GERMANY'S MIND

Evening Post, Volume XCVI, Issue 80, 1 October 1918, Page 7

GERMANY'S MIND

STILL EMPTY OF MORAL ;; ■:•■•-' LIGHT .V-'

WAR AIMS BEING MODIFIED

THE WEEKLY REVIEW.

! The, Acting-Prime. Minister (Hon.: Sir •;. James Allen) 1 has received.the following 1 telegraphic ..'summary ; 0f..,., official =war . news from the Ministry of Information i for the week ended 28th September :-^-:; , ' Utterances, by ' German leaders show^' 'clearly the ..grave' impression -made"by. • recent events.: Extreme war aims tend to be abandoned. .After the overtures to Belgium now German criticism of the German policy in the East increases,: and . it is murmured that Germany' mighf

revise the ..Breet-Litovsk /treaties.. The Ctermans. cavil at the German plan:'.of. Imposing German Princes upon the Bus-, sian frontier provinces.'., It is .pointed out that it was easy enough for Napoleon to :do, this" after:Austerlitz,' but it is not. the same-, thing ; for.'.. the .present, Kaiser to do so in the present condi-. -ticins. Events in Poland show .■'< the; .weakening of. German, influence,' and recognition is dawning that the hopes of closer union with Austria-Hungary are iutile.. • Naturally Germany is now turning her attention to'the idea of the. League of Nations, and it seems possible that an attempt will be made to use "this.as a...c.loak.beneath which to. mamtain that European predominance which military and other events seem now.'to be removing from German; hands. But nothing shows Germany any nearer an appreciation of the moral aspects of the. war. ' iThe German public still fail to realise what the Allies are fighting, for,^ and how universal and dominant is the i moral indignation 'aroused by the _Ger-.' man conduct of the war and to political' attitude during • their brief ascendancy in the'spring. No better food offered by the German Government to their detircssed peoples than the silly parrot-cry ■

about "defensive war," which never had any truth arid must: now .have lost- all. conviction even for the Germans. •' -Italy's declaration 'regarding-.the Jugoslavs'is most important,-..;'in'.-■■'view, ofmilitary developments in.- the remoter, theatres.of the war. -"The Council (oi Ministers) resolves to. inform, the Allied Governments that the Italian Government, regards the movement of the Jugoslav! people for the conquest of^.thoir.independence and for their constitution into a free State, as corresponding •; to the^rinciples for which the.Entente.is fighting,.and also to the aims of a just and:, lasting peace." This ...marks a "significant -advance of 'Italy's: previous position. /• ■■ '>. •' .'. y ' ... - . . -.. ■ '■ ■■ : UNMISTAKABLE AERIAL :;. ASCENDAKCY. ■ ■■■%'. ., ■ / During the. past week the British, airmen were heavily engaged in the four main theatres of the war, /from the Belgian coast right, away „ to -the, defiles of Samaria and the Syrian desert: An unmistakable ascendancy has everywhere been asserted.-" ; On the Western.

front the heaviest fighting: took. : place north of the Arras-Cambiai road. . Large enemy forces were employed, and the. fighting was bitter, particularly between Cambrai and north-east of^ Douai.' During the week forty-six British machines were reported missing, but in addition ;td an immense amount of other work doiie by bomb-dropping against ground' tar-: gets, the British airmen I;destroyed sixtynine ■machines and. drove, down■ twentyfour more.- .Our anti-aircraft guns also brought' down five machines, the- total bag being 96.- On the Rhine front the R.A.F. Independent Force made twenty-, two successful raids and dropped.an exceptionally ; heavy weight-of 'bombs oh.the ' enemy's" railways ■.'; and. industrial, centres. All the usual' enemy objectives, suffered as. usual. '. ■ . : •;■ , FLYING -m.^PALEErriNB: BATTLES:,'

' Particular attention is.deserved by the^ aerial operations' in Palestine. ; For some time past the ißbyal.-Air .Force •'Austral-, ian Flying, Corps "have: been carrying on the widest-scale reconnaissancea'oyertho maritime plain from.Mount.^Carmerto the. Shechem-Joppa Road, over Samaria arid the Jordan Valley from the edge of the; Judea Plateau to:the Sea of? Gallitee.Other contingents flying' over, the Eastern Hills bombed-and• machine-gunned .the enemy's centres' at" Amman..-.and Dera, across the' Hedjaz.railway, which runs from Medina through: Damascus to ;the'.Turco-Gei'mtth base at Aleppo. All this in. preparation for the triumphant, '.drama of .the' past week. , Meanwhile^ the : British airmen co-operated on the night. of lStli^S&pt'eniber, heavily libmbing^he ■railway junction at' El Afuleh,. on the ancient Damasciis Eoad, to hinder rein: ;forcements and aggravate ; the enemy's difficulties. Throughout the next day, our ''planes perpetually bombed the enemy's headquarters, .And worried his retreat byr many thousands of rouiids against troops 'and transport, ..with more, than ; , eleven, ■tons of 'bombs on various objectives b»-. hind the;lines. As the Turkish refcyeat. beoame.a i&rt—or 21st: ■September-Seuß.'

airmen inflicted' enormous- damage to ; the 1 enemy in the congested' »ottntein-roads,-:, especially op the toad iroßi Nablus to the Jisre ed :Damieh^ Kird, *]ong the '■■■ '■■■: enemy vainly tried.;. tft escape jinto the ' Jordan YalJey.._.'...;'..'.-''.'..,'.../._:, .-' ~. Kr'^'il :. : r - On the Balkan 7 front oiif airmen continued most active.; -On 21st'^Septette,::;: the British 'planes.bro«gKt -hews-of-tlie ''■.-: enemy's impending.Vretiremeiit,: having '■:''< observed big-fires at Hudov* station ajicl '■>. other behind :: the Uines;: '•i^AUfdsr :k they: watched the, ,;Kosturipo-Sii»|TOa! ■;:■: Boad, packed Tsith, troops *nd trwisporfc hurrying,back, and perpetualry"attacked: ; ; these from close 1 above, cawsing;^iia con-: ■ fusion ondmuch'.dis'aater. ; The enemy's; '"• retreat was perpetually harassed^ vigor-; ously by Hhe British, aircrait^-'On'-th'S. « Italian front .no Brilish Tiriach,iii#* w!ei.ft >• lojt, but six enemy machines iwere "de- '"'.:f stroyed, and three driven down helpless. . -;.'■- ;t^ ■-■' during yie pak^ -wick -'c •• made considerable.progrijss up the Dwinar i River, severely defeating the, Bolsheviks.' \"

i)our enemy. ships'yere'«ert'iffiil&;'iuM* ' « iS unß *""* "war; Material captured:' Aai • the Murmandistriot the Bolshevik-defeat' : / proves most complete." -Our 'jKSreliaiv- ■ force Ukhtins^ay .whieKJiid,;- ; been, fortified under Oernian.'supervisicmT' ; Considerable numbers 'of•■'!..recruits -tafeV-'----joining us: ■ ■:.: •;,::■•■ ■..'■-.;; '.;.., .;...•'■ ■; •■ v ..• .■■,_■■■/.•,. ; The QzecH situation on 'the ' Volga, fvont-; is stiU serious;- A new Bolafieviß: a^y,. :: constant.; r einfc W d;:by;Gerjnans"^iia'^ vm«er Geman organi^nV isiriow ■ '" bhrtatening them with: aiv«ventual arinv V, of five hundred The'Eolsh^ik, ; torces have improved, but 1 the::ina'tdVitv r/-; pc worthless: Two^thirdi> w wsdiiUy, ' : half are wprkmen.^The whole V 6f'VtlTe bourgeoises' intensely loathe-:the'-Bolshe-'"/; 11 «■' ■E? ct°ry vorkera' Itryinr; tq'Soin': the Czechs have bean .prevented .fefthe -- Bolsheviks. ; These had l)ee.nmdulgniK in indiscriminate\massacre.," There-: 1 was : :-". "•: completo anarchy ti Bla-govestcbensl; :un- •-■• tv the town was ,paptuxed by the Ja-pa* aese. :.. :): v"'- ,'•■ !-. .•■■'-•■■■'■...'.-. •■-.•'■.■ v:-,--'.-! .'V.,'' ':. . : THE 'BUiGAR&-IROT^;S^f :; While. French^iSerhi^ii.uand'ritSiaps t »oke the,-Bulgarien;:resi3tance::'on"'ths vardar-Mona,stir- ; frpnt;-/ih'^/Biii^st %M ' jreek; forces ;'made ;^aii"at6ic£i^oifeiwth ■'' iides of-I*kef:? :^ir^jiM''i<T-his' lwprfc;was I': 1 ■' mportant;«a preveoting-tbe-.epemy-from",••■•• .ransfemng; forces 'fr<m^tlie:::easlefn!frmit ■:: r

to ■ meet \ the^Wdaifjattacl^jriie rsxA- ■•.: .'•">■ garians resist'^ firmlly;;.bu^i r2lsfc>;Step- ■ ■ tember the eriemyi: "iyasiofcoctfyed to be : preparing.. fpria.Ki^etjremerit': along the .Doiran front:.^WeSirmediately pursued., - Now other. Bnes^aave' COfflpjetelyr.bl'Qke'riV. ;the enemy's; ; resj»l;ance.;:o}x: the -VardftV~.s-.! Mpjiasti?yjii?e ■;• '•; the ■ ° ■■ • Bulgarian -r^feat i'i.heoaine ;the.:.vivil|est ;;'• confusion, jwith, the: abandonment,; of '. ■\ '• masee* of material ami stores.? -TBe 1 6c-:?:. ■' cupation. by the AUiesi of. aradskoUndv' Prilep means; the ; separating: of a big-.'l-.*;-.--portion of the .Bulgarian army at •;tha:.: ; front from the i-est of the enemy>fdrees iin the,yardap.yalley.: The only.pj33sible,^. retreat open to.the.Bulgariari^ariny'westio.i:of Prilep•;is along ia ■ oirouitoug road via < .Tiraohevo to Tlaktib. : The-situati6ri.;''of ■■!• ' thevßulgariarc-aymj',ig,already most dari-'-i: gerouß, and?ifcthey?Allie«;reach.:,JJ»liub,:» ;',. tho effect •will probably b|e' decisive.,? Brilliant and tenacious attaoks by the- ■■ British,' army on the Doiran .front play- ■ •: eda%reat part in thfr heavy defeat of'?- v the Bulgarian ; army, ■which ha 3 npwjlos^'t'i. ■ suoh numbers, and such' a quaniiiy IoIJijSS-: materials,' that 1 it: jsvmo^t'dbubtfnl .if4|b;^:-: will be able^ to./reeover. without-Germf^'S '.}. and^Austrian^helpVC/:/' - !"■.'•.■'"";-' '■->l!^';^fSjJJ?;i^ = ;..,;/,:?;.-::; -tory;- •■;,,,;. rl^M&m principallyito the 'akilful empipymentffl£?3'3:. ,targe masses 'prcavftlryi^has-been^won;;^*:^ This .battle" waaoneotthe most^n^'K-p;:>; able in: the. ; war f unparalleled ' in" his^?!'*i tory'for. the combination of all arms^ I^' 1-; lays Syria open: to the AlUed invasion>-;.; and imperils the communications of the'; "■'■ Turkish force* in, Mesopotamia., -„ The^ I •/ cannot afford, ,: to •• ignore ■ these ■ perils;'*; v '■■'■

which/will .probably paralyse/their move;;": ': in Persia. : Combined with our Balk^Bt';., ■ victory,>jfc must terrify thanriorStheißi 1 X position in Europe, arid with: the*Pal&-& -?--; tin© army freed; for-..any use required/ >fe| '■•■■' now.have -an initiative.,uot^held|l>efore^,''iin: Eastenrtheatres. • Had not^ the*G«M:3•/■■ mans been too hard 'pressed in :the»Wesfc'J; ,/y to-.trarisfer troi>ps.to i meet':the'"new'at7"*..f':J tack, neither'the Palestine nor/ the-Bal-?;-: \: fcanV victory could- haves been, gained.-r*;.'.: .The Y-att&clsß were nicely timed for ■ the-!; ■;; moment, when.-Germany was fully-bcou-Si -v,-'----pied on her.own account, thus showing^""/- - the correlated importanpe of /attacks -''aiL-' widely different pomts^and giyiyr /finej ?■■■■ proof ofthesldlfulliombinatipnbtrjii.era?;.'^ ,tioriß>.iir 'all theatres>of ;theiwar..>^Qf'Sr?f"/: ■■■;'