NOTES ON THE WAR.

Lyttelton Times, Volume CXVI, Issue 16912, 19 July 1915, Page 9

NOTES ON THE WAR.

ON LAND AND SEA

The report of the sinking of U2l in the Black Sea. is too good to bo true. Tho news, it will be observed, .does not come direct from Russian sources, but from tho Bulgarian part of .Varna, tlirough Athens. It is probable that this Gorman submarine has been operating in tho Black Sea, though nothing definite has been heard concerning it since it reached Constantinople. U2l is said to have entered the Mediterrar neam by way of the Sti-a.it of Gibraltar. Presumably it had supply ships to feeo it along the great voyage, but at any m(o it announced its arrival at the entrance to the Dardanelles by sinking the Triumph and the Msflestio. Then it worked through .the Dardanelles to the Sep. of Marmora and went to Constantinople to relit. Allowing time for i-cpairs and for tho resting of tho crew, 1721 should be in commission again by now, and it is possible that instead of going out into the -'Egea.rt it was taken through the Bosphoitis. However, tho Yarna story has no official seal, and is interesting only because of tho poiS.bilities that it suggests.

The most striking development in the eastern theatre just now is the rapid development of the GerniaJi offensive in the Baltic provinces. It is probable that considerable eneniy forces were transported by sea to Libau and were deployed on the Windau, wh'ch they have new crossed to the north of Liatskov. The objective is doubtless Riga., the largest export harbour of Russia, but the enemy have a good way to march before they can invest that populous centre. The German development on this wing has been slow since tho initial rush to Shavfi, and tlrere has been a great deal of closo fighting, with plenty of outpost work, but the struggle hitherto has beon confined mainly to the Kovno province. The new movement carries the war into Courland, and such an extension of the enemy's front can hardly have been accomplished except by the sea transport of troo]*;.

It is evident that the now thrust is being made in considerable strength, but Riga is eaid to be well covered by fortified lines, There, is a river, the Aa. flowing'into the Gulf of Riga, that almost isolates Riga from the west, be>cause it is fed by innumerable tribuI taries, and all around Mitau, about : twenty-five miles from Riga, there are j wide stretches of marshy land. Rig.i j itself merits parsing mention. It was j a famous member of the H.ansa League, l having been founded in tho twelfth ; century by a few Bremen morcliants. | who needed a storage dopot in the rei gion. Its granaries rind cellars still bear witness to its earlier mercantile importance, and its position led to a rapid inoreseo in prosperity. But it differed for the reasons that made it important economically, for it is the strategic key to a wide district, and during' the seventeenth century the Swedes, the Poles and tho Russians contended incessantly for its possession. At tli!> beginning of tho eighteenth century it foil into the hands of the Russians and remained there. In 1811', when it was threatened with investment on the approach of the French, all the suburbs were, burned by tho inhabitants. Tho old fortifications have disappeared, but the mouth of the river is strongly protected against attack from tho sea, and the lines of tho Mitau region cover the amyroaoh from tho west, i

Information concerning tho strength of the Turkish army is always acceptable, but it seems extremely difficult to obtain reliable figures. A correspondent of "Tho limes" who lately approached this question had to admit tliat he was profoundly in tho dark, and a little table that he compiles of tho divisions, now and old, is admitted to bo no more than guess work. He prefaces his calculation with the statement that of 800,000 troops originally mobilised only 600,000 could be armed and equipped, and his estimate works out at a much lower figure than that formerly quoted in this column. Tho first estimates of the Turkish strength published with any authority wore given by a Cairo correspondent, who hinted that his information was, in the main, from official sources, but it is clear that the earlier statements were ail based on the assumption that tho 750,000 or 800,000 Turkish troops mobilised were fully armed. If, aa the correspondent of " Tho Times" suggests, only 600,000 men could be equipped tho earlier calculations were out Lo the extent of 150,000 or 200,000. It is to bo hoped that this was tho case, but there does not appear to be any rel.able authority for the statement that the Turks were seriously short of rifles and equipment.

However, the latest estimate must be given for what it is worth. He lias information of the formation of extra divisions, attached to the principal army corps, tho practice being to , detach lo per cent of the old divisions to form the nucleus of tho u«w divisions. Tho vacancies in the first line troops are filled by reservists, and the new formation, except for tho 15 per cent stiffening of veterans, is composed wholly of reservists. The process has been hindered by tho shortage of officers, which may, perhaps, account for tho great migration of G-er-mans into Turkey during the past few months. The first six army corps, however, have now three divisions e;'c,h, two veteran or first line and one consisting of reservists. Two of tho corps, tho First and the Fifth, are said to be stationed at Constantinople, or on the Bosphorus. The Second is in southern Thrace, and the Third, Fourth and Sixth are cither on Gallipoli peninsula or in the vicinity. The correspondent allows 3 2,0(K) V nien to a division. !mt uclris that there are a;v> 30,000 or 40,000 cavalry, corps artillery, fortress artillery tnd engineer units as well as certain depot troop". and other reservists available. The eighteen division-, enumerated thus provide over 200,000 infantry and divisionl.! artillery, of whom three corps, of more than 100.000 men, are said to be engaged in tho defence of the Dardanelles- All tod, the Turkish forces ii ;natihuru Thrace and in the vicinity or ;!'■'• Sea of Marmora are estimated to number net more than 275,000 men, j .ihicli '•stimate. bv the wav. Is at J least 100.000 less than earlier calculo-J ranv.-.pnnd'.'it. of "The I iuxw" bs--I'evc-s, they are numerous enough to I make tho task of Sir fan Hamilton'-: | isi-iii* tvcmojiduuslv difficult.