llussians have cvaciiated tho Grodno, forts, on .the west.bank of the Nicmen, and it is probably true. Yesterday's reports showed that the line of retreat of the_ troops holding Grodno and the neighbouring districts along the Niemcn was seriously menaced by German attacks on north and south, and it will bo cood news to hear that they havo sately wifclidrawn. The German advance ,at Grodno and further north may give a now impetus to the advance against Eetrograd, but interest centres at tho moment in tho reported threat of' a German offensivd much further south, in tho- region between the northern frontier of Galicia and tho extensive Pripet marshes, lying of Bvest Litowsk. Yesterday's Petrograd communique indicated that tho Russian forces in this region and in Eastern Galicia were falling back to a shorter front, but there is no definite indication as yet that they aro being subjected to .very heavy 1 pressure, The idea.that the Germans' may attempt an advanco which would cut across the Russiaji railways run-; ning north from this Black Sea is apparently receiving a certain amount;of serious attention, 1 but the enterprise would involve so vast an expenditure o'i forco that it must be considerect' doubtful if it will ever bo attempted. / : 'v ' *. •' * ' * ' An important forward movement by the Italian armies is implied in tho .news-that the 'Aiisti'ians have evacuated Roveredo, a town in the Trentino, on '.the . railway running north to Trent. Roveredo is a dozen miles north of the. southern frontier of tho Trentino, and less than that distance awa.v from Trent. ' The Italians are also working in towards this flatter fortress, from the west. Trent: is the principal Austrian stronghold in the southern Trentino.' and it covets the principal road ana railway roiltes to the north. The capture of Roveredo has yet to bo officially confirmed'! but if it has.actually been effected the investment of Trent should not be .very, long delayed. '''■ ' ' ' : # . * * ..»•'• An indication, that the l Austrians are alarmed at the progress of tho . Italian offensive' is contained -in) a: Geneva message, . which states that 200,000 reservists (chiefly of ilie 1897; class) and eighty new batteries arc being seat to the Tyrol and. Trentino. One' interesting feature; of this report lies in the suggestion that Austria, - like Germany, is already under the necessity of drawing upon elderly men to make good tho wastage of. war. • Reservists of the 189? •class' l wou'd beisomcwhero about fifty I years old—not the most hopeful kind of reinforcements to throw into a mountain campaign with winter coming on, *-* * * The Western campaign continues to afford abundantmaterial for speca : lation, but; no definite indications. It Is suggested to-day that/ tho' Germans iri France and Flanders'', arc making preparations for a retreat to a shorter line, and this, coupled with reports, that the British line!intho Western theatre has been considerably extended would imply; a dircct assault upon some portion of the present German front. .