THE CAMPAIGNS.

Lyttelton Times, Volume CXVII, Issue 17428, 15 March 1917, Page 4

THE CAMPAIGNS.

• Unotheu instalment of the German retreat under pressure is reported this '' morning. Mr Philip Gibbs who commonly confines himself, to facts, has departed for once from that commendable Vi habit in a message tlpt is very briefly , summarised in our 'cable columns, and hasten t the Chronicle ” a vague and

rather irritating promise of largo, and important moveaients' in the near future. He says, that he cannot go beyond easing that we are on the eve,of

large developments. That much, of course, we could haye gathered for bnrj. selves, but Mr Gibbs implies that the big offensive is now about to be opened,

nhd that if the German Anny esX‘ iiapes disaster it will inevitably suffer heavily. The. Germans themselves have

a shrewd suspicion of what is in .store for-them, for that is the plain meaning / of their retraction from the southern half of the big salient south of Arras. Tlie corresponding movement on the

northern half cannot long be delayed. < * and may, for nil wo know, be even now in progress. I'hoy are shortening their v front, as we have explained before, in < order, to economise their men and - guns, but under the enormous ooncgp- ; tfation that the British will be able to ' bring to bear on them, even this drastic ; movement” should not save them? from . disaster. ,The experience ( they underwent in the second half of ' last year w.ill be repeated this year on . a t far-larger scale, and it is not eurpris* ing that there should be stories along Batch ..frontier ,«f an unceasing flow of troops and munitions from Germany to the front in Flanders wd France.

The British Trill not movo in earnest until the, weather and ground conditions are favourable, but there is intense activity in the trenches all along the front, and on tho sectors where the enemy suffered last year ho is still being giyen no rest. The advance reported this morning is highly .important. Following the capture of Irles tho British, commenced a steady bomb&rdmont of tho German positions' on the ridge in front of Bapaumo, and after a day or so the enemy abandoned his trenches on a front of three miles and a half. Following up their advantage, the British occupied the strongly fortified Loupart wood, qnd then, dispersing the snipers and machine gunners who attempted to delay the advance, captured tho village of Grevillers, a mile and a quarter west of Bapaume. The enemy is thus driven back on the town, which the British arc approaching from west and south. It seems probable that Achiefc the Little and Bucquoy will fall into our hands as a further result of the advance. We made progress, also, east and north-east of Gomroecourt. On the French front there has been a goad, deal of fighting along the ana strong counter-attacks in Champagne have, been repulsed. “Liveliness” seems to be general now :n. France and Belgium, and severe fighting is everywhere to be expected. There is little news from the other theatres. In Mesopotamia, after the occupation of Bagdad, the British cavalry pushed north along the railway line and occupied a village where tho enemy showed signs of making a halt.