THE CAMPAIGNS.

Lyttelton Times, Volume CXVII, Issue 17868, 14 August 1918, Page 6

THE CAMPAIGNS.

The battlefront is now fairly stationary between the Somme. ana' the Oise, the Allies holding their advanced positions against counter-attacks. The German resistance is most pronounced, as one tfould expect, in frorrt'. of Chaulnes, Roye and Lassigny,, and if

.the defence proves sound at these

j points the enemy will have to devote r, iiis- attention next to tho dangerous

- 'salients'that-the Allies have developed * elsewhere. Already he has been counI er - attacking strongly south of Chaulnes, where the British had gained Hallu, and probably similar actions have been fought north of Roye. ■ North-west of Lassigny, again, tho French reached Les Loges, and as they also captured Gury they must be threatening Lassigny on a regular and relatively wide front. At the moment, the enemy, appears to hold both Chaulnes and Roye safely, but. if tho Allies develop strong local attacks either or both of these places may fall. So far as Lassigny is concerned, it must be covered by unbroken Germau troop's, whose retreat has been conducted very steadily, and the prospect

of further Allied success there does not

appear very bright. Wo are writing, t however, on very incomplete informa- € lion, and can only base our specula--3 lions on tho general aspects of the

battlefront. It is stated that ,over thirty enemy divisions have been identified in the battle, but the number 13 not great considering the width of the front affected, and tho inference is Hither that the Germans held their old lines thinly or that the reserves now entering tho strtrgglo have not been identified. No reliable estimate of the enemy's losses is possible. It was sug-

gested.at the outset, that five or six enemy divisions may have been smashed, and there is ho reason to change that estimate, but the total losses of the Germans must have been greatly increased during the past few days. when they brought their reserves into action. The estimate of a hundred thousand casualties, given in one message, must be too low now, and further casualties will inevitably bo incurred before a stable front is secured. So far there has been no sign of sympathetic action on the part of the Allies on other sectors.' Naturally the organisation of a double offensive does not leave the Allies with any great weight for a third push, but the point of greater importance is that the Germans have been so fully employed countering the two successive and successful blows that they, for their part, are not likely to be able to resume the offensive on any considerable scalo ill the near future. We are far from suggesting that tho campaign of 1918 is at its end, but it is clear that if thle Germans utilise their new levies next month or in October in offensive operations the attacks will have to bo on a greatly reduced scale. It seems that the position in Russia is likely to become highly interesting again. German reports suggest that the Bolsheviks have lost Moscow and that .they are losing their hold of the greater part of Russia. Tho reports may be intended to prepare tho way for another Teutonic invasion of Russia, but whatever their inspiration may be they indicate that developments of some importance are to be expected.