THE ATTACKS ON CALAIS.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LII, Issue 15964, 8 July 1915, Page 6

THE ATTACKS ON CALAIS.

From various indications it -would seem that the Germans are about to make another desperate attempt to break through the Allied lines and reach Calais, That they will fail again as they have so repeatedly failed already may be hopefully anticipated, but it must be recognised that they will exert their full available strength and resort to every outlawed device to attain their objective. The importance of Calais to the German plans lies in its command of the Straits of Dover, which could be partially closed by modern artillery advantageously placed and might be practically closed by submarines operating from the shelter of gun-covered waters. British artillery at Dover would similarly close the Straits to German shipping, but the German mercantile marine has already been swept from the seas and the German Navy has been forced to shelter in the Kiel Canal. The. loss of Calais would thus be gravely detrimental to Britain, while it would vastly increase the risks of transport to France. There are other reasons for German attacks. Even meaningless advances may renew the failing confidence without which the Kaiser cannot expect the German nation to continue its exertions and endure its losses. To fight from the present lines is easier under German military methods than to retreat upon new lines. The longer the zone of hostilities can be kept outside of Germany the longer can the national resources be husbanded. Fi;om the Allied point, of view, however, it makes little difference where the struggle for final superiority takes place as long as the German attacks are successfully withstood. The weakening of German strength on the already war-wrecked Yser, around battered Ypres and shattered Arras, must make easier the final advance of the- Allied forces, whether they move across Bclgjum, by way of Alsace or through some new gateway into the German lair. If the Empire does its duty and our free dominions respond loyally to Britain's need for fighting men, the war -will sooner or later be carried into Germany and a satisfactory peace be within sight. Meanwhile, the British workshops are grappling more effectively with the munitions problem and giving the men in the trenches the power to fight upon more equal terms with their longprepared and completely equipped enemies.