PROGRESS OF THE WAR

Evening Post, Volume LXXXVIII, Issue 153, 26 December 1914, Page 8

PROGRESS OF THE WAR

CHOOSING A PLACE TO STRIKE , ■ THE PRESSURE ON RUSSIA. General Joffre is plainly sparring for IP opening, so as to strike in the best way to relieve tho pressure on the Rusfcfrms. This is the gist of an interesting message from The Times Military Correspondent. The whole of' the campaign in France and Belgium, has long resolved jtfielf into a defence of tho German lines of communication, the chief of which runs from Cologne through Liege, Namur, Maubeuge, Le Cateau, and St. Quentin to the western part of the battle front on the Aisne. lo the westward of this the Germans" hold a line advanced more or less; and east of Soissons to the Argonne they ■maintain, along the north banks of the Aisne and the Suippes Rivers, a magnificent front, perhaps one of tho most defensible in Western Europe. General Joffre has two main offensive objects. One is to break through the German front, anywhere between Belgium and the Aisne, and reach the railway. If j ho succeeds in that, the whole of the German right on the Aisne will inevit- j ably crumple up. The other objective I is the breaking of tho line on the river front. This will enable him to harry the internal communications of the area held by the enemy, as well as to reach their second main line of supplies coming ty way of Luxembourg, and by an indirect route towards Reims. It would •lso enable him to take either or both gf the two German wings on the flank or rear, and would compel a retirement Of the Whole fox-ce just as inevitably as •would his success further north. The German tenancy of the present position is so absolutely vital to them that so far the Allies have been able to make little impression upon them in the past three months. It was this huge difficulty , no doubt, which determined the transfer of the British from the deadlock area between Compiegne and Soissons to Belgium, where an active attempt has ever since been made to turn the German right and compel a retirement there. But the conditions are gradually changing. During the early stages of the war it became more and more evident not only that France was unprepared for the war but that, in spite of brave assertions, she would take a long time to get ready, the French Army is rapidly growing, so is the British ; and it is a blow at one of the vital points that has been promised so long " for the spring." And the preparations have been pushed ahead of time-table. SUCCESS MAY BE FAR OFF. Yet it is not certain that Germany can be beaten out of her present magnificent position without a most arduous and protracted struggle, even if the Allies are considerably strengthened. This lends colour to the statement of the Chief of the Austrian General Staff that the decisive result of the war will he reached on the eastern front. Such an event means one of two things. Either the Russians will defeat the enemy, and. will compel . a complete surrender ; or they will be themselves so signally de-, feated that the Allies will feel forced to give up the war on terms. The alter, native acceptable to our views is, of <;ourse, a decisive Russian victory; and " it is quite possible that it may be won before the Allies in the west have succeeded, in levering the Germans out of positionTHE RUSSIANS CHECKED. 1 It is clear that the Germans have succeeded in checking very seriously tho Russian attempt to carry their offensive into Silesia. The defence succeeded by checking the simultaneous advance of the Russian armies in Central and South Poland and Galicia, and resulted in. throwing back the Russians, who were advancing in Central Poland till they were nearly back to Warsaw. Now the fighting centres on the Bzura and Rawka Rivere, which form a screen from thirty to forty miles westward of Warsaw, and the actions, fiercely fought by the defending 'Russians, have resulted in heavy losses. Sochaczew,' west of Warsaw, on tho Bzura, was evidently very heavily bombarded. The Russians claim complete succeed on the positions they occupy, but < the German armies are evidently making a terrific effort. Further to the southwest, on the Pilica. in the neighbourhood of Tomazow and Opoczno, the Gerinanja are still forcing an enveloping movement which does not at the moment j show signs of having been stopped. In the advance from Galicia,, northeast of Cracow, the enemy have forced their way as far along the Nida River at Pintschow, and will be able greatly to strengthen the German armies of the centre if they can effect a junction. HUMANITARIAN YON TIRPITZ. Admiral Yon Tirpitz, in his recent interview, seems to have quit himself of views a little more interesting than his admission that the German Navy ■was not prepared to fight one three times its strength. Ho said, among other things, that he is going to blockside England and destroy her merchant shipping with submarines. He may be bluffing. But he may also be telling the truth. If Germany seriously intends to liestroy merchantmen ' by tho agency of submarines, she is going to enter a field of blood-shedding activity quite unforeseen by the framers of international law. Under exceptional circumstances a submarine may be able to challenge a (steamer, and threaten to blow her up if she does not surrender; but more often the only way to stop a plucky skipper will be to blow his ship up. Then all hands will drown, or o,t least risk drowning. It is not likely that Germany would in cold blood risk the loss of any friendly feelings that still remain in the neutral world. But there is no saying what she may do in the excitement of her desperate need. Nevertheless,. Germany has offered up several big "bluffs" as^ to her intentions on the sea, and yon Tirpitz, who is a most importAnt figure in tha history of the German Wavy, and is far from foolish^, may have heen making mental reservations during his interview. AN AIR "RAID." One of the dearest ambitions of some Germans has been realised, though not to the fuli. _ An aeroplane has at last dropped a bomb on English soil. The i air-raid has come off. Fortunately it did no damage Not even civilian blood j was spilled. Again, as in the cose of ' the naval raid, the wonder is that it las not been attempted, before. England i<) within easy a-eroplaning distance of Germany, and the threat has been held out co long that in all probability the owner of the private garden which received the unwelcome warranty of Germany's good' faith in her determination was less surprised than annoyed. But the aeroplane is not a Zeppelin, and the great event ia still in the future. The aviator had the assistance of tloudy weather,, and did not wait to try conclusions with the machines -which, (ri'omptly set out after it. He that raids and runs away May wear an iron cross gome day, A Copenhagen message reports that the increase in steamer freights has suggested to the Germans that the British authorities have chartered large numbers of steamers for the transport of troops, fven from very distant places. It is not cortceivahle tha-t dhn enr.my do uof> 'kaovt. ihaA iuu Usmsjwrl, id .Uutiali

tioops has already reached huge proportions; btifc if they are really reduced to seven-league boots deductions as their only means of discovering that the overseas dominions are helping in the war, the much-advertised German spy system must have been terribly .inefficient.