POSSIBILITIES ON THE WESTERN FRONT

Nelson Evening Mail, 18 April 1916, Page 5

POSSIBILITIES ON THE WESTERN FRONT

COLONEL REPINGTOXS VIEWS. (Rec. April 18, 8.20 a.m.) LONDON, April 17. , Colonel -Repington, in an article detailing the German ordre de batai'ile north of the Somme, says that great events may be impending. General Foch is still in" command in the north, enabling General Joffre to co-ordinate the operations of the Allies. Forty German divisions, excluding cavalry, are hdldino- north of the Somme, numbering 800X100 including half a million nflss and over 3000 guns. Facing the French and Belgians on our left are naval corps and 2A- Landwehr and Ersatz divisions. All the rest are before the British, while one cavalry and eicrht infantry divisions are in reserve, and can be rapidly moved to any point. Only one Landwehr division is before the ■British. The rest are good for active or reserve formations, and are equal to those at Verdun and better than any others in the west or east. The Germans hold the dominant positions. This mass of important forces is a tributeto the fighting qualities of our men. The Ist Bavarian Army Corps and the Ist Bavarian Reserve Division are opposite Arras -with the 15th Reserve Division m reserve. The 15th Army Corps Ypres, the 19th at Armentieres, the 7th at -Neuve Chapelle, the 4th is opposite Loss, with various reserve corps intermixed. The Germans are without reserves except in front of the British front and at Verdun. These are still ample to filMhe field depots during the summer campaign, though the quality of many of the reserves is poor. If they attack the British there may be a temporary success, but the reception will be as warm as at Verdun. We shall attack when strong enough. Superiority in men and guns is necessary to assail modern trenches. Tt is now fairly well known that the third hypothesis the Germans propose is to master the Lower Scheldt and violate Holland's neutrality so that 'German naval armaments, which have been accumulating for 18 months on the Scheldt, may be put to sea to attack ns. We still have not all the troops in Western France which should be there, thousrh the strategy has improved since the General Staff "regained its functions. In October our output of guns and munitions was still below France and Germany. It is necessary to keep 2,000,00 " 0 making munitions to- the end of tie war, of which I.OGO.CCO are males. When our own munitions" suffice we must redouble our efforts to help Russia.