PROGRESS OF THE WAR

Dominion, Volume 11, Issue 311, 20 September 1918, Page 4

PROGRESS OF THE WAR

It was hardly expected that a frontal attack on the Hindenburg line would be the nest move made, by the Allies in prosecuting their offensive in the Western.theatre, but to-day's news shows that such an attack has been launched and carried through its opening stage , ? with conspicuous success. The British are pressing forward west and northwest of St. Quentin, and the French are keeping pace on their right flank. Some of the earlier messages in hand speak of the operation as one in which the Allies aimed at clearing ths narrow belt of country which, when the battle opened, separated them from the main defences of the Hindcnburg line, but a report from' Sin Douglas Haig shows that more-important results have been secured. On a front of sixteen miles, extending from south-west of Cambrai to west of St. Quentin, the two British armies engaged have reached and captured the outer defences of the Hindenburg line in wide sectors. The advance in places has covered a distance of three miles. As matters stand at time of writing, the British have captured 6000 prisoners and a number of guns. The French, on the sou thorn part of the attacking front, have advanced simultaneously to a maximum depth of a mile and a quarter on a front of seven and a half miles.

It is an open question at the moment, whether the attacking forces have settled down on the new front or are developing their initial success. But in any case this battle has already impressively confirmed the view expressed in an enemy order, recently captured, that, the Allies must now be expected to strike heavy blows. Following as it does upon the American victory between Verdun and the Moselle and the persistent attacks in which the French arc menacing the western flank of the Aisne plateau, and the approaches to Laon, (ho In-test British stroke will make the Hun more than ever thankful that the northern winter is comparatively close at hand. In spite of all that has been said about the construction of supplementary defensive lines, it is likely that the complete penetration of tlic Hindenburg line in the area in which tho blow has fallen would entail serious consequences for the enemy. But the gravity of his situation, is not, of course, measured by the 'position reached n>i any one baltlcfidd. The possibility mnai.'is open that before campaigning on the grand scale ends for the year ho may have to cope with even more formidable attacks than those which thus far have- thrown back on tho Hindenburg line and in places

well beyond it. His selected defensive lino is by no' means secure, but it counts for a good deal more, so far as the immediate outlook is concerned, that while tho resolution and resisting powera of his own troops have been seriously weakened tho French and British Armies arc alike giving splendid proofs of unexhausted striking power and are assured of powerful support from the American Army, which has already reached the stage of fighting and winning battles under its own Commander-in-Ghief.

The front on which the British attacked in tho present battle extends from Gouzeaucourt, 13 miles south-west of Cambrai, to Holnon village, two and a half miles west of St. Quentin. Tho French advanced on the front from Holnon to Essigny-le-Grand, four miles south of St. Queatin. As a whole the attack menaces the raihvay system between Cambrai and Laon. It is developing immediately north of the sector in which the Allies were faced last year, and are faced still, by formidable obstacles in the flooded valley of tho Oiso and the St. Gobain massif. Assuming that the thrust is vigorously developed it will soon be seen whether the enemy has been ablo by the construction of artificial defences to create as formidable obstacles at and north of St. Quentin as admittedly exist south of that placo.

While /they have swept forward victoriously between Gouzeaucourt and Holnon, the British have suffered a detail set-back in losing tho village of Moeuvrea, which stands seven miles west of Cambrai and about half a milo west of the ditch of tho Canal du Nord. The enemy recaptured tho village on Tuesday evening, not many hours before the British opened the great attack which has developed so successfully further south'. Moeuvres lies a couple of miles east of tho Hindenburg line, which has been breached as far south as Troscault, five miles further south, but in order to realise the importance of Moeuvres and tho ground in its vicinity to the enemy it is necessary to look cast rather than west. Mocuvree is within three miles of the wooded elevation called Bourlon Hill, which was captured and held for a time by the British at the height of General Byng's offensive towards Cambrai last year. The hill is a key position commanding tho remaining three or four miles of country between it and Cambrai, and tho enemy's counter-attack on Moeuvres was evidently inspired by his anxious desire to hold Bourlon Hill by the greatest possible margin. He is coping now with a vastly more formidable offensive- than Genebai, Byng's resources enabled him to develop last year, and in tho existing state of the campaign the loss of Bourlon Hill would be apt to involve the loss of 'Cambrai. Tho recovery of Mocuvrcs is no doubt of material importance at the moment as tending to safeguard tho enemy's hold on Cambrai, • but. tho attack further south is on such a scale that it may in itself throw his plans for the defence of Cambrai out of gear. ««« » •

The Allied offensive in Macedonia is developing with good promise. Considerable progress has Been made in the reduction of the fortified mountain positions south-east of Prilep, and the tale of prisoners and guns captured is increasing'. The statement made in ono message that the Bulgars are showing signs of weakening deserves attention,for circumstantial reports of their increasing demoralisation .have- been current for some time past, and if the. Allies are iu a position to develop a strung offc-nsivo Bulgarian discontent and war weariness may soon become highly important factors in the Balkan campaign. Interesting evidence in regard to the state of mind of the Bulgars was supplied by a special correspondent of the London Times in a message written iu July. "Statistics furnished to me by French Headquarters," he observed, "show that desertions from the Bulgarian Army on tho Macedonian front are greatly increasing, a fact that appears all the more significant when it is borne in mind that the severest penalties are inflicted on the families of deserters, including not only the cancellation of their maintenance allowances, but confiscation of their property and deportation of their persons. The fisures for the last six months are U in January, 30 in February, 39 in March, .59 in April, 170 in May, and SlO in June. The deserters all acree in stating that the conditions of life in Bulgaria arc unbearable, and hones of uHirnaie victory'have vanished amnn.? the people. There is ere at -ind, incrca-shie insubordination in Hie Army, many unifs havin« Ifl'tcl" vefuFPf! to obey ord?r,s to. attack. They alsr> °fafc that numerous soldiers, unwilling to desert to the enemy, have taken advantage of home leave to desert to'the mountains, where they remain in hiding." These ore conditions which a vigorous and successful offensive by the Allies should tend if b;ing speedily to a head, possibly with results of far-reaching importance.