NOTES ON THE WAR.

Lyttelton Times, Volume CXVII, Issue 17646, 26 November 1917, Page 4

NOTES ON THE WAR.

The position south-west of Cambrai is still changing, for the British are now energetically endeavouring to develop their success. The German? say tho- still hold Mauvres and that they repufeed an attack on Inchy, a mile to the norfih-west. There has been heavy fighting in the Bourlon Wood, and tho enemv"asserts that he repulsed an attack "on Bourlon village, which is just on the northern edge of the wood, so that it is apparent that the, British havo been making progress in that direction. A ridge is crowned by this patch of timbrr, and the British communique reports that this high .ground was stormed. Fontainc-Notm Dame remains in German hands. From theGerman report it is to be gathered that there has been fierce fighting across ■the canal beyond Marcoing, where the enemy holds Rumilly village and the bills above it. The Germans aro posted on the high eastern side of the valley, where Hill 96, for instance, gives them direct observation over a fairly wide Stretch of country, and that fact gives an added importance to the fighting between Masnjores and Rumilly, where file British/have a footing on the rising ground. According to the enemy's communique British efforts to advance on this sector were repulsed with heavy losses, but the British report merely states that the operations are developing satisfactorily. Thw must have been a good deal of unreported fighting further south along the western bank of the canal, where the Germans hold Banfteux and Hounecourfe

The important sector of the new British front, of course, is that facing Inchy and Bourlon, with the wide valley of the Agache behind them. Thrj valley is perhaps not of great consequence, but if it had been possible to keep 'the Germans moving and to occupy the high ground on either side of the Agache as far as Marquion, on tho Arras-Oambrai rond, the German strong point at Queant would have been practically untenable. It is possible thajj the realisation of this danger oomo to

tho Germans before,tho British had tirno to organise a moi'emeub northwards. Tho G'ermans knew, of course, that their lines of communication wero threatened, and they must have rushed their reserves to Pronville, Inchy and Bourlon even while they were forming for the defence of Cambrai. It is doubtful, therefore, whether the opportunity to turn Queant and Rcincourti was ever presented, but if it did occur the moment soon passed. Now the task will involve hard fighting and much of it.

A passage from a speech delivered by General Smuts in London early in October is particularly worth quoting now, because it reveals the view that the military authorities take of the war in the western theatre. General Smuts had said 'that Germany had relied purely on her fighting power, ignoring tho political, economic and psychological factors, all of tremendous importtance, and he wont on to argue that even on the military «We victory was now out of the question for the enemy. 11 0 was speaking before 'the Italian disaster; of course, but it is doubtful whtiUher, oven after tho disaster, ho would seriously have modified his opinion, because ho would argue that the reverse could only add a little to tho length of the struggle and that th> issup would still remain boyond doubt. "But let us look at the matter from the German angle," he said, " and see how the purely military situation stands at tho beginning of the fourth year of tho war. With one or two exceptions the enemy is everywhere on tho defensive, everywhere slowly retiring before us. That that movement is necessarily slow is inherent in the nature of tho naw form of warfare, which requires enormous transport of heavy artillery and mechanical apparatus of all kinds. But even the advance of a mile by us involves tremendous losses for the enemy, losses incomparable to those sustained in the great! battles of former wars; and such losses and defeats are now being continually inflicted on tho enemy.

" Take the western front, where tho flower of tho German Army is gathered. One continuous retiremenrt has been proceeding from the summer of last year; very slow, but very '.lire. Verdun, Champagne, Vimy, Arras, Messinc3, Langemarck, Wosthoek, Zonnobeke; on that almost immovable line the manhood of Germany is bleeding to death, and a tragedy of slaughter is being enacted which probably Las had no parallel in {he history of the world. It is not a question of great pushes: the war of machinery ou the western front is largely immobile, the movement is very slow, but the results are the more terrible and crushiug. To defeat Germany you need not advance to the Rhine; one strip of country is as good as another as long as they v ill only stand, and, believe me, long before the Rhino is reached Germany will have sued for peace. Our military predominance on the western front is no longer in question, and, remember, that issue of military predominance is the very one on which the Goruuns challenged the world in August, 1014."

There followed a striking reference to the Russian situation. "Germany is doing her best to strike down Russia. Great as have been the German blunders in tho past, I am not sure that, from the point of view of a farsighted policy, this is not her greatest and most fatal blunder of all. The invasion of Belgium and the submarine campaign were colossal mistakes which will cost Germany this war; her striking down of Russia at this juncture may do more, and may even compromise her distant, future. For, in striking Russia she is striking one who cannot defend herself, who liko herself was an autocracy, but has received a new consciousness from the sufferings of this terrible war, one who has reached some inward crisis of the fcoul, like Saul on the way t> Damascus, and is now being led blindfold, and incapablo of offensVo action. Russia is a woman labouring in childbirth, and Germany is choosing this moment to strike her down. Whatever the strict rights of the -case may be, tho spirit of history will never forgivo her. the liberty which is being painfully born in Russia will rise to vindicate Russia in the coming generations, and will become the most implacable enemy of the future Germany. If 1 were a German statesman 1 would at this crisis carefully bear in mind the wise old Bismarckian policy and avoid making the Slav the future historic enemy 'of. the Teuton."

One other paragraph, a reference, to the submarine campaign, may be quoted here. "The Gorman ruiers aro trying to still tho fears of the people with vain hopes that the submarine weapon will beat Us yet, and that wo will be forcod to mike a German peace. All hope now centres in the submarine, the new weapon of this war, the de-ri-. «ive weapon. But these hopes are also illusory. Whatever the dangers of the submarine, it has ceased to be a decisive factor. Take that from me ns a bed-rock fact. The published figures show that the submarine is being fought with rapidly increasing vigour and success, and what with diminishing losses and our rapidly expanding shipbuilding programme, we aro confidently looking forward to the time when our mercantile tonnage will be on the increase, in spito of the submarine. It is useless to conceal that there was a time when we did feci very anxious about the submarine, but that time is past. The submarine has been beaten by the silent heroism of our Navy and mercantile marine. Deeds have been done on tho seas so astounding thno details cannot be pub* lished until th© end of tjte war. In the general critical temper of our times less than justice has been done to this aspect of our naval effort, but 1 feel sure the future will appraise it at its true value."