PROGRESS OF THE WAR

Dominion, Volume 10, Issue 3010, 22 February 1917, Page 4

PROGRESS OF THE WAR

Another forward movement ' is reported to-day in the Sinai Peninsula, where Anzac mounted troops, borsemon and camelry, are an important section of the mobile troops engaged. In the northern part of the peninsula, on the coastal route, ,the Turks have, now been swept right back into Syria,- and thoy have a very limited foothold in Egyptian territory on the central route, further south. To-day's-re-port tolls of the capture of two enemy posts. One of them, Kalaat-en-Naknl, is on tho southernmost of the threo main routes across the Sinai Peninsula. Tho other, Bir Hassana, stands about eighty miles east of tho Suez Canal, on a, desert route which runs north from Ka-laat-cn-Nakhl to El Arish. Kalaat-en-Nakhl is more than 70 miles east of the town of Suez, and is an approximately mid-way point between the Canal and the TurcoEgyptian frontier. The capture of these posts, with prisoners and booty, shows that continued progress is being made in driving tho Turks back into their own territory. Some discussion has turned upon the possibilities of a British advance from the Sinai Peninsula north through Syria, and the difficulties opposing such an enterprise have been emphasised. It is obvious that tor a time at least iho.se difficulties would bo likely to increase as tho advance developed, and an extended .advance, through Sy.da i&,

not likely to be attempted until Turkey is so heavily engaged clsewkoro as to be greatly weakened in defence. There is an objective comparatively close at hand, however, which the British forces in Egypt may quite conceivably aim at reaching in tho not distant future. This is the Hejaz railway, which passes from Syria through Arabia to Mecca. At its nearest approach this Tailway is little more than 60 miles distant from the Egyptian frontier, and if it were cut by a British advance the Turks would be excluded from the provinces of Western Arabia, in which the Arabs have raised the standard of revolt. At an immediate view a development on these lines might leave the Turks little worse o££ than they are now. As information stands they are making no purposeful effort to quell the Arab rebellion. But the moral effect of a Turkish defeat at the gateway of Arabia would probably be considerable. Not only would the Arabs of the western provinces be encouraged in their rebellion, but tho uprising would be likely to extend to other tribes. The results of a general Arab rebellion would be felt far afield, notably in Mesopotamia,

A BTIE of activity on the Macedonian, front is again attracting attention to the Balkan ■ theatre. Tho report which stated a day or two ago that tho enemy right wing had been broken, and the Austriana and Albanians driven back with heavy loss was evidently exaggerated, bufc seems to have . been , not wholly lacking in foundation. Yesterday, Me. Ward Price reported heavy fighting on the Italian sector in the Balkans (in Albania and South-westorn Serbia), and to-day it.is announced that the Italians have occupied Koritza, an Albanian town from which roads strike north round both sides of Lake. Ochrida, at tho south-western corner .of Serbia. The Italians are setting themselves meantime to gain comnia,nd of tho roads which run from the Adviatio coasb across Albania to Serbian Macedonia, Koritza, which is a town of'eome size, and will constitute a , useful advanced base, is in touch hy road both with Valona and with the smaller port of Santi Quaranta, further south There is a useful road further north which runs inland from Durazzo, by way of El Bassan, to Monastir, but the greater part of this highway remains as yet in the hands of the enemy.

Prospects generally in the Balkan campaign aro not measured by what it is posible to accomplish meantime in the mountain country of Albania and South-western Serbia. As the campaign develops, operations in these regions) will no doubt prove to be subsidiary to the main attack. Very possibly the Allies may strike forward from Albania and the region of Monastir to a flank attack upon the Vardar valley, which carries tho only continuous railway running north through' Serbia. But it is not by any means certain that the Allies will deliver their main attack along the line of the Vardar. Conceivably, General jSareaii, may elect instead to push north into Bulgaria by way of the Struma valley. This route,' though, it lacks a railway, has some advantages as compared with the Vardar valley. At all points the Allies are faced by difficult mountain country, but on tho other hand the onemy has a long front to defend, and his cross-communications are bad. It is likely also that the Allies will bo able to bring a considerable superiority of force to bear, and they have had an extended period in which to organise the kind of transport tho country demands. It should not bo forgotten that in the forward movement which has reached Monastir they dislodged the enemy from a wide belt of territory holding probably as good defensive possibilities as any in the Balkans.

One of the few events in tho Western theatre reported at time of writing is the capture of a British advanced post south of Le Transloy, a town about four miles south-east of Bapaume, on the highroad connecting that place with Peronne. Evidently the enemy concentrated very heavily against a small objective, and gained his point, but his Biiccoss is of no great magnitude.

*". » » Mr: Bonar Law's explanation of the circumstances in which the interview recently granted by Sin Douglas Haig to Frehoh journalists was published does not in any way rob the pronouncement of its significance. The Minister's statement implies that but for the oversight by which the proofs sent to British Headquarters were withheld from Sir Douglas Haig some portions of the statement published might have been supressed. It is apparently not suggested, however, that tho Commander-in-Ohief was misrepresented. There is no reason to doubt that in essentials the interview as it was published accurately represented his opinions. * " • *

As it stands, the Berlin message which alleges that fifteen hundred persons were killed by an explosion 6f ammunition at Archangel is exceedingly improbable. The AVhite ,Sea port is .one of Russia's main depots for the importation of war material from abroad, but for months past it has been frozen in and inaccessible to shipping. In an average season the port of Archangel is closed to shipping from October to May. Even if the importations of the late summer left a heavy congestion of goods at the port, it is unlikely that it has at any recent time contained a stock of ammunition sufficient to cause such a, devastating explosion as the Berlin message- reports. Last year the double line of railway which runs south I from Archangel was linked up by a I sledge route with tho open -port at j Kola Bay, on tho Murmau coast, j This port is now in direct railway | touch with Petrograd, and the Arch-1 angel railway has for severai I months been uninterruptedly avail-! able for tho clearance of any conges- i tion of goods at its own AVhito So.l | terminus. It is therefore improb- i able that any great quantity of ammunition has been stored at Archangol for a month or two past.