WEATHER AND WAR

Evening Star, Issue 16837, 12 September 1918, Page 8

WEATHER AND WAR

In the words of Sir Douglas naig's despatch : —"For some dnys prior to April 9 the weather had been fine, but on the morning of that dav heavy showers had fallen, and in the evening the weather definitely broke. Thereafter for many days it continued stormy, -with heavy falls of snow and squalls of wind and rain. These conditions imposed great hardship on our troops, and greatly hampered operations. The heavy snow, in particular, interfered with reliefs, and rendered all movements of troops and guns slow and difficult. It would be hard to over-estimate the importance of the resultant delay in bringing up our guns at a time when tne en-emy had not yet been able to assemble his reserves, or to calculate the influence which a further period of fine weather might have had upon the course of tho battle." Transpose the weather, and imagine that Sis Douglas Haig had been favored with tho fine, dry davs which have smiled on Hindenburg. Tlie Germans would have boon broken at Airas ; it is safe to say, after a close -study of the ground and the operations, that thev would nave suffered a decisive defeat, instead of only a severe blow. Again, suppose that rain and snow had descended on the night of Thursday last. The German advance would probably have been held up after a gain of some eight miles at the deepest point and the capture of psrhaps 10,000 men and 20 guns. Such are the effects of weathea - on war. What were the indications given by instruments before the two attacks? In April, 1917, there had been a very sharp faH of the barometer from March 31 to April 3, when a very low point was touched. Then came a recovery, and early on April 8 the mercury touched 30in in London. The barometer indicated uncertain, treacherous weather. In March, 1918, as has been said, the barometar had been singularly steady and high through all the early period of March. On the 20th it began to rise sharply in London, and reached the euTv/vit of its rise on tho 21st, when the attack was delivered. The barometer indicated excellent, dry, generally calm weather, of the veiy kind desired for operations.—' Daily Mail.'