PROGRESS OF THE WAR

Evening Post, Volume LXXXIX, Issue 150, 26 June 1915, Page 7

PROGRESS OF THE WAR

ITALY'S CAREFUL ADVANCE DANGER OF HASTY METHODS. RUSSIAN HOLD ON THE DNIESTER. Little has been heard lately of fcho developments -in the war between Italy an Austria. The Italians appear to have sent arnubas up to the frontier at most or all off the points where passes allow of traverse from one country to the»oth«r, tonhave occupied the southern part of the •Trcntino, about as far up tihe Adige Valley as Revereto, and. to progressed in an eastward advance as far as the Isonzo River, except on tho coast, where, wth naval aid. land forces have occupied Monfaloone. The comparative silence of the past week may, cover important operations in progress, and veiled by the efficient censorship established in Italy j but it is not likely that any important reverse of fortune has boon experienced, or the Austrians would have announced it. It is probable that the apparent lull can be rightly explained by saying that Italy is taking every precaution to seeuro the advantages she has already gained, and to prepare properly fo,r further efforts. It would be useless, for instance, to send a wave of conquest far north into Trontino by way of the Adige Valley if it could be rolled back by a powerful Austrian counter-attack j and such an attack is far from unlikely after the Russian defeat. The warfare in the Alpina height* which occupy the greater part of the frontier is difficult and slow. The principal object of the Italian operations in the Carnic Alps is probably to reach the valley of the Drave, through which runs an important railway route (Kla-genfurt-Franzenfeste-Botzen'Trent), by means of which the Austrian force in the Trei),tino acquires much of its supplies. The cutting of this line would greatly hamper the Austrians, and, in. addition, would give the Italians a path by which those armies, already engaged in front, could be attacked in the rear A-s .for the Isori&o River, which runs nearly parallel with the Italian .eastern, oi' ( Friuli, frontier, it constitutes an ad> mirable defensible line for 'the Austrians. Jt is strengthened by the fortifications of Gorz, and probably other works, which must be reduced before the river can profitably be passed. Gradisca, to the south, and Plava, to the north, of Gorz, have been successfully attacked. HARMONY OF OPERATIONS. The crossing of the Isonzo gives Italy "a, choice of future operations, against Istria. or against the interior of Austria. It is now many days since troops on the coast were reported to have reached' Duino, only a dozen miles from Trieste, the implication being that an advance upon that very important seaport was in progress. But such an advance 1b impossible till it is properly protected by an Italian advance harmonising with it, west of the Isonzo. The Istnan peninsula cannot safely be attacked by any army stretched out like a tentacle; it must be swallowed up by the extension of the Italian-held ground past its root, so that there shall be no danger of the enemy driving in a wedge from the north or east, Laibaoh, for instance, and cutting off the Italian invaders. Moreover, the success and safoty of an eastward invasion of Austria on an extensive scale depends largely upon whatthe Italians achieve in the Trentino. There is always the possibility that, the • enemy, perhaps a powerful Austro-Ger-man combination, may be able to get down the Adige Valley and cut off the province of Venetaa from the rest of Italy— a development which might have the moat disastrous resulte for the Italians operating in the direction of Istria. All this indicates that the Italian campaign is one in which speed will be sacrificed for caution. Recent messages indicate that the Austrians have endeavoured to tak© the offensive, so far without success. This is probably an early result of the Galician Austro-German success against the Russians, which has freed part of the Austrian armies, and no doubt in anticipation of an offensive by the enemy. Italy has been' extra careful in perfecting her arrangements for the future There is still no direct open cooperation of Germany with Austria in this war ; but there is to-day a message which states that German prisoners captured m the Trentino declared that they belonged to 30.000 who had come from Mecklenberg, in North Germany. THE ENEMY AT BAY. So far, the reports of the Galician situation have not established a settled order of things. The Lemberg district is still in the turmoil consequent upon its change of hands, and there i« no light upon the position between the city and the Dniester. It is probable that the Dniester is being cleared of troops in its western part. The "extraordinary persistence" of the enemy's attempt to advance along the Letnberg-Brzezany railway, which cuts the main line of the Russian retreat from the Dniester, is hn indication that the clearing of the river is in progress. It was satisfactorily stopped by the Russians. A desperate battle is in progress near 'Zaravno (east of Stryj) and this struggle, which up to the present is favouring the Russians, probably marks the position of the existing Russian left of the river line. The Austro-German forces have been making strenuous efforts to cross the Dniester further east, and though they have secured footings, have been forced back. The Berlin reports corroborate the Bub> sian, and it is clear that the enemy are thoroughly held on this line. The retirement of the Russians in Galicia has had a marked effect upon the position in southern Poland, where the line of troops screening the country from the enemy's attacks has had to be swept back to correspond with the Galician retreat. In central Poland it is probably not moved. That is. it stands on the Bzura River, running thence south; but instead ' of going almost direct to the frontier or on to Tarnow, as it did in April, it has been swung eastward at about Opoczno, which is nearly weot of Radom. mid south-east of Lodz. It curves round between the Opoczno-Ostroviec railway and Kielce, and passing Ostrovieo, which the enemy claim they have occupied, it meets the frontier near the confluence of the Vistula and the San, follows the San to the Tanef (part of which is in Russian territory), and follows the line of this river to Ravanißka. From this point the line of positions appears roughly to lie oh tho eastern side ot the Ravaniska-Lembei-ff and Lemberg-fiobrka railways, so reaching the Dniester at Zar'avno Thence eastward it follows the Dniester. TORPEDOES FOR TURKS. One of the best-eArned Victoria Crosses of tho war has been awarded to Lieut. - Commander Martin 15. Nasmith, for his remarkable exploit in the Sea of Marmora. He was in command of submarine Ell in November. The feat for which ho lias been decorated consisted in tho sinking of a large gunboat, two transports, an ammunition ship, and a storeship, and Ihc- driving of another storesliip ashore. ThJB is the »ovt of thing which is calculated to upeet the Turkish campaign on the Gallipoli Peninsula as mrtch as the shell* of "Big Lizzie " There is a strangely indirect report, coming from Tokio by, way of New York.

thai seven German submarines have reaohed the Mediterranean by passing through the straits of Gibraltar. The jpresence of one or two enemy submarines a few weeks ago resulted in stho sinking- of the battleships Goliath *4nd Triumph ; bnt for the past month nothing has been achieved by them ; and /perhaps the presence of seven has no ,'terrors for the Allies' fleet.