NOTES ON THE WAR.

Lyttelton Times, Volume CXVII, Issue 17877, 24 August 1918, Page 8

NOTES ON THE WAR.

The methodical local attacks carried out by the French astride the Oise have at last produced substantial results, for General Humbert is in Lassigny and is pressing on Noyon, and on the other sido of the river the left wing of General Mangin's army has broken the German resistance and has advanced to tho Ailette. Stated in these terms the advance may not appear to be sensational, but. when tho position is examined in any detail tho importance of the results is apparent. West of the Oise, for instanco, Humbert has had to fight his way over very broken and' heavily wooded -country, and the advance of five miles from tho original French line south of Lassigny has been mado in tho face of tho most tenacious and most thorough defensivo organisation. It cost tho Germans an extraordinary number of inen to capture this mass of hills in June, and at that time tho French had by no means perfected their defensive tactics. Indeed, it' was in that battle that General Humbert experimented with a new system of defence, the advantages of which were proved after tho loss of tho main positions between the Matz and tho Oise. The costliness of tho German advance over tho same ground is therefore evidence of tho merit of the present French advance; and apart from that consideration it has to bo borno in mind that the Lassigny heights constitute ono of tho most important tactical positions on the whole front.

Lassigny itself seems -to have fallen mainly because it had been outflanked by Humbert's patient offensive. Tho French worked through tho woods from tho south and south-west to Belval and Thiescourt, and reached tho sotrth bank of tho Divette, the little stream that runs into tho Oise below Noyon. They aro now inside the line on which they established themselves when they stopped tho German advance in March, and if they cross the Divette another series of operations will at once be directed against Noyon. The position, however, cannot yet be defined with any degree of precision, because thero is no indication whether tho advance came to a halt on the Divette. Moreover, the influence of the French operations east of tho Oise has to be taken into consideration. It :'s necessary just now to direct attention to General Humbert's other wing. Having captured Lassigny, he is presumably free to move forward on the front south of Roye, or, rather, on tho front south of Orapeaumesnil, in the neighbourhood. of which the Germans have a strong point. If Hill 101, west of Les Leges, can be turned from the south, nothing will save Royo, wliich sooner or later would bo outflanked.

East of tho Oiso General Mangin is reported to have reached the Ailette, not on a wide front, it is true, but in such a way that the' development of tho advance ought to be relatively oasy It will bo remembered that Mangin attacked on a front originally of about fifteen miles. His continuation northward was made on a front of eight or ten miles, and ho appears to bo facing north still on a front of six or eight miles. The maximum depth of the advance is about eight miles. Tho simultaneous eastward thrust, aiming at tho Chavigny ridge, north of Soissons, does not appear to havo been so successful, but provided the flank were effectively covered, Mangin could afford to devote his attention to tho main drive. And once the new positions on the main plateau above the Ailette have been thoroughly organised the French will naturally proceed to push oast along the crest. Indeed it may be taken for granted that this movement has already begun,, although from a German communique it is apparent that tho enemy has been coun-ter-attacking vigorously in the hope of restricting tho scope of Mangin's offensive. The enemy, of course, is bound to attack Mangin's exposed flank, and if ho has maintained his hold on the Chavigny spur the French position will be anything but secure, but on tho other hand Mangin's rapid advance raises a strong presumption that tho Gorman defence on tho plateau broke down, and in that case it would be tho Germans and not the French who found themselves outflanked.

The operation is left in an unfinished condition, and one can do no more than emphasise its important possibilities. On tho left flank the position is highly interesting The French have moved up tho valley of the Oiso, using tho river to cover their flank, and tho report states that they reached Bretigny, which is on the left bank of the Oise, due east of Noyon. From Sempigny to Brotigny the .French front is therefore defined by tho marshy valley of the Oise, and it iB scarcely correct at this stage to say that Noyon has been outflanked. The French at Sempigny may be within a couple of miles of Noyon, but between them and the town is tho valley of the river, with tho Oise canal beyond. On the western bank of tho Oise the Germans still hold Mount Renaud, the key to tho valley, and although tho Frenoh are at Vdle they are three miles from Noyon. But the position i 3 full of promise, because a break in the enemy's defence now would involve him in a big disaster. In all probability the Germans have planned to fall back from Roye to a lino running by Nesle and the formidable Hill 170 to Noyon. If they tail to hold Noyon this line will havo been lost.

The British operations call s for little detailed comment. The most interesting development ieported has been a fresh advance of a mile and a half or two miles to Achiet le Grand, which is only about three miles north-west of Bapaume. The proximity of the battle-front to Bapaume facilitates the arrival of enemy reinforcements, and one would therefore expect an immediate stiffening of the enemy's resistance, so that it would be unwise to look confidently for further advances. But the menace of the British push is so immediate and so direct that Rupprecht will inevitably have to employ some of his reserve divisions to meet it, and the British attack therefore must have the effect of easing the situation for the French in the south. The British attacks on the Ancro continue, and between the Ancre and the Somme supporting local attacks haVe been macla. The position on the Albert sector is important at this stage not bo much on its own account as because of its bearing on 'the position elsewhere. Sir Douglas BLaig is keeping the Germans in a state of anxiety, rendering it impossible for them to divert divisions from the Somme region to meet the French offensive in the region of the Oifi«,