PROGRESS OF THE WAR

Dominion, Volume 11, Issue 84, 2 January 1918, Page 4

PROGRESS OF THE WAR

To-day's reports from Italy powerfully strengthen the impression conveyed of late that the Italians and their Allies have successfully met tho first demand of the situation— that a sound defensive line should be constituted in face of the enemy invasion. A very definite'indication that in this sense the tide has turned is given in the news of a successful stroke by the French in the region of the Tomba Ridge, that is to say, afc the eastern end of the Grappa massif, near to tho point at which it flanks the Piave. That tho attack was driven shrewdly home appears from the considerable captures effected—close on 1400 prisoners, seven guns, 60 machineguns, and other material. It is evident, also, both from the Italian and enemy reports, that the AustroGermans were dislodged from _ important positions. The event, is a, welcome break in the long defensive struggle which has followed on the Italian debacle, and seems'to throw somo light also on the enemy's recent tactics. For a time- he, attacked alternately on both sides of the Brenta—on the Asiago Plateau on the west and on tho Grappa massif east of the river. The attacks were complementary, though full success in either area would have enabled him to descend from the- mountains into the plain. His most recent attacks, though they were very powerful, wore confined to the Asiago Plateau, and it now seems likely that, these attacks represented a last effort to break tho resistance of the Italians in an area whero they aro fighting unaided by their Allies. Tho Italians, however, maintained a sound defence, ■ though not without losing ground at some, points, and the successful counter-stroke delivered by the French is at least a, tentative indication that the initiative is passing to tho Allies.

The location of this battle shows that the French are posted flank to flank, or nearly so, with the British divisions which are established on the Montello Hills, 'a range extending, south and easfi from the eastern extremity of the Grappa massif. The- fact that British and Italian batteries, as well as airmen, cooperated in the French attack may mean that the British guns were in a position to bombard the flank of the Austro-German defences.

To other evidences that the enemy is conscious of failure in Italy and of his inability to reach decisive results, there is to bo added the increasing savagery of his air attacks. Another raid on Padua, is reported to-day, which resulted in the destruction of many artistic monuments and of the facade of the cathedral. It is true that one- of the enemy's motives for attacking Padua is that it is an important railway junction and now moro than ever a vital point in tho Italian advanced communications. But the enemy would presumably have abstained from t,he indiscriminate destruction reported had ho retained his former hopes of making headway in Italy by intrigue and propaganda as well as by military effort. * * * * Powerful German attacks on the southern part of tho British salient facing Cambrai are reported today. The enemy at first gained some ground, but most of it has been recovered in ' counter-attacks, and from Sir Douglas Haig'r latest report on the subject it seems possible that the- enemy has already exhausted his effort. There is nothing to show that his attack was more than defensive in conception. It is the essential.feature of the situation

opposite Cambrai that tho British are in possession of a section of the Hindenburg line, including dominating positions, and that the enemy is still faced by the problem of establishing a sound defensive line in an area lie is bound to regard as critical.

Not all the news from Russia today is bad. Somo reports, it is true, suggest that the Bolsheviki aro in a fair way to establish the separate peace- they aro negotiating with the ContrafEmpir.es, but there aro other reports which tell a rather different story. As against the statement of one correspondent that Lenin and his gang aro assured of the support of the Constituent Assembly when it meets, it is stated in a later messago that a Bolshoviki mob in Pctrograd demonstrated against the Constituent Assembly. Furthermore, it is stated that the peasants in Siberia and the Ukraine are refusing to send corn to Pctrograd, and also that Bolshevik forces on the south-western front have been heavily defeated by the Ukrainian Cossacks. Tho possibility has not wholly disappeared that a great part of the Russian population may repudiate peaco on terms which virtually mean handing over a great N part of Western Russia to tho enemy.

A statement, mado by the United States Chief of Ordnance, before a Senate Committee, that Great Britain and Franco have agreed to furnish artillery for tho American troops sent to France during 1918 and longer if necessary, is important for more than one- reason. It means, of course, that the production of artillery in Britain and France has now attained enormous proportions, and tho arrangement obviously entails a most important application of tho principle of coordination in the manufacture of war material. Before the war the United States produced about twice as much iron and steel as Germany and nearly four times as much as Great Britain. She coulcl certainly turn out vast quantities of artillery, long before tho end of 1918, but no doubt she will secure much better results for herself and the Allies by exporting materials as far as may be necessary and' at the same time concentrating her manufacturing resources unon the satisfaction of other vital necessities—notably by the construction of ships.