THE WESTERN STORM CLOUD

Dominion, Volume 9, Issue 2802, 21 June 1916, Page 5

THE WESTERN STORM CLOUD

, GERMAN PREPARATIONS THE ITALIAN COUNTER- ■ STROKE The Russian march to tho west continues to develop, and to-day's news adds a further quota to the already immense total of captures. General Brusiloff, in an interview, breathes an invigorating spirit of optimism. Given munitions, he says in effect, nothing can avail to arrest the-Eussian advance, for ho is applying the pressure not at one point here and another point there, but with equal force all along the line, thus preventing the enemy from reinforcing/ at any particular sector. The Germans are making strenuous efforts to prevent tho Russians from capturing Kovel, and thereby destroying the Austro-German centre of intercommunications. A new terror to tho Teutons was introduced with the Eussian offensive-a secret, poison gas for which there is no antidote, and the ontpouring of which can be controlled. On the Trentino front the Italians are successfully dealing with furious Austrian attacks, and in certain sectors are pressing forward. On the Western front there is a comparative calm. The massing of German legions on the Flanders front continues, and numerous air encounters testify to the fact that each side 16 endeavouring to spy on the pther's dispositions. On the Verdun front the German attacks continue, but on nothing like the scale of the earlier stages. Their latest says one writer, has failed, and they have now settled down to tho slow and methodical reduction of the French defences. From within the .enemy's,country come significant reports of hunger riots and serious strikes.