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Hawke's Bay Tribune, Volume VI, Issue 263, 23 October 1916, Page 4

One of to-day’s cables makes reference to a letter written to the German Press by General Ludendorff. This name has not yet become so familiar to us as other members of the German Army’s High Command. but it is held in marked esteem by military critics. -Mr. j Hilaire Belloc, writing of General i Falkenhayn’s supersession by Hindenburg in the position of Chief of the General Staff, says the appointment of Hindenburg would mean nothing, “but for the very able man whi is his Cief of Staff—Ludendorff.” According to Mr. Belloc, it was Ludendorff who first of all pointed out Hindenburg as the right man to deal with Russia’s invasion of East Prussia. A correspondent of the New York “Tribune” discovered in the Russian contingent serving in France a similar opinion of the two German Generals. He asked the Russian commander what he thought of Hindenburg after having fought against him in East Prussia. The Russian gereral replied: “Hindenburg is a very bard fighter,” and a member of his staff said, “But it is Ludendorff, his Chief of Staff, who is the author of bis strategy ” “But it is the Chief who is always responsible,” replied the general. General Gouraud who commands the French

in the Champagne sector, expressed himself bluntly about the appointment. “It is the brightest sign of victory for the Allies,” he replied, witn what the correspondent describes as a pleased smile. “Hindenburg is a hard bitter, but not a hard thinker.” General Ludendorff’s letter, men tioned above, lays great stress on the need for unity of purpose and effort. General Falkenliayn's “relinquishment” of the command of the Austro-German forces operating in Southern Hungary against the Russo-Rumanians is doubtless a step taken towards securing that unity. It may be that Talken hay n has. as the cables tell us. been “wounded in one leg.” But it is much more probable that this story is put forth as a pretext for his retirement, for it is matter of notoriety that no love is lost between him and Hindenburg. Mr. Leonard Spray, writing in the London “Daily Telegraph” on the subject of Faikenhayn’s deposition from the supreme command, says : — “In January this year there was a bitter conflict between Falkcnhayn on the one side and Hindenburg, now the former’s successor, on the other. Hindenburg was utterly opposed to any big offensive in France and wanted to strike immediately another blow at Russia. As a matter of fact not only was he ready with a plan of campaign, but the preparations were actually in hand behind the front in Courland. He made a demand on the General Staff for additional forces to carry out this enterprise. But they were refused by Falkenhayn. Hinderburg’s plan was overruled in favour of the offensive against Verdun.” It was to the failure at Verdun, involving as it did great loss of prestige to the Crown Prince, that Faikenhayn’s downfall must be directly attributed. His appointment to the command in Hungary would scarcely have Hindenburg's cordial approval, and the “wound in one leg” provides a very opportune excuse for shelving him altogether. Falkenhayn, as the embodiment of the most arrogant type of Prussian militarism, is also cordially hated by the German Socialistic party, and what may, with pretty fair assurance, he taken as his final dismissal will operate also as a sop to them.

Special interest is attached to the two French towns of Bapaume and Peronne at the present time. The British north of Gueudecourt are now less than three miles to the south of the former town, while the French beyond Bouchavesnes are about a similar* distance from Peronne. From the outset of the Anglo-French offensive in the Somme region it was suggested that Bapaume and Peronne appeared to be the immediate objectives of the British and French respectively. At that time it looked as if they would both be taken eventually as the result of a general advance from the west. The hold-up of the British beween Gommecourt and Thiepval resulted in a complete change of tactics as far as the British were concerned, but Bapaume still remains their principal immediate objective. Instead of approaching it from the west, they are now pushing forward towards it from the south. It is possible, however, now that Thiepval is in our hands, that the British forces to the west of the town will not be far away when Bapaume falls. Before the war Bapaume had a population of a little over 3,000. It was the . scene of some fierce struggles during the FrancoPrussian war, the most important battle taking place on January 2nd and 3rd, 1871. On that occasion both sides claimed the victory, but as the Germans retired after the fighting the French claim was probably justified, although they lost over 2000 men in the battle.

Peronne. which is the present visible French objective, is also being approached from a new direction. The forces immediately to the west of it have been within half a mile or so of the town for some considerable time. The obstacle of the Somme river was a very good reason for the cessation of the French advance from this direction, and we now see the main menace to Peronne coming from the north of that town. Here again the French have encountered further obstacles, as was explained in a recent cablegram. The northern canal mentioned in that message had not been completed when war broke out, and it is said to be over thirty feet deep and close and forty feet wide, and, together with the Tortille river, protects Peronne from the north and north-west. The French beyona Bouchavesnes, who are threatening Peronne from the north, are now practically on the senee of a severe struggle which occurred in the early days of the war between the British and Genera] von Kluck’s advance guards as the latter were approaching from the direction of Roisel in the east. There will probably be very little of Peronne left standing by the time the French re-enter it. It is a much bigger place than Bapaume, and has an interesting history, Louis XI having been forced to sign a treaty there with Charles the Bold of Burgundy in 1468. It was captured by Wellington in 1815, and by the Germans in 1871. On the latter occasion it suffered greatly while besieged by the Germans from December 27th, 1870, until the ninth of the following month. Both Peronne and Bapaume are important. nodal points, and the fall of either would be welcomed, but both British and French will no doubt experience some further heavy fighting before these two towns suffer the fate of Combles. .One of the notable features in the great struggle on the Somme during the last few days has been the violence of the fighting south of the river, in the immediate vicinity of Peronne. The French managed to capture Biaches during the early stages of the offensive, and no efforts that the enemy could make have been able to dislodge them. During last week the French resumed the offensive in this neighbourhood. and succeeded in advancing their line still nearer to Peronne on the ether side of the river. From this point the lighting appears to

have spread southward, the Germans making vigorous counter-at-tacks that have so far brought them n ■ lasting, advantage. Notwithstanding ’’his exceptional activity in the French lines nearest to their immediate objective, it is not likely that- a front’! attack on Peronne is, in contempla ,ion. Rather will it be that the Frei ch desire to prevent any concentration of enemy forces to the north of . he town, where our Allies are pressing eastward with a view to gaining Luch control in that direction as to render Peronne untenable. Although the German press is familiarising the people with the idea of the loss of both Peronne and Bapa: me, it is not to L° concluded that cither of these

will be reduced into our actual possession without much more of hard and expensive fighting. The British reports show that some further progress has been made towards Bapaume from the south and southwest, and also that Sir Douglas Haig is bent on further extending bis offensive line northward of Thiepval. probably so as ultimately to embrace the area stretching up as far as Gommecourt, which was the originally intended northern limit of bis mobile front. It may be his intention to batter eastward from this extension, so that Bapaume may, like Conibles, eventually be so pocketed as to compel its evacuation. The airmen on both sides appear to be intensely active jv.st now, and we have to confess to considerable losses on our side, due doubtless, to the fact that our men 'pt behind the, German lines regardless of the risks involved. It is only there that they can induce anything in the way of battle. If there is any truth in the German reports of aerial penetration behind our lines, it must mean that their air service has been vastly and suddenly improved—perhaps, however, only on paper. The press and the people, and the soldiery also, were beginning' to cry out bitterly about its inefficiency, and something had to lie done to placate them. The Russian communiques to hand late on Saturday spoke of heavy fighting in Volhynia, south of the Pripet, and also to the north of Halicz, on the Dniester, but apparently without any decided advantage being gained by either side. Despite the more reassuring messages of the last two or three days, it does not look as if the Austro-German attempt at an invasion of Rumania from the north Tad as yet been effectually met, the Rumanian reports themselves speaking of withdrawals from southeastern Transylvania. On the Dobrudja front, ’ too, Mackensen has resumed an attitude of aggression, with the result that the centre and right wing of the Russo-Bujnanian forces in this area were obliged to vield ground. On the Salonika front bad weather appears to have interfered with the British operations on the Struma, but on the western wing the Serbians continue to renort progress. The Italians are also hampered by adverse atmospheric conditions, but are still making slight advances at different points. In Greece General Sarrail appears to have got King ConstanGne’s measure and to have got a. fa.irlv good grip on the control of affairs. A message from the North Sea tells us that one of our submarines got and made use of an opportunity to torpedo an over-venture-some German cruiser that had come out of its burrow. The assassination of the Austrian Prime Minister may, or may not be significant of ponular dissatisfaction, but such meagre details as have reached us noint rather to the gratification of personal resentment.