PROGRESS OF THE WAR

Dominion, Volume 10, Issue 3066, 30 April 1917, Page 4

PROGRESS OF THE WAR

Briefly stated, the day's . news from the Western.theatre is that the battle in the Arras area has turned heavily against the Germans. The enemy's desperate efforts to recover the important positions won by the I British at the beginning of last I week have ended in total failure, and , the British, resuming the offensive, have captured further positions in an attack which was still in 'progress at the , period to which available reports extend. The fact that the British are again' on the ■ mo.vo carries, of course, double sig-nificance-on account of the enemy s costly, though abortive, efforts to bring them to a halt. It will be remembered that on Monday last the' British captured a series of positions north and south of the Scarpe, which flows east of Arras. Amongst these positions was the village of Gavrelle (about five miles north-east-of Arras), the retention of which was regarded as vital by the enemy becanse it covered the flank of tho Oppy line, a range of defences covering the Hindenburg line in rear, and incidentally country south of Lens the loss of which would leave the German positions at and in the vicinity of that town in an impossible salient. Correspondents and others have given detailed descriptions of the efforts whioh the enemy made during last week to recover Gavrelle and neighbouring positions, and from these descriptions it is clear that , in attempting to gain his object the enemy sacrificed lives with a prodigality unsurpassed at any stage of the war, and that his losses were out of- all proportion higher than those of the British troops who bore the_ brunt of his counter-attacks. It is now demonstrated that these sacrifices, which the enemy oan so ill afford, were made wholly in vain. ]leports at the end of last week. stated that the enemy had exhausted his efforts and that a lull had, supervened. The lull was very brief. On Saturday morning the British wore- ready to resume, tho offensive from the point at which they halted to meet and break the enemy's' counter-at-tacks.

At time of writing no very detailed account is given of the progress made in the latest stage of the British offensive, but the essential fact is disclosed that the lino which tho Gormans strove so hard and by such unsparing sacrifices to safeguard has been broken over a further part of its length. The most comprehensivo report in hand is that in which Sib Douglas Haiq states that his troops attacked early on Saturday morning on a front of soveral miles northward of the Scarpe, and at the hour of his report (1 p.m. on Saturday) were making good progress, in ; spite of considerable opposition. A report timed two hours later shows that the attack is under way both north and south of tho Scarpe, and has everywhere achieved material results. Positions have been won "south of the rivor, and on the north the British are reported to have taken 'Oppy, the village which gives its name to the line tho Germans have tried so desperately to maintain, and Arleux-en-Gohelle. Oppy stands a mile and a quarter north of Gavrelle, and like that place'' about two and a half miles west of a line, connecting Drocourt and Queant, which have been named as elements in the Hindenburg line, covering Douai junction. Tho British attack as it is developing immediately threatens the Lens salient, and is reducing tho margin by which the enemy holds the railway system south, of Lille and that great depot itself. The statement made in an official message that the Germans are counter-attacking madly counts for a good deal considering that the .language of _ these reports _is habitually restrained. In the cirstances disclosed, no other conclusion seems possible than that the enemy feels his position to be in the highest degree critical, and is shaping his tactics at the bidding of an '.immediate, desperate necessity.

In a late message SiE Douglas Haig' reports fighting of maximum intensity on th e Arras front to a point as far north as a road running east from Vimy, and British progress in several localities. He mentions that Arleux-en-Gohclle and defences on either side of that village have been captured, and that the enemy has suffered heavily in counter-attacks. The Commander-in-Chief does not mention Oppy, but correspondents state that part of this village is in British hands, and speak also of considerable captures of prisoners. Reports in hand relate to tho events of little more than twelve hours from the time when the offensive was resumed, but it is evident that the battle is going well from the British standpoint.

A few days ago some extracts were made . from a statement by Dk. Addison (British Minister of Munitions), which showed amongst other things that comparing the averago weekly production in tho period from July, 1915, k> June, 1916, with that-of a week in the latter part of January la-st, tho output of medium gun ammunition (4.7 and 60-pounder guns and 6-inch howitzers) increased more than tenfold, and the ouput of heavy gun ammunition more than sixteenfold. Dr. Addison remarked of the enormous increase in the production of heavygun ammunition that it was hero we were beating the 'IBoche." What tho industrial achievement he described means in tho field of baSiio is indicated in a statement by the Parliamentary Secretary of the Ministry of Munitions (Mil. Kellaway) which appears to-day. Mr. Kei.laway states that the expenditure of shell over six inches (that is to say, of heavy-gun ammunition) in the first week of the recent offensive was double the expenditure

during the Battle of the Somme. Presumably he refers to the period from the beginins of July uutil Novomber. At all events, the oxpenditure of heavy shells during months of battle on the Sommo was doubled in one week at the beginning of the present offensive. And whereas the expenditure of sflslls (evidently Mr. KelLaway is referring still to heavy shells) was greater in the first week on the Somme than in the whole of the rest of the offensive, in this year's offensive the expenditure of shells during the first week was exceeded by 28 per cent, during the week that followed.

These facts and figures speak for themselves. They point to a superiority in artillery resources on the British side which the Germans will be unable to challenge even by the most strenuous exertions under their national service law. In some guarters it has been suggested that under the working of the new law the Germans are likely to greatly augment the artillery resources they brought to bear in the Battle of the Somme, when they were admittedy heavily outclassed in the factor of artillery, as in. others. But against this it has been reasonably argued that the Germane would not have allowed themselves to be outclassed in artillery on the Somme if they_ could by any measure of organisation have averted that fate. It is likely that their artillery strength on the Somme fell very little short of the maximum they are capable of attaining, for they have no such margin of undeveloped, resources as is possessed by the Allies. These considerations emphasise the significance of the tremendous increase in British artillery resources which has been noted.

Some fighting reported on the Macedonian front leaves matters much as they were, but a message from Athens states that the situation in Greece is still serious, and that Oonstantine and his ' taction are plotting measures in the event of the Allied troops assuming the offensive. It is added that the position resembles that of early December (when the Greek Koyalist troops made a treacherous attack on Allied landing parties). In fact, however, the position has in some respects materially changed since December, and there is reason to believe that in the aggregate it has very greatly improved. The Grcak Eoyalist Army, with its artillery and eighty thousand rifles, is interned in the JMorea, and General Sarrail has had time to organise moasures l both for keeping this force safely in durance and for dealing with any sections of the Greek population which turn the arms that are known to bo concealed in Greece against the Army of tho East. The presence of armed reservists in the streets of Athons certainly suggests that Constantine is meditating a stroke on Germany's behalf, but the situation holds less dangerous possibilities than it did when his army was still at large. There is no doubt that Oonstantine'b plans Were wrecked when ■ tho Germans failed to complete their Balkan programme last year, and failed to strike in the south as' a sequel to their invasion , of Jtumania. The Greek King is possibly still in a position to hamper and impede the Allied army to some extent, but his powers of mischief appear to be limited. An act of treachery against the Entente would not only cost him his crown, which ■is probably already forfeit, but very possibly hie head as well. In the circumstances, much as he ie inclined to strike a blow for Germany, there is a good deal to deter him from that course.

A rather striking item of news from Petrograd to-day, and an indication of thorough-going methods pn the part of the new Government, is a message stating that ae a result of visits by M. Guchkoff (Minister of War) to the various fronts 115. high officials, including 23 generals on the south-western front, have been relieved of their commands. It has been said that without a war like this, .which has killed off the old professional.army that was loyal to the bureaucracy, Russia would ..never have had an army of, the people to side with the people in a national crisis. Tho war has democratised tho Russian Army and changed it from an instrument of despotism into an army of the people, but no doubt "there are still a number of officers in the higher grades who with the old regime, and are hostile to the new order, or for other reasons are a source of weakness and not of strength, There is no.reason to doubt that the weeding-out reported to-day will be for the good of the Russian Army. M. Guchkoff, a Duma member of iong standing, and at one time President of that assembly, is said to have no special or technical knowledge of military affairs, but has the reputation of a skilful organiser and a- man of conspicuous all-round ability. In geifcral the intervention of a politician in matters of military organisation holds dangerous possibilities, but it is likely that M. Guchkoff is acting in harmony with General Alexieff, the Commander-in-Ohief, arid those of his subordinates who, like General Brusiloff, the brilliant commander of the south-western armies, .were from tho outset active in their support of tho revolution.

So far is its essential details are concerned a Redter message, which' quotes an authoritative ■ Italian source of information for the statement that the Anglo-French offensive has destroyed the enemy's hopes of invading Italy, and that an early resumption of the Italian offensive is anticipated, may be accepted with little hesitation. The Italian Army has reached a high state of preparation, and no doubt will strike as soon as weather permits. On their 'main offensive front last year tho Italians penetrated two_ of the enemy's three lines, and demonstrated their ability to master his strongest fortified positions. They will bring greater resources to bear this year, and it is_ tolerably certain that the enemy will quickly find the force's he has hitherto maintained on the Italian • front inadequate. In this theatre as in others Allied prospects are good.