PROGRESS OF THE WAR

Dominion, Volume 11, Issue 117, 4 February 1918, Page 4

PROGRESS OF THE WAR

The Italians report another successful stroke in the region of their late offensive—the eastern part of the Asiago Plateau. Apart from the loss to which the enemy has been subjected, this section of the lino has now been very considerably strengthened. . The existing situation goes far to justify the confidence with which, somo correspondents on the Italian front looked to the future even in the- darkest hours of the- late disaster. In an article in tho Fortnightly licview Mh. Julius M. Price emphasised tho difficulties which, when ho wrote, faced the Italians in establishing a new defensive lino, but he observed also: "I-have .always contended that man for man the, Italian is far and away superior as a fighting machine to tho Austrian, and nothing that has happened .' . . can change that opinion, which is not based on mere hearsay, but on what I have 6een for myself during months of campaigning on this front, and, what is more-, I am fully convinced that tho Austrianshavo long realised it. Only the knowledge of their numerical superiority and the. confidence inspired by the presence of picked German divisions with them to back them up could havo roused them to such a pitch of daring a 9 they have recently displayed. They must bave been astounded at their own prowess, and I cannot help thinking it will tax their power of endurance very seriously to keep it up when the Italians pull themselves together again." Mb. Price pointed out also that one result of the. Austro-Gcrman drive was to bring the enemy fairly into tho open where he would havo no shelter of elaborate trenches; and far from the protecting wall of mountains at his back on which he had always relied for support. "Provided the Italian Army can hold the invader in check till all is in readiness," ho added, "it is quite conceivable that the biggest battle of the war may bo fought on tho plain of Friuli. With the Italian Army again upon the offensive, though not as yet upon a very great scale, and strong Anglo-French reinforcements sharing its burdens, this prospect is perceptibly nearer to being realised than when Mb. Price wrote.

An announcement from Athena that ten classes of reservists have been ordered to mobilise on February 14, no doubt means that tho Greek Army is ab.out to be raised to its full strength of something like 300,000 men. Mobilisation of tho' Greek forces was necessarily postponed in the reconstruction period which followed the expulsion of Constantine, but delays occurred later in procuring necessary military supplies which could only be obtained from the Allies. Tin; report mentioned no doubt means that these supplies are now in hand. Several Greek divisions were raised and sent into the field by the Provisional Government at Salonika. Considerable additions were, made to this force some months ago, and the mobilisation of another ten classes should, as stated, raise the Greek Army to something like full effective strength. With the Greek Army fully mobilised tho Allies should bo able to muster in consid-

crablc strength on the Macedonian front, but it seems likely that the ultimate forward move lately foretold by M. Vrn'Memis must wait iipon events in other European theatres.