THE WAR

Evening Post, Volume XCII, Issue 58, 6 September 1916, Page 6

THE WAR

The success gained jointly by the British and French troops on the east front of the Somme salient north of the river has been very promptly followed by a French advance on the south side of the Somme. The recent comparative inactivity of the French on this front was referred to in yesterday's notes as being probably due to the necessity for progress being out of proportion to the cost of making it. , This conclusion is not necessarily proved wrong by the new effort, because at any time circumstances may reverse the conditions and make attack not only advisable but imperative. For instance, the offensive operations north of the Somme may have caused the withdrawal of men and guns—particularly guns—from the south side of the river, and left a weak spot which invited an attack for which the French were already prepared in anticipation of an opportunity. The actual gain of ground as shown in the official reports is not great in depth, though it extends over a wide sector some dozen miles. The front appears to lie now iv almost a straight line from the village of Vermandovillers to Barleux, and thence to Biaches, which the French hold completely or in part. The principal gain is m the region about Estrees and Soyecourt, and the whole of Soyccourt is now French, while Vermandovillers, like Thiepval on the north end of the British front, is half encircled. A mile or two south of this point the French have pushed ahead to the woods on the north-west of Chaulnes.

The British gains in the region of Combles, north of the Somme, have been increased. On tlie north-west side of Combles there is a strip of wood about a milo long and a quarter of a mile wide, lying in a north-east and south-west direction. The southern part of this is the Leuze Wood, the northern the Bouleaux Wood ; and the British have now a footing in the southern end. Progress has also' been made further south, right up to the French flank, which is at or just north of the village Le Forest, beyond which the French have advanced- towards a little wood called Anderlu, a mile south-east of Combles, and nearly as far north-east of Le Forest. The British main attack on the northern side of the salient- was marked, among other notable features, by a gallant attack by the Anzacs on the much-disputed Mouquet Farm. This position, a mile east of Thiepval, has been surrounded; whether it is yet occupied is not clear. Very fierce fighting took place between the Australians (no New Zealanders are here as far as is known) and some of the Prussian Guard. Once the crack corps of the German Army, the famous Guards have been in the thick of tbe fighting throughout the war, and while there can be little doubt that this elite corps has degenerated owing to its continual losses and renewals it is an additional honour to the Anzacs that the Guards are among those who have failed to stand against the Australian troops.

The course of events in the Dobrudja district, which represents the broad stalk which attaches the rest of Rumania to the Black Sea coast, is naturally a cause of much speculation. A Dutch comment states that here the fate of the war in the Balkans may be decided. Everything seems to depend upon that mysterious Russian army of which scarcely a glimpse has been had, but which is pictured as pouring from the banks of the Lower Danube on a southward course through the Dobrudja Plains towards the Bulgarian frontier. Yon Mackensen, who seems bound to turn up (on paper) at critical moments in any part of Europe, and almost as certain to disappear when the action develops, is said by the same authority to be handling the German and Bulgar forces in this region.

A Russian communique just received states that contact has been established between the Russian and Bulgar cavalry in the Dobrudja, but there are no further details at the time of writing. It is quite conceivable that the operations in this region may result in a defeat of all the forces the enemy can concentrate, in which, case the' issues in the Balkans may quickly be decided. A report by the Daily Mail's correspondent in Greece, that tho Bulgar troops in Greek Macedonia are being withdrawn, and that the enemy's offensive has collapsed, is probably the reflection of the Dobrudja operations. The Bulgars cannot neglect the front menaced by the Allies in Greece, but if they are heavily threatened on their northern frontier it would be absurd for them to waste effort in Greece when the whole situation calls for the soundest possible defence. They have probably been able to guess the approximate strength of the Allies, and know now that even Greek intervention is notlikely to increase, very much the forces against them, owing to the difficulty of re-mobilising the Greek forces to a high efficiency.

The award of a Victoria Cross to Lieut. W. Robinson, of the Royal Worcestershires and the Flying Corps, is a reward for another of the brilliant and, a. yet, rare victories of the aeroplane over the Zeppelin. Investigation has shown that while the Zeppelin which fell in flames on the outskirts of -London passed through a storm of accurate gun-fire, it was Lieut. Robinson's aeroplane which played the chief part in its destruction. The extreme difficulty of actually bringing down an airship by gunfire is' widely recognised, even when it is not understood. Roughly speaking, it is due to tho fact lhat an airship, for fear of serious damage, naturally (lies so high that she is a very difficult target; so that hits are comparatively rare. The later anti-air-craft, guns, however, are of very great power, and can fire much higher than any aircraft can fly. But an aeroplane can fly at v higher altitude than an airship too, and its accuracy of attach is as good at a great height as lower down. The chief difficulty it has to, contend with at night is the lack of light, and even i( its onwiiy if. iUinninnled by aewiskllghta, the ghre f-om them Is a

great handicap to the aviator, who must necessarily look downwards to carry out his attack. The report of Lieut. Robinson's success is accompanied by statements which show that the British guns effected a good deal of damage to the enemy, and which give support to the recent stories about damaged German raiders limping home after their attempt to blow up the fortress of London and do other notable deeds among Britain's vital spots.

Not much attention need be given yet to the report that the United States Senate has passed a retaliatory resolution in connection with the Allies' "black list." The Allies have inaugurated a system under which they forbid .trade with firms which are known to be concerned with enemy interests. Tho Senate proposes in return to black-list the Allied vessels which discriminate in their receipt of cargoes, even to the extent of using armed force if necessary to prevent such ships from leaving port. If the Allies' rule is enforced, this means, apparently, that no Allied ship may take any cargo from the United States. But the resolution is at present only in a preliminary stage, and may not mean more than bluff. It has yet to pass the House of Representatives (in the States a Bill may go through either House first), and to be signed by the President, who can veto it if he does not approve of it. It seems hardly likely that' a measure so extraordinary can pass successfully through the ordeals before it. It promises a certain embarrassment for the Allies, but it also promises considerable disadvantages to America. If it does beoome law, it will be time to consider whether the Allies will find the new position tolerable.