PROGRESS OF THE WAR

New Zealand Times, Volume XLII, Issue 9600, 5 March 1917, Page 4

PROGRESS OF THE WAR

The lying has complimented Marshal Haig on the fine work 'of his men working out the splendid campaign of .pressure put on tho.enemy, compelling his retreat. In .doing an, ho has, with his usual torse directness —a- great feature -of all the- King's speeches—illuminated the main point of-- this -fine performance. He-has treated the almost bloodless advance-of the last few weeks as the direct result of the magnificent fighting, of tho early, days of the Somme ■ jmslj. That point has never been realised by the bulk of the critics who arc prating through tbe cables , of. this . , retreat —writers like him of the “Nation,” who speak of the wisdom of the German command which has fallen back ..to .the new front. .It is the wisdom of the. man who, when kicked downstairs to the first landing, pulls himself together to get to trio next without kicking.

Phis critic talks of the new German lino as the Anas-bailly line.. .; Now, hai-f -of this us -the old- line, Awas to Goiumecourt,... and- .the,-other., half is the.,'line E.S9ai;t-diucquoy...i.a r jiltle back from GommecouJ'-tX to Sailly,.. through Digay, .1i.u1.0y,-.aud. GueudecotyA. pan.* Haig is..pressing is_,thp latter on a front,of about .twelve miles. It is near Dqpau’:ne’'ln„ the "centre, and , the signs are dnat.ibe' enemy is ,n«b gwig to hold.-it.--Air Gibbs,. wbaJop;. once goes ahead of the movement, "contrary to his usual practice of explaining the movement in'" detail a-day or - two after, is very clear on- this point.' He explains that'the enemy’s treuehesMiro poor, not uffendecTtor seripus'h'Sldihg, ■actually. lield"!«h)y-'- by bombers _and .machine-gun., men, & .dtelay the .advance. _The whole .is enveloped by fog, and the retreat. i.s proceeding'. Ba-f»auma,-he says, may be the next place to try and stop the advance, but it is -not-dear that he -thinks the’ enemy 'will make any -pro longed'-stohd-there? If ;he does, it 'will ’Show Th.Sfi-he ■ waftts to hold fhe'ArrasiSailly line,"for Bdpaume 'is'"now part "of that' line, " Ligny arid Thilloy being,iff-British hands, j

But will the enemy hold Bapaumc 'i Is tV.-e ‘‘Nation's'’ .theory. that he intends to hold 'Jlie line itself tenable?. The idea is. that he .'docs longer-ffont pdigihally 'held required,,, la. ijivifldns njeffi, tlwh have.Been that though. the new. line..in question ia.shortor, that , the result of-the-whole great push js to forr— him to hold a good four miles mo’c than he held at the ■ beginning. That disposes" of -the fifteen divisions. ", Moreover; “the enemy " had" no "Choice “after' “he'” ’'was stormed 'buT'bf'tits original positionsj stormed 6isl'df'nll,Hs’pjepare4..strpnghotds i ~ahd then /he . was forced by strategic pressure which outgeneralled iiirij. aiid artillery'’fire ■ which whelmed him, to retire- to positions not so well suited'for defence, -Prudence! Fiddlesticks I The enemy is prudent-enough to obey the command ■of better--general ship and superior 'to clear out, rather "than ' face, the conscq' cncos.' 'The e-gbrncss' with 'which bur nton - are following him./up' en’n'firms the-ccnclusior.

Consider-this -line -of- Arras-Sailly, which Mr -Masringham considers tc c bn stronger, because itis sLdrtci -than the old; though—iicrt-Ticafly” so well ’ fortified, ■--siiiipry'bocause It is shorter on that' particular’.sector. Th« part that matters is the part which ia assailed, and the British general is asiailing it with special, fierceness and concentration. OfT a-front of twelve miles- it is directed-along the-lific north-east from Bapaumc 'by Oourtrai, Valenciennes, and Mons towards” the German frontier.' Mon’s' Ts fifty miles from’ ■ Bapaume'and Cpiirtrai- is'fifteen; -If, as Mr Gibbs,.says, the trenches behind tho Germans oh this line are weak, the-twelve-mile--front, with the present pressure-if is-exerting, will not be many weeks pushing the enemy to Mons. - The- enemy’s line may break before it gets there, and ‘ then the deluge. If "it does not break it forces hack many miles’ of the German, .line on’ both-sides .of,it,in., hasty co-ordina-tion. To-cnable-that-co-ordination the German - side of the twelve-mile front will.have,at the centre to go slower a great deal than’ those Co-ordinating lines on either ’’side, especialljr’ tlio sp.utherndine,lfrpm IPcrapne, hy.Ctaulnes to iCoyau.and this Oisel "jßut the weather is -fine,- and... the country ’vs dvying-fast.-. It will daily-ho easier -for the British commander to increase his pressure on the twelve-mile German centre, compelling it to hurry the retreat which ’ requires - vitally to 'delay. The British "are , splendidly equipped here, the .reports tell ms, for rapid advance on a great stale. ~lf‘ the'enemy is forced”’to hurry, the chances .of/n break with, _aE. least his. southern, coordination. become. gre'at. ’And; there the forces’ of General'Fdch are" ready to’fdHon him with pent-up ..vigour. - The same can be said of the,British forces at .Arras Jui3‘ north .off that'’place, along the sector 'which ’ they flre making lively jvith,,jaidß and have been so doing for many weeks. And behind ihh twelve-mile retreating centre, the pace of which tfie' enemy cannot allow to be increased _IT he wishes ;to___,save his line, the - British airmenaiVlranging, reconnoitring.and photographing, for. thed map-makers- to-direct the advance. - The headquarters correspondent who said' that good weather will soon bring ’’dramatic events knew the facts. -We begin to realise what he meant. The British troops realised it long ago. They-ask to be -kept in-the firing line. • They don’t want, to miss the dramatic crash’. ’. ...

The enemy apparently - has realised the thing also, and it-is possible-that his ideas-mn the subject-are quickened by to-day's report that the Trench are bombarding his positions north of the Aisne. If that is a preliminary bom-

hardment, it means that the enemy’s line j?ouih_anc! cast of the retiring twelve-mile centre will have to suffer a tremendous onslaught on its flank. This adds tiemcndously, to the dramatic possibilities.

With all this in our minds wo can consider the enemy’s conduct. He has communicated his retreat to his newspapers and' loosed His accredited military‘critics in explanation. These now discuss the retreat, as a great strategic operation ordered by Hindefiburg himself, which will secure enormous advantages not . yet to be mentioned. All goes well, according to the plans of the Commander-in-Chicf, who has decided —mark this well —to break P« this tedious trench warfare and fight in the open- The- Teutonic mind is assured that the (Hurra] has discovered by experience, in Roumania ana Macedonia- that the Germans in the open are immeasurably superior to the British, and has nrnae .gigantic _ plans to. take .advantage of that superiority. This is the" account of the. military correspondent of ,the “V-ossische Zeitung, whose writings are familiar to students of the'war, and much trusted by the Teutonic mind.' It is not-a rumour of tlie Wolffc- Bureau-. It; represents the German plan of campaign.

To break off trench warfare! That menus the abandonment of the whole of the German lines of the West, The Germans are it-is .to give freedom to the superiority of the German troops over tho British , in the opexr. .But what about tho French, who will" not bo out of it in the open fighting? Moreover, have the British mot German troops in Roumania and Macedonia ? The military critic’s state-raent-of VHindenimfg’s experience under this h(?ad.,is a patent;fiction, for there has-been no fighting-between-Germans and British-in the regions named. The experience of ..that- sort of fighting; was very large, on'every, field from'.Mons to Ypres, and' ivas such' that cvefy British soldier 'is"most eager to" meet the Germans' in tfib' open. Tho perman explanations -make, jt clear that the enemy is going into .the open, hot because ha wants :to annihilate the British in. the open, ■ but'because the Bri-tish-will- not let him-' stay ' -in -- the trenches. - The enemy - •would 'like to stay in. the trenches..- He built “them to stay in them,;in the h-opo of coming out in the front of them', not ih. the rear! He was forced into them by his tremendous defeat on tHe.Marne, and his attempts to break out ana through our trenches have all been, disastrously beaten.'- -Ho was only able to hold his own in his own trenches by the superjjjbhlartiJtery.. 1 ; - d : -d

It was really au accidental superiority. The guns and high explosives did not come'out ■ of the' ground suddenly to his delight. Hehad prepared them .with great care. But not for fighting in-tho open.- Like the -Allies ho did not believe that-.great; guns and high explosives could bo used effectively in open war, He had built Ids big guns and Stored his“high/exglosjye/fbr/f dduoing”’the “forts/ which" were part ol die scheme of defence against his invasions And .when.Jiis ; goheino of- invasion brokop dq\yn at .the ..Marne fie fountTdn reaching the Alsne that these guns and high explosives gave him, the advantage over/lie Entente/ which possessed—neither 'in-- anything- -like the some degree. That is whaf'W’e'ineaii by the -accidental superiority of/- his artillery, \vhicli"enabled* him to hold lus own in the~trenfcli' system winch he blurt .up «o successfully, - -

-*Hiis- aTtillcfy ; Vsupeiiority 'has' passed tO“the’lSntentC. : , Ail the Weary q) lyio and half/jf 1016 'were spent by them ui building great guns—tho wonderful. w.e react of. to-day .“as haying'chusec^jflio CTerjp'aft eygoitutiont —tind Moriug‘"high ..^plosives.. The direct, .cona.equenccs.hbf -the transfer-.of superiority is the discovery that the Um-sian- treliohes are untenable, ' This is the point, pf, the. Kings'message, which treats' the Gerinhn'ixeti'gat a» tlic .consequence of., the tremendous, victories over the'German resistance in the-party part of ..the great Somme Push. Hradeiiburp finds he must abandon. tijpVtfencues,- and’ falthack on, has owy.. cpiiiiiry.,: -lie hopes . that the superior -neavy .artillery, will not be able to keep pace with the- retreat w h;s, .hues, m... widen. .case ..his men will-'+.ave -a Better cttance"against the troous '-of —the' Entente in the open.. lie’is -to-fight in- the open;- because lie cannot fight under hatches. And *io explains -te Germany that he gocs-mto the open /because his men are im_ m-casm-aWy--superior"in ~ the open.” ”

--X'nahJ.o ,to .conceal the- retreat-, he must Cxplaiy it somehoiy. Hlow.it nTittefs Tittle, so*long as the Teutonic mind gets hut- little shock. Gradually it.will brace itself to the inevitable.

’ Ihb German explanation stops .ail idea of a great German,offensive in tiiti west. -" ? air .u-.iU.cix, ' uauivon.s duel’s mimlj- -oi course, has declared .in au interview /that ail is prepared ana" quite rename against *uo advance of the Allies on tho west U',q,pt.. . . that is ..an open —confession iliat the ihitiative has passed ta.tlui Aides with a vengeance. The Amenciiu conespoiidcnt, quoted with groat approval by “Stead's Review,” has been ui-ciaiuig ,u-itli.,.iuugh>i.eiaai Juice ta.u. die uerman line ol the wgsi can novel be/broken, arid predictiug : thereionthe enit-of Hhe -war'-by' sVo-iv'’ ’prOcest. wirli: o T course, .moat indecisive 'peace. Biit here the GerMUiT' *T.o "iufe exp.u,ui.ng ui .new that they, arc gqthg .to, break oft trench war .anw ugnt rn.tne-opon behind their trenches i.e., by retreaiiug towards the Fatherland.- - '

—There- seems' little doubt nftw that the-enemy is about to do whp Kali enirayn wanted to do last year- early, to,’- re.rent trout.- the wetiunj from. u. 80*013 other Jme.pf defence,-and ,iha' his retreat on-the twelve mile front is the beginning cu lbs end. fie- is trying- to -hold-awhile-on: that-front, as,‘fats attacks at BaiJJy .(repulsed:, b.v irf’esistible ■ Brinish counterj, and. his attempt ty stand. . beyond ' Biusieu?; prove:. Bui bin hand -will be torced whemt the British.. centre >mov*s"-in force'on bapaume, after -the usual Use ‘of the mortars and the high ’explosive.- .Events are becoming dramatic on the west