PROGRESS OF THE WAR

Dominion, Volume 11, Issue 53, 26 November 1917, Page 4

PROGRESS OF THE WAR

The extent to which the enemy has been shaken by the British thrust at Cambrai appears in the tone of German comment as well as in the visible results of that enterprise, One Berlin newspaper attempts to console its readers by declaring that "this abortive offensive" will not divert tho Germans' attention from Flanders, where tho British are certain to renew their efforts to get rid of the dangerous submarine bases. For the season stated and others the' offensive will undoubtedly be prosecuted on the Flanders front with all possible vigour, but no more absurd suggestion could be imagined.than that because tho Germans are seriously menaced on die Flanders front they arc in a position to regard tho invasion of other sections of their line with equanimity. By creating a dangerous breach in the enemy front in an area where it was until a few days ago immensely strong, the thrust at Cambrai has weakened the Germans in Flanders and all parts of the Western theatre. It is aipon the cumulative effect of their offensive strokes that the Allies rely to ultimately break up the enemy's resistance, and the conquest of the formidable defences covering Cambrai is important not only in its local aspect, but as compelling a redistribution of the enemy's available strength which militates against the sound dofence of his front as a whole.

No better refutation of the abortive offensive theory could he desired than is afforded in the enemy's costly and unsuccessful efforts to restore his damaged front. At some points, as to-day's reports show, he has freely used his best troops in massed attacks, and incurred maximum losses, but tho height of his achievement has been to set-limits to what he can only regard as a terrible disaster. The ono important success gained by the Germans in their counter-attacks was the temporary recovery of the village of Fontaine Notro Dame. A late official report states that this village is _ again in British hands. Fontaine Notre Dame stands on the Bapaume-Oambrai road, six miles cast of the point on that highway at which the British offensive was launched. The eastern houses of the village aro little more than two and a half miles distant from the western outskirts of Cambrai, and as the news shows there are artillery positions in the near neighbourhood from which it will be possible to subject the great junction to a destructive bombardment. The statement made by Sir Douat-AS Haio that important dominating positions westward of Fontaine Notre Dame wero stormed points to an achievement of greater moment that the capture of t-ne village itself.

In their official reports the Germans make a particular pojnfc of alleging tho failure of British attacks on the front ranging west from Fontaine Notre Dame—the northern wall of the broad wedge which has been driven into the enemy line. In the ordinary way such a wedgo drivon into the hostile defences is exposed to converging attack. It says much for the skill with which the British attack has been planned and directed that on the front in question—the northern wall of the wedgo advanced towards Cambrai— the struggle, in- spito of his reports to the contrary, is going decidedly against the enemy_. On this front the British are facing north into the flank of a particularly formidable range of enemy defences, and it will be seen from the official reports that they have -not only made Headway into these defences from tho west, but have captured high ground overlooking them in flank. The capture in the area botween Moeuvres and Qucant (at a point about nine miles west of Oambrai) of an important spur giving observation over the Hindenburg line to the north and west, stands out from the current news as an event of excellent promise and an answer to enemy falsehoods. The position disclosed in today's reports is from every point of view highly satisfactory. The whole of tho ground gained in ono of the most brilliantly successful offensive strokes of the war has been_ retained and consolidated, and in spite of tho enemy's desperate attempts to retrieve the position the wedge driven into his line is being steadily widened. No ovents of note are reports ed on tho southern part of the attacking front, towards St. Qucntin. The features which command attention for tho time beingare the near approach to Cambrai junction and tho attack on tho soutborn flank of the enemy defences which run south from Lens through the Douai Plain.

Available reports dealing with tho Italian campaign disclose _ lio essential change in the _ situation. Tho enemy is concentrating upon an effort to- conquer tho Grappa massif, just west of the River Piave, and his success would compel tho Italians to undertake a further retreat, abandoning a wide area of tho Venetian Plain, and Venice itself, to his occupation. They are still, however, offering a magnificent resistance on the Grappa massif and on other _ sections of tho front, and tho active assistance of. their Franco-British ought now to be in near prospect. Another indication of tho declining importance of the submarino is given in the nows that the American War Risk Bureau has reduced tho marine insurance rate for th& submarine zone from 5 to 4 per cent. A few days ago tho Gormahs announced a considerable extension of tho submarino zone. How far tho announcement has fallen short of its intended effect appears in this substantial reduction of tho insurance rates affecting particularly tho Atlantic routes, which the Germans aro supremely concerned to interrupt. « II » , * The worst feature in the later news from Russia is the absence of any indication that tho moderate forces aro gathering head. It is generally agreed that the Maximalists, who pretend to speak for Russia, and aro seeking to conclude peace with Germany, are a comparatively small minority, but there is nothing at present to show that their usurpation is being vigorously contested, and some of today's reports suggest that tho Allied nations regard a separate peace between Russia and the Central Empires as a distinct possibility. The scope granted to Lenin and his gang weakens the opinion hitherto in favour that the dominant section

of the Russian nation would indignantly repudiate a genoral peace, and raises the prospect not only of the releaso of the whole of the enemy forces still held on the Russian front, hut of other consequences, including possibly the release of a large number of enemy prisoners and the resumption of trado between Russia and enemy countries, It has actually become a redeeming feature of the situation that Russia is threatened with a serious famine: .