ALLIED OFFENSIVE

Evening Post, Volume XCVI, Issue 44, 20 August 1918, Page 7

ALLIED OFFENSIVE

UNEXPECTEDLY SUC

CESSFUL

ENEMY'S HEAVY LOSSES

PRISONERS MORE NUMEROUS THAN ALLIED CASUALTIES,

[The following official summary of the war situation for the past week has been received from the Ministry of Information by the Acting-Prime Minister (Sir James Allen.]

The Allies' attack south of the Somme was so successful that it exceeded expectations. The enemy's whole fronttrench system was overrun at the greatest cost to the enemy and the slightest loss to our own troops. The German machine-gunners did not show the same fighting qualities as during the attack on YJl^ers Bretonneux, but on this occasion left or surrendered their guns. Meanwhile at first the British attack between the Somme and the Ancre was temporarily held up by a German attack, which caused some confusion and upset our arrangements, but by 9th August all was well, and the whole objective was obtained. The Allies planned a converging attack on the Germans in the Montdidier salient from three directions. This plan was most successful, and the town of .Montdidier was surrounded and captured' with a large number of prisoners. The enemy was completely surprised and feebly resisted. Progress meanwhile continues all along the whole front, and the latest news states that the French are masters of the entire Lassigny ridge, 'a most important' point, as the ground here dominates a considerable extent of country to the north. During the past week the .advance made was from ten to fifteen miles on a forty-five mile front, while over thirty thousand prisoners and nearly seven hundred guns were taken. The German losses were disproportionately greater than those of the Alljes. It is probable that the complete Allied casualties do not equal the number of Germans captured.. No previous offensive has shown anything like such a preponderance 'of German dead. It is now probable that the enemy intends to withdraw further, though .probably not behind the Somme, in spite of his unfavourable position west of the river. Our nearness to the important junction of Chaulnes hampers the enemy's usual line of railway running from Peronne through Chaulnes to Roye, and his communications across the river are further made uncomfortable by the fact that the Allied airmen are constantly bombing the bridges. On the rest of the front the Germans have begun a withdrawal in the Serre salient, probably to obtain a better line and a shortened front. They also continue withdrawing on the Lys salient. These withdrawals seem to indicate that the enemy does not contemplate a further offensive on the British front, but definite conclusions are at present unsafe. However, last week's work greatly diminishes the further offensive_ power of the Germans. They used thirty-five divisions between the Ancre and the Oise, fifteen of which were fresh from their reserves. The enemy now has only some sixteen fresh divisions in reserve on the whole Western front, of which Vsleven belong to Prince Rupprecht. The German shortage of man-power and the preponderant rifle strength of the Allies make it more and more doubtful whether the Germans will risk another big attack in France this year.

UNPARALLELED- AIR-FIGHTING.

The outstanding feature of the week's air fighting has been the severe magnitude of the conflicts on the British Western front, particularly in the first five days of the offensive. The battle raged at its greatest intensity on Thursday, Bth August, between the Albert and Amiens-Eoye road, where the enemy's forces were considerably increased- after the opening attack, so that fighting on an unparalleled scale continued throughout the day. Fifty British machines are reported missing, but forty-eight enemy machines are known to have been destroyed, while seventeen were driven down helpless. After his initial reverses, the enemy's air resistance noticeably weakened, but during the four following days, while there were ninety-eight British'machines reported missing, one hundred and forty-two enemy machines were destroyed, and seventy-three were driven down, making a to.tal bag of two hundred and eighty enemy aircraft knocked out during the battle, without counting kite balloons. During the whole week on the British Western front, one hundred and seven British machines have been reported missing, but ' two hundred and twenty-six enemy machines have been destroyed and one hundred and eight driven down. Meanwhile, British bombing squadrons throughout the week attacked the enemy's aerodromes, etc., dropping the usual number of bombs and causing the usual handsome amount of damage to the enemy's military material and personnel. Much valuable help was also given to the British infantry, cavalry, and tank units in attack, by lowflying British scouts which ceaselessly hovered over the battlefield in considerable numbers, attacking the enemy's resisting points and raking the already congested roads of the retreating armies with machine-gun fire, Moreover, the usual immense amount of contact-patrol and. counter-battery work was successfully carried out, and thousands of negatives were taken during the battle by the British photographic air squadrons. In the Belgian theatre the continuous British offensive against the German naval bases was pitilessly persisted in, with the usual resnlts. There were many direct hits and a, number of destructive fires on all the usual points o£ attack. The Royal Air Force independent squadrons made a number of telling destructive raids on German territory, atacking the usual military objectives, while on 12th August a successful raid was carried out on the -aeroplane and chemical works at Frankfort. Several bursts were observed in the centre of the objective. No British machines were reported missing in the Mediterranean ar»d Eastern theatres, but in the course of British air activity eight enemy machines were destroyed and two were brought down. On 11th August a Boyal Air Force contingent, in combination with the Navy, successfully attacked a Zeppelin over the North Sea, and brought it down blazing from a great height.

THE SITUATION IN RUSSIA.

In Northern Russia there is increasing evidence to show that the Germans contemplate an early attack on the Murruan railway. It is most probable that Finland will declare war before long. Tho Bolshevik rearguard occupies positions about one hundred miles south of Archangel, and is apparently largely ofiicered by Germans. ' In their retreat tho Bolsheviks committed every form of atrocity among the inhabitants, who are all enthusiastically on the sido of the Allies. The situation in the rest of European Russia remains obscure. The reported defeaij of the Czechs in the Samara region is unconfirmed, though their peril in Eastern Siberia still makes most urgent demands for relief. The arrival of tho first British battalion in Eastern Siberia and the advanced guard of the Allied contingent at Vladivostok was greeted enthusiastially by the Czechs, and our prompt Aid. together with tha puWSo ; _«opgntjlswrpf-• their nasen.&ljA>

pirations, should havo the strongest ap. peal to their compatriots all over the world. In North-west Persia, and the Caucasns the British right flank in Mesopotamia has been extended to the Caspian Sea to assist the Armenians and the pro-Entente elements in the Caucasus, and to form a barrier across Persia against Turko-German penetration. A British contingent has arrived at Baku, and is helping to defend the place. The other forces are of smaller military value, though a Russian general has now been appointed, and it is hoped may pull them into shape.

PUBLIC OPINION IN GERMANY.

Recent military events have had & markedly depressing effect upon German public opinion, in spite of all attempts to camouflage the real state of things. The conviction obviously grows that not only has. the German summer campaign on the Western front failed, but that Germany in the East has assumed an impossibly heavy political burden. From the chaos in Russia emerges the fact that the Bolshevik regime is falling, while any succeeding Government, of whatever form, is not likely to be friendly to German Imperialism, which has supported the Bolsheviks. Germany took advantage of the temporary revolutionary distraction to sow the seeds of troulne in Russia, and now will reap the whirlwind on her own. account. Meanwhile the Czecho-Slovaks, valiantly contending against superior forces and superior arma-' ment, have maintained their hold in an extremely critical condition, whilo anxiously awaiting adequate Allied help, on which their very existence depends—unBss we are to sacrifice this heroic Allied' nation which Britain has just recognised. The Ukraine peasants, exasperated by German military methods, are giving obstinate trouble to their oppressors, while Bulgaria and Turkey almost openly reveal their dissatisfaction with each, other and) Germany. In Austi-ia conditions are going from worse to worse. Even, harmless women and children, assembled before a shop for bread, are reported to have been fired upon by the troops,.while disaffection corrupts the army and open revolt among- units is now not uncommon. Nevertheless these symptoms must be discounted, for Germany is still the pillar of the Central Alliance, and only understands such physical arguments as a crushing military defeat. 1 THE FOOD SUPPLY.

The Allies' Food Controllers are busily settling the food pi-ogramme for the ensuing year. It is evident that Britain will be greatly dependent throughout the winter and spring on her/home supply of meat. This emphasises the need for a winter supply of bacon and for an increased provision of feeding stuffs, without which it will be difficult to get enough to meet the ration, even though this be reduced. The importance of feeding stuffs is also evident in connection with the grave question of the. winter milk supply, the adequacy of which depends upon an increased distribution of fodder to the farmers. The improved weather conditions should make the grain reserves reasonably safe and justify the estimated yield of the potato crop./