NOTES ON THE WAR.

Lyttelton Times, Volume CXVII, Issue 17329, 18 November 1916, Page 8

NOTES ON THE WAR.

The cabled version of a French communique makes the assertion that the Germans havo been driven from St Pierre Vaast Wood, after an obstinate fight. M the statement is correct the official report is! exceedingly modest in its terms, considering the manifest importance of the gain. On the previous day the Germans had counter-attacked with powerful forces and had secured a lodgment in the positions that wore held by tho French in the northern horn of the wood and on the western and south-western outskirts. If the communique had reported merely that tho Germans had been driven from these positions there would havo been gcod cause for congratulation,, and one is tempted to suppose that this is the case, tho larger claim being duo to the condensation of the report. The enemy had converted the whole wood into a series of forts, using tho shelter to establish strong machine-gun positions, and surrounding the timber with a ring of . redoubts. Three trenches covered the approaches—the usuk| defensive system, so that merely to obtain a footing in the outskirts of the wood involved * severe fighting. It does not appear that the French had captured tho whole external trench system to the west and south, so that, except for the northern or north-western corner, the whole wood remained to be conquered.

Between Peronne and Bapaume the Germans have, or had, three particularly strong points d’appui. The first is the ridge behind Bouchavesnes, extending from the crest of Hill 130 over the Epine de Malassise into a little wood north-west of the village of Moislains. This was linked up with the next strong position, that of the wood of Si Pierre Vast, east and north-east of Rancourt, and, the wood, again,' was connected up with the entrenchments on the high ground, through the twin villages of Sallisel and Sailly, and (dong the main load to Bapaume, the road that is often called the Bethune road, because it leads on through Arras to that town. The French have a footing on Hill 130, at the southern end of this series of positions, and they broke through the defensive system when they captured Sailly and Sallisel. Elsewhere the main lines of tho enemy were still intact, until a footing was gained in the St Pierre Vaast Mood. The capture of the xx’hole of this wood means that the French should be able to turn the position of the enemy based on the Epine de Malassise.

Running north from the Somme and following the valley of the Tortillo as fiar ati Moislains, is a new canal. Alt 1 least, it was now in 1914. This was designed to bo the southern end of a canal connecting the Sensce Canai-with the Somme, and according to reports published in September of 1914 a good deal of excavation work bad been done along most of the route. If that wad the position in 1914 it is to be assumed that the Germans will have made good use of the ditch, and that when the French reach the canal line in their advance they will find the enemy powerfully lodged underground. The . line runs through the village of Moislains, less than two miles east of Bouchavesnes, oast of the Bois des Vaux, which is a piece of timber behind the Bois de St Pierre Vaast, through Mananeourt and Ytres to Bertincourt. The canal may not be within the scope of operations in the immediate future, but it may be reached before the winter is fairly set in.

There has been a renewal of British activity On the Struma, front, the Bulgarians on the southern wing having been driven from the shore of Lake Tnbiuos as far as Nihor, south of Seres. The movement is unimportant in itself,

except so far as it extends the front of a prospective advance, though, of course, it may bo the prelude to a direct thrust through Seres. Concerning the condition of tho British preparations for an offensive in Macedonia tho reports naturally have nothing to tell, and on general grounds ono would be inclined to think that the army is not yet sufficiently large or sufficiently supplied with artillery to faco a sustained offensive. But by this time strong reinforcements must havo reached Salonika, and it is quite conceivable that special efforts havo been made to ex-pedite-their arrival, so that the opening of a serious forward movement may come shortly. One can only watch developments, because the published reports certainly furnish no material on which to base anticipations.

On the other wing of the Allied forces in Macedonia the offensive is progressing more rapidly. The Russians have been brought up on tho extreme left of the French and Serbians, and the advance is apparently being made at last on a fairly wide front. In a cabled explanation of the position it is stated that hitherto the Sorbs and French havo been operating only on a front, of eight miles in difficult country. This is strictly accurate' so far as the direct advance on Monastir is concernfd, but the supporting movement lias included a. considerably wider front. Tho Russians were previously operating towards the xvest from Kastoria, presumably with the intention of clearing the road into southorn Albania, while the Italians from Aviona were working east, with the intention of linking up with them. Concerning the progress of that particular phase of the operations there has lately been no report. ' Coming up on the left of the Serbs, a Russian division is now working along the broken ground east; of Wendrock and Presha lakes. Kenaly is 8. frontier station, on the Monastir railway, and its. capture brought the Allies within ten miles of Monastir, by the easy road. Tho cable message claims that the Allies are within five miles of their objective and if that is the case the Bulgarians and Gormans must have rotreated precipitately. Monastir, as the terminus of the railway from Salonika, would form a useful advanced base, but it is probable that til© Allies ’are fighting for something moro than possassion of the town. They are doubtless hoping for a breakdown of the enemy’s resistance, which would open the way for nn offensive on a larger scale and would render possible a considerable enveloping movement. The Allies’, quiescence in the Vardar Valley suggests that Sarrail is waiting for something of the sort, though of course by is waiting also for men and guns and munitions. Hitherto tho campaign in Macedonia has been developing very slowly, but if the Allies’ success on tho left wing is as emphatic as tho reports claim it should begin now to move much more rapidly.