WAR REVIEW.

Lyttelton Times, Volume CXVII, Issue 17903, 24 September 1918, Page 4

WAR REVIEW.

WEEK’S OPERATIONS.

HEAVY AIR FIGHTING

[Per Press Association.]

WELLINGTON, September 23.

The following weekly official review has been issued by the Ministry of Information :

After five days of almost perpetual storm and rain, the week’s air war culminated in a remarkable burst of fighting on tho British western front and over Germany itself. Notwithstanding the unfavourable air conditions from Tuesday to Saturday night, British airmen seized every opportunity to press home the advantages gained m tho recent operations. In the intervals of fine weather they took many photographs and dropped more than twenty tons of bombs on enemy organisations behind tho lines. On September 15 .improved weather produced marked aerial developments, and large numbers of enemy machines were encountered on the German side of the line, considering their recent heavy losses. , The enemy squadrons worked in large formations and fought bitter combats. In two days’ fighting thirtytwo British machines were reported missing, but seventy-two German machines were destroyed and twenty-seven were brought down, and one kite balloon was brought down on fire, making a total bag •of 100 enemy aircraft in forty-eight hours. While these heavy battles were proceeding, British bombing squadrons were most active, dropping more than seventy tons of bombs on military objectives behind tho battle lino. On September 16 British reconnaissance machines established a record, bringing back a larger number of aerial photographs than , ever previously recorded in a single day’s work. The Royal Air Force’s Independent Force, acting in concert with the French and American in the attack on the St Mihiel salient, easily surpassed its own records, both in the number of obpectives attacked and in the weight of bombs dropped Probably there has never been a moro formidable and more persistent air assault than chat which the Rhine country suffered from the British airmen during the part of the week between September 13 and 16-Thirty-four separate raids were made. Twelve went for the vital railway junction triangle at Metz-Sablons, four against Gourcelle? junction, seven against railways at Arnaville, Ehrange, Saarbrucken, Kaiserslautern and Mainz, while heavy attacks were also mado on enemy aerodromes at Buhl, Boulay, Frascaty and Hagenau. Such repeated attacks on the same places were necessary as measures against the perpetually renewed G'erman repairs and machine production. In addition destructive raids were also made 'on chemical and aeroplane factories at Mannheim, the Daimler works at Stuttgart and the docks and sidings at Karlsruhe. Fifty-nine tons of ■ bombs were dropped during five days, which is equal to more than half the total weight of bombs ’ dropped during the whole preceding month. The material results are clearly shown by photographic and other records, and a large number of direct hits were obtained on all the objectives. British airmen continue to do successful work in'conjunction with the Allied offensive in the Balkans and Italy. Besides maintaining all the usual patrols they attacked vigorously the naval and military works at Bruges,. Ostend, Haliille, Mariasaalter, Zeveckte, etc. Over one of these places oh September 16 no fewer than eleven enemy machines were destroyed, with seven more driven down, and with only two British machines failing to return. THE PEACE NOTE.

The Austrian Peace Note baa been satisfactorily dealt with bv Mr Balfour, President Wilson and M. Cleraenceau. It is not yet known how deeply the German ’Government is implicated in the issue of the Note, but it certainly knew the gist of it, if not the text. The German offer of peace to Belgium, as outlined in the Press, is wholly improbable. Such stipulations and bargainings as are suggested would be an unwarranted interference in the internal affairs of another sovereign State,, and though the Germans themselves - established the principle of reparation by demanding £300,000,000 compensation for Germans injured, by the Russians in the war, Germany ’ha3 now herself refused any reparation for the ruin wrought by the Germans in Belgium. WESTERN FRONT. On September 18 our Third and Fourth Armies attacked oh a front of nbout thirteen miles from Holnon to Gouzeaucourt and advanced about two miles into close touch with the Hindenburg line, and at several points passed the original Line held on March 21. Between eight and ten thousand prisoners were taken. The French Tenth Army made a substantial advance along practically the whole front between tin Aisne and north of the Ailette, caf Luring points of tactical importance, 4000 prisoners and the important position of Mont des Singes. The Americans achieved a most striking success in the Si Miliiel salient, capturing 15,000 prisoners and more than'2oo guns. Tho Germans, generally speaking, did not show their old fighting qualities, as is shown by the large number of prisoners and the comparatively small Allied losses. The Germans had constructed a lino across the salient to which they have now retired, but it is not believed to be very strong. The Germans, however., cannot allow the Allies to advance further here, "owing to the threat that is thus involved to ■ Metz and the important side lines of communication through Strassburg, Metz and Montmedy. _ The capture of the St Miliiel salient is an event of the greatest importance, and proves conclusively to Germany and all tho world that the American army is as highly trained a fighting machine as the German. French and British. Now that the ground has been captured between the Meuse and the Moselle, the Allies are enabled at any time to make an attack in that direction and to threaten the security of the whole German line. POSITION IN RUSSIA.

In Northern Russia skirmishing west of the Murman railway resulted in our favour. In the Archangel region the Bolsheviks have fallen back on the Onega-Oberskaya road, so that we have secured this lino of communication. The Czecho-Slovak forces in European Russia are very hard pressed. In the last week or ten days Bolsheviks, helped by large numbers of Germans, drove them out from Volsk, Simbirsk and Kazan. The fate of the last-named was entirely due to want of ammunition. Tho Czechs, indeed, are very worn out and are lacking in munitions, equipment and stores, and most urgently require prompt help from the Allies, especially as tho Germans are reported to be concentrated in considerable numbers in the Kharkov-Bielgorod area. They probably aim at separating General Alexiev’s forces from the Czechs at Samara, but it must be noted that already the Czechs, though hard pressed, are keeping the enemy busy in Russia, and are thus having an important effect on the situation on the western front. The German offer to withdraw her troops in Northern Russia if we will do the same is apparently owing to her difficulty in getting the Finns to fight, and also her desire to avoid being further involved, considering her situation on the western front. Nevertheless she continues preparing, and we must be forearmed against a serious attack on the coast railway. THE SERBIAN OFFENSIVE. The French and Serbian attack in the Balkans was completely successful.

More than fifty guns wore captured, and all points of tactical importances were secured along this front, where the Allied line was previously domin-' ated by tho Bulgarian positions. THE MIDDLE EAST.

A British detachment was aonff to Baku, on tho urgent appeal of the inhabitants, with a view to stiffening the defence against the Turks and Germans and of saving the Caspian shipping and the Baku oil. It was known that the expedition was hazardous, since the Armenian National Council had made peace with the Turks, but it was hoped that the Armenian population of 80.000 would offer a stout resistance to its persecutors, and, if so, the strategical gain was held to justify the risk. The Bolshevik Government was overthrown and a new one set up, which begged British assistance, but tho number iof troops sent was limited by the difficult! communications. To secure this small force, including some 10,000 Russians and Armenians on the spot, it was obvious that loyal co-operation was necessary, but the local government appeared to think that no further effort was necessary after the arrival of tho. British detaohment, and the Armenian troops proved quite unreliable in action. On August 28 a determined Turkish attack was beaten, off by the North Staffords and Worcesters, and a second attack in another sector waa also repulsed. By the end of August ’ it was recognised that the co-operation of the local government was insufficient to justify the sacrifice of our sniall detachment in, Baku in face of superior enemy numbers and with sum slender , communications. Orders weru issued to ovaouate the British troops, but ion the same day the Turks again attacked and onr allies again failed to 00-operato, so that the (Royal Warwickshire regiment had to oover the retreat of the Armenians and the Russians, and it is feared that it lost heavily. On September 2 the Russian General, Bichalakov, occupied Petrovsk and promised to send reinforcements to Baku. The first small detachment actually arrived or. September 9, anc promises of reinforcements and comparative enemy inactivity tended to improve the morale of our, allies, but 1 meanwhile tin Armenians were negotiating to hand over the town to the enemy. The British thereupon trained their guns on the Armenian quarter. On September 14 the Turks made a determined attack, and after a battlo of sixteen hours, chiefly borne by the British, our troops evacuated Baku. The Russians were by now disgusted at the feeble and untrustworthy behaviour of tho Armenians, and-contem-plated deposing tho government and assuming control In conjunction with tho British. As General Dunstervills reports the evacuation of the force, the Russians probably helped him with the necessary shipping, realising that further resistance was useless. In Transcaspia tho Bolshevik advance has come to a standstill, owing to the assistance of British troops. • Recent events in Russia reveal the Bolshevik tyranny as a desperate mania, threatening tho stability of the entire civilisation of the world, almost as ominously as the Gorman ambitions, unless it i% promptly and definitely crushed by the,Allied forces of democracy throughout tbo wprld.