WAR SITUATION.

Hawke's Bay Tribune, Volume VIII, Issue 215, 13 August 1918, Page 6

WAR SITUATION.

OFFICIAL WEEKLY PRECES.

FOCH’S MASTERSTROKE

Wellington, Aug. 12

i The following official summary oi , war iews has been received by the Acting-Prime Minister from tne Minister of Information for the week ending August 10; — When General Eoch assumed com i mand the wiiole situation on the Western Front was gravely coinpro- ; mised and the British Army had sut- ■ fered a reverse. In such circum- [ stances powerful influences always . work m urging the commander to . use the reserves in order to restore tne situation, but General Eoch met , the successive German blows with- ; out any attempt to retaliate, and re- ’ fused to de deflected from his pur- ; pose, despite tne critical situation ■ and undiscerning criticisms, in his counter stroke ne displayed equal ■ foresight. ; It is true that the front chosen was the obvious one to choose, since ; tile Germans presented their flank to their opponent and a comparatively small advance made their wnoie position within tne salient almost untenable. But all depended upon accurately estimating tne effect ot the attack and on choosing the psycnological moment. j On July la the situation was very critical for the Frencn. in these cir- ; cumstances it boldness on the part of General Fbch to disregard tne attack on the Marne front and to refuse to divert troops to meet it, which would spoil his plan. He used the whole of his reserves foi, the counterstroke, wnich was brilliantly’ successful, but if it had been otherwise, the results would have been disastrous for the French. The tenacity of the Allied troops contributed largely to these results, whicn would have been impossible wutaout the magnificent resistance of the British Army during May’ and June. The armies were then fignting under conditions entailing severe strain, against an overwhelming superiority m numbers, without any j prospect of relief. I The third, and not the least im- : portant factor was the magnificent ; response of America to tne call. •This help was rendered possible only by the assistance of the British Navy and the British Merchant Service, and wiien the Americans arrived they displayed magnificent fighting qualities under very disadvantageous circumstances for troops insufficiently trained and unaccustomed to war conditions. Without American promptitude and tenacity the Allies success would have been impossible. RUSSIA. The Allied campaign in Northern Russia opened successfully with the occupation of Arc.iangel. The population, released from the Bolshevik reign of terror, greeted the Allies witn the utmost enthusiasm and the downfall of the Bolshevik authority was accomplished practically without resistance. Large quantities oi rolling stock and stores and two heavy batteries were captured by us at Arcnangel. Meanwhile the Bolshevik Government is doing all possible within its power to overwhelm I the Czechs before outside help reaches them. The Bolsheviks are believed to have made ar agreement with the Germans by which the latter made no further advance so that the Bolsheviks can transfer all their forces to deal with the Czechs on the Volga front- The Bolsheviks were severely defeated in the Caspian region and the antiBolshevik movement is widespread ana progressing in Turkestan. The hostile forces at Archangel are reported to consist of about eight! thousand men. while the German forces north of the Gulf of Finland number some fifty thousand. I CENTRAL POWERS The situation in Germany continues obscure. Me may’ gu£ss that the military authorities are bank ' runted of promises to the German people H at a German vict oiy would be pbtained before autumn. They are now trying to invent some new ■ premises to stimulate the waning endurance of the German people, it is believed mat in many towns and ; parts of the country the people are j labouring under the deepest depreiI sion. while Austrians, on the othei i hand, are not wholly displeased that ithe Germany who mocked at the j Austrian dcicat on the Eiave now [has a “Piave” of her own. 1 In these circumstancjf d is significant to note the rumoured changes of Austrian toile and temper. a.- well as the symptoms among neutral nations now growing that the assured ultimate victory lies with the Allies, and not with the Germans. ‘'igns are not. wanting thi.t Siberia is not the only part of dismembered Russia that will give trouble to rhe Germans, who had hoped tc assimilate the entire Empire unquestioned, out the various composing races are also increasing in disgust of German methods. Ukraine auu Lithuania are alike coming to prefer national aspirations to Geiman tvranny. I THE FOOD OUTLOOK. Considerable progress has been made in preparing the programme o; food requirements under the auspices of the Inter-Allied Food Council. This will serve as a basis for the apportionment of imports needed by th' pcpulatijU- ci the respectivr Allied countries. The dominions’ representatives can be present whenever their interests are affected.

the harvest has been hampered by unfavourable weather and the difficulty' in procuring adequate skilled labour. It is hoped that this trouble has been cured by releasing several thousand soldiers for agricultural furlough. American promises of plentiful supplies of bacon have been received with much satisfaction. They will come particularly useful during the winter and earlv spiing, when a certain shortage of meat is expected, owing to deficiencies in fodder and the heavy demands of the Allied forces. WORK OF THE R.F.C.

Exceptional serevity has marked the week's air lighting throughout the British zone of operations in the west. Much ct this was reconnaissance and offensive patrols behind the Ge'-mt’.n Jmcs, but bombing operations or. the Belgian coast vert' not less decisive, both as regards damage done and the toll of entii y machines destroyed. Fires were started at the Drugeoise works ami important enemy mganisations earn of Nicuporl. A big tire at Zeel.-ruggt caused by oar bombs was followed by a heavy explosion. In three uay light raids upon Bruges. O- t- ml a'Zeebrugge our squadrons were opposed by pc.wen.il en -..i> i.-r,. .. ti"tis. Four British machines were leported missing but fourteen enemy machines were destroyed and seven-t-'en driven down helpless. In Bel srnii alone sec ei.tc-en tons of bo.nb.were dropped on military ■ >1 ceet>ve--an<' mud. uainase dem . On the Briti'h western land front the British air fighting was uniformly successful. On three successive days the enemy lost fifteen, twenty-six ’

and eleven machines respectively, besides eighteen more driven down, and only’ twelve British machines were reported missing. In all seventeen British machines failed to return, but eighty-one enemy’ machines were destroyed and thirty-six driven down.

The Roy.il Air Force independent forces also had heavy’ fighting in the course of twenty raids into German territory. Large German forces contested our progress during an early morning raid on Saarbrucken and very severe fighting took place, which resulted in the loss of seven British machines. Neverthelesss, our squadrons immediately resumed the attack and successfully dropped many bombs on the station and factories of Saarbrucken, and this time returned without loss.

In the course of effective raids on Treves and Offenburg six enemy machines were destroyed and one driven down. Two British failed tc return. Among other objectives bombed were the stations at Rastatt Sollingen, Baden, the Daimler works and railway station, the Stuttgart station anti barracks at Hagenau, Coblenz station, Remilly junction, etc

Bad weather hampered operations in the Mediterranean theatres, but on the Italian and Palestine fronts ten enemy machines were destroyed and no British machines were reported missing.