MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 30, 1918. THE LATEST PHASES.

Northern Advocate, 30 September 1918, Page 2

MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 30, 1918. THE LATEST PHASES.

The latest phases of the war reI corded by the cables are distinctly ■ favourable to the Allies. Great gains ' have been made on all fronts and while it is yet to early to talk of ■ general peace there are yet indications that the Allies have gained the advantage on all fronts in the war zone. The tide has turned in no uncertain way in Palestine, the Balkans the' great Western front and consternation appears to be entering not only the ranks of the enemy soldiers, but also the civil population. As we seem to be approaching some decisive stages in the war it may be well to briefly touch upon ; the events of the past few months so that we may form some conclusion of what has happened. It will be recalled that in March last the Germans launched their great offensive and boasted that they would be in Paris by the first day in April. The force of that great blow stagger- '■ ed the Allied army and we all know how nearly the ambition was realised. Paris has already come under the : bombardment of the long-range guns : and it was only the magnificent ; strategic defence put up by General ' Foch which enabled our lines to hold until the enemy had spent his strength. Then with undepleted reserves and abundant resources the Allied generals hit back and the result has been the turning back of th« German wave at every point along the front. Village after village, town after town, salient after salient has been won back until the Germans have not only been pushed back to their original starting point, but considerably beyond it and the Hindenburg line— the impregnable, the all-powerful— has been practically won. The French, Americans, British and Belgians are all winning victories from the once boastful Hun and a fresh phase which promises good things for Belgium is the launching of a new offensive in Flanders by British and Belgian forces. This attack has already resulted in the capture of Poelcapelle and the outflanking of Passchendp.de and the dream of a free Belgium may not be long delayed in its realisation. So much for the Western front. The good fight goes on and though the cost is heavy progress is assured. Let us now turn to Palestine and briefly see what has been done there. In the space of a very few weeks the Plains of Sharon have been swept from Appolonia to Acre and the major part of the great plain of Armageddon conquered together with the Western littoral to the sea of Gallilee. The armies of the Turks have been smashed and the remnants are making desperate efforts to reach a base at Damascus, but in this effort they may yet be frustrated. Much booty has been taken and General Allenby's triumph is brilliantly assured. The long-dormant Macedonian front has awakened to life with good purpose. In an incredibly short space of time the Allied forces in that region, under the French commander-in-chief, have swept the whole of Southern Servia free of the enemy and entered Bulgarian territory. The retreat of the enemy has been practically in the nature of a rout. Every line of communication has been blocked by fleeing troops and great stores of booty have been secured. While the Allies were driving north-

ward from Doiran the Servians made a bold effort to capture Veles or Kuprulu. In this they were successful and by the movement it is hoped to cut off the Bulgars from escape through Babuna Pass. Following upon this successful move northward the Austrians in Albania were put in danger of having their retreat cut off. They were in imminent danger of being left between the Italian forces in the south and an outflanking. Allied force; in the north, hence they have -fotfat'd it necessary to evacuate th.e;Yterritory they have so long and brutally occupied. The result of -tH^se operations in the Balkans haY already put such fear into .the"'frearts of the Bulgars that Jire being made for peace. - :\Th.e .-JSficedonian Commander-in-Chief {was./ffrst;, asked for an armistice, but 'iftis he/refused, his action being endorsed' the Allied Governments. '' It'ifias. -been arranged, however, todjeeeiyey peace delegates, but we may-s|||fey.'take it that the Allies will ac'cJ'pt'.-frGfn'' this creacherous and bruta!^"fo^,.^> thing but unconditional surrender* ""'■ Berlin is naturally straining every nerve to prevent this action taking place and the overtures made are said to be without: King Ferdinand's authority, but 'the general impression gained is that the king's authority has passed in Bulgaria and that the popular-leader of the Government, M. Malinoff, will sway the decision of the nation. His latest declaration is that Bulgaria is "out of the war." But the surest method of bringing the nation to its senses will be a vigorous continuance of the assault. The breakdown of Bulgaria should be complete, so that there is no room left for future intrigue. With Bulgaria out of the way shattered Turkey should soon have to follow suit and this should mean a European access to disorganised Russia and a new front for a combined Allied attack upon Hungary. The prospect would not be pleasont for the Austro-Hun-g-arian people and it is not unlikely that they might also see the wisdom of peace. However, let us not go too far in pleasing speculations. The power of the enemy is not yet broken and the winter approaches when operations are difficult. But with the situation as it stands today we have every reason to be deeply gratified.