PROGRESS OF THE WAR

Dominion, Volume 9, Issue 2879, 18 September 1916, Page 4

PROGRESS OF THE WAR

The war news of tho week-end shows that the enemy has suffered further defeats in more than'' one important theatre, the most damaging of all on the Somrac front, where the British have_ smashed a big section of his third-line defenecs in the area south of Bapaume. On all grounds the British assault seeing untitled to rank as one of tho most brilliant of the war, and it has bail the effect of notably enlarging tho growing cleft in the enemy's line. Penetrating in places from two to threo thousand yards, it carried a solidly fortified section of the German third-line defences south of Bapaume, including the three big villages of Courcelette, 'Martinpuich, and Flers. Courceletto and Martinpuich stand respectively half a mile west and a similar distance east of tho main road from Albert to Bapaume. On

this highway the British aro now live miles distant from, Bapaume, and at.Flers (two and a half miles cast of Martinpuieh and a mile and a half north of Ginchy) they are separated by only four miles from that objective. Good progress has also been made towards Thiepval, on the western flank of the attacking front. Immediately north of Thiepval tho Germans still hold a limited area of the high ground facing Bapaumo, but their positions here aro now badly outflanked and aro not likely to much longer withstand attack. East from the Thiepval locality as far as Combles, which is about nino miles east-south-cast of Thiepval as tho crow flies, the British now hold nearly all the high. ground on tho approaches to Bapaume. Over a great part of this distance they are now well to the northward of the ridge which extends east and south from Thiepval, but in addition to their now very precarious foothold at and just beyond Thiepval, the Germans still hold some high positions near Morval, which stands almost due north of Gomblcs and east of Ginchy. * * * » It should not be long before Combles itself is added to the catalogue of the Allied conquests. The British advanco involves an immediate threat to the northern communications of Combles, which now represent the only line of retreat open to its garrison if any retreat is open at all. At tho same time the French, having advanced 500 yards north from Le Pricz Farm, arc established duo east of Combles, at a distance of about a thousand yards, perhaps less. Combles, in a word, is closely wrapped about by hostilo lines, and every route by which tho Germans can now approach it is under bombardment. In the lato operations in which both tho French and British havo done so well, the Allies have not only smashed tho German third-line defences on an extended front, but have cleared the way for further action. They should soon bo in full possession of the high ground facing' Bapaume, and tho capture of Combles will be at onco a stop to that end, and will romove an obstacle to progress eastward. It should bo noted, however, that the statement made in one unofficial message that the British, following tho example of the French at Bouchavesnes, have smashed through the third and last lino of the enemy's long-established positions. is not borne out by other reports. It is directly contradicted in a message summarising the views of French, critics, which states that tho British are still confronted by enemy lines long organised. No such doubt as to tho extent and character of the enemy's remaining defences can arise in regard to tho front north from tho Bomme on which tho French drove, homo their great attack on Tuesday last. Wo have tho definite statements that in this area the German lino (not the second or third line systems, but tho line as a whole) was pierced, and that most of the positions taken by the French on Tuosday were of relatively recent formation. _ There is at present no Buch explicit evidence in regard to the state of tho German defences south of Bapaume, in the region of the latest British assault. For all that is definitely known to tho contrary other strong and heavily organised defences may still cover tho approaches to Bapaume. The third German lino is not necessarily tho last line on any given section of the front, though it seems to have been the last permanent line at Bouchavesnes and further south to-' wards tho Sorame. While the remaining extent and strength of the Gorman dofences on the approaches to Bapaume' is more or less a matter of conjecture, the position in one vital respect certainly turns heavily against the enemy. He may have fortified another line or lines beyond the third line whieh the Britishi have smashed at Courcelette, and Flors, but henceforth, in defending Bapaume, ho will labour under the serious handicap of fighting on lower ground, with his positions generally under direct observation. The handicap is intensified by tho fact, recently mentioned, that the valleys in the country south of Bapaume are. mostly exposed to enfilading fire and afford the Germans few strong positions across the path of the British advance. * * # » Striking passages in tho story of tho splendidly successful British assault relato to the work of the Allied aircraft and of tho armoured cars, the l'ast apparently of a new and formidable type. The Allied airmen have established a record which could not well be improved upon, but thoy seem in this battle to have excelled their own past achievements. It will be Been from Sxe Douglas Haig's report that the activities in which 'they so successfully engaged were many-sided. Besides acting as the-eyes, of the army and of the artillery, they engaged tho enemy's aircraft, infantry, and artillery, and at the samo time French and British raiding squadrons tvere ranging far and near, attacking the enemy's immediate communications, as at Bapaume, and also his communications far to the eastward, well within the German frontier. Thcro is evidently no lack of justification for Sie -Douglas Haig's statoment: "During this attack we aro utilising much air-fighting." It is an impressive testimony to the striking power of the modern aeroplano that at Bapaumo a whole train was destroyed and much rolling stock besides, and it is noteworthy also that as reports stand tho enemy's loss of aeroplanes was more than twice as heavy as that of the Allies. This last fact assumes its full importance and significance only when it is remembered that few German machines cross the Allied lines, whereas the French and British airmen are constantly passing over and beyond the enemy's lines, in great numbers, intent upon attack, or observation, or both. Not very much is known yet about tho armoured motor-cars which crawled over trenches and barbed wire and shell-cratcrs and lent such formidable aid in the task of reducing tho German thirdline defences. They seem, however, to have operated with marked success and should play an increasingly important part .as tho offensive develop:;, until the Germans are definitely brought to a battle 'in tho open, and armoured motors of a speedier type take up the running. ■The macffincs employed in Friday's battle were evidently of the caterpillar type, which, as tho saying goes, take their own road along with them. Caterpillar wheels, with very broad tyres shod with crosspioces to grip tho ground, aro by this time pretty familiar. They are

[ extensively used on the carriages of heavy howitzers and on heavy transport vehicles. Probably, however, tho armoured motors now introduced have caterpillar bands extending from end to end of the vehicle, somewhat after the fashion of a motor sleigh. With a broad and heavily shod belt on cither side of the armoured vehicle progress is possible, though of course at a crawling pace, over ground which could not be negotiated on any kind of wheels. The chief uso of these travelling forts is to afford ! protection against machine-gun fire, j and they aro capable of doing good service both in clearing sections of tho enemy's ordinary lines, where machine-guns havo escaped destruction by bombardment, and in clearing the fortified villages which figuro so largely in the German seheme of defence. Since the offensive opened much discussion has turned upon the possibility of affording; tho attacking infantry-somo protection against tne enemy's ma-chine-guns. One suggestion was tho use of big steel shields, such as the Russians are said to have utilised in some areas, but tho ponderous travelling forts employed on Friday seom to serve the required purpose much more, effectively. All the later news from tho Western theatre is good. At time of writing the number of prisoners taken by tho British stands at 4000, and at some points the advance .is still being extended. Tho French, besides attacking in conjunction with the British in tho region of Combles, have made headway elsewhere, both north ancl south of tho Somme. An attack on tho immediate defonces of Peronno seems likely at any timo. * # * * Somewhat unexpectedly the 'Italians havo struck another powerful blow on tho Isonzo front, and it appears to have achieved pronounced success. The attack was 'developed Gn tho Carso plateau, east of tho Vallonc ravine. Besides penetrating strong enemy defences, tho Italians have taken a considerable number of prisoners, and as reports stand the offensive is still in progress. * * * * Reports relating to Greece tell of a slowly-developing revolutionary movement, but throw additional light also on the betrayal of ; the Greek cause at Kavala, It now transpires that a large amount of war and other material, as well as a force of Greek troops, was surrendered to the Germans. How many Greek soldiers have been placed under German guardianship is not i even now clearly stated, but tho affair as a whole, in its time and circumstances, seems to be a crowning example of infamy. Instead of adopting a bold and honest policy, King Constantine has led his country into degradation and probably to ruin. It is an astonishing thing- that the. Greeks havo followed so obediently on such . a road, or at all events with so little approach to an effective protest, but in the position reached it can "hardly be supposed that Greek intervention (except in an underhanded way "on tho side of the enemy) is either very probable or would be likely to prove of much value. This being so, it gives cause for satisfaction that the Allies are evidently not seriously hampered in developing their offensive against Bulgaria from the south. That they must be hampered to some extent by the chaotic conditions existing in Greece goes without saying, but they are shown to be vigorously developing their offensive along a great part of the front between the Struma and Albania. The Serbians in north-western Grcece havo heavily defeated the Bulgars and 'driven them back for miles. Apparently, the enemy is now retreating towards Monastir. Some headway has also been made by tho Allies in the region of Vardar, to tho eastward, and on the west French and llussian troops are reported to be driving the Bulgars "into Albania. There is littlo news at tho moment of the campaigns in tho northern part of tho Balkans and in Transylvania. The enemy, somewhat vaguely, lays claim to au important victory in the Dobruja, in south-eastern Rumania. German and Bulgarian reports, on the subject are not worth much in the absence of supporting evidence, and in any case the claim that a decisive victory has been won in the region of the old Rumanian frontier (from Silistria to south of Mangalia) is preposterous. The Bulgars and their allies will have to go much, further to strike a really damaging blow at Rumania.