PROGRESS OF THE WAR

New Zealand Times, Volume XLII, Issue 9613, 20 March 1917, Page 4

PROGRESS OF THE WAR

The’ fall of Peronne serves only to magnify the story of the German retreat. The British front pursuing the enemy is now 45 miles—Arras to Ghaulnes—and tho French from Eoyo by Lassigny to the Oise and across to Touverut; between that river and the Aisnc must be 20'to 30 miles. It. is evident the enemy is in the thick of his operation of extricating himself from the salient. It begins to look also as if he had taken time by the forelock, for he is looting systematically, breaking bridges, poisoning wells, one account says, miniilg roads, and at Bapaume Mr Gibbs describes his main army as having got away a long distance in the rear. His rearguards in that sector were caught and had much trouble to got clear, but tho fight of our advancing troops was with them, not with tho mam army.

The enemy, who has not been saying much, lately, besides admitting the wholesale abandonment of positions “according to our plans,” has been stressing the air fighting, giving tho impression that important work was going on overhead. Oho wonders is it possible that the German aviators were sent forth to hamper the British air observation? There is not enough information to hand to enable the formation of a definite opinion, But for the moment it does appear as if the now part of the retreat, at all events, has made a good start for the extrication from the salient.

On tho other hand, there are signs of great activity behind the British lines,'pointing to the probable launching of great reserves against the retreating enemy. -.Moreover, the cavalry are out and their advance patrols are in close touch with tho enemy. Tho weather is fine and tho country has dried up considerably. It looks then as if the big reserves will speedily overtake and overwhelm tho rearguards, the cavalry moving rapidly ahead to strike at the important points of tho enemy’s communication. On a forty-five mile front there is great scope for pursuing operations. The troops aro described as most eager to press on. It is a revelation that the enemy’s activity in retreat has reached the neighbourhood of Arras. 10 to lo miles above the northern end of the 12-mile front at Gommecourt. That reveals that his retreat is on an extensive scale, growing daily wider and wider. If then, the retreat of the enemy has got well forward ,the same can he said of the pursuit, which has taken over CO villages, besides many forts, as Sir Douglas Haig points out in his report.

To the north o£ Arras the British have been keeping up a lively system of raids., and they are not abating them one jot. It is known, moreover, that at'Armentiefcs, over against Lille, there are vast concentrations of British artillery. The implication is. that everything is ready there for a mighty onslaught. Much 'depends on the enemy’s objective. Does ho intend to make his new line straight front. Lille to VerdunOr has he made up his mind to fall back to the lino of the Meuse, abandoning both France and Belgium? At present the development has not proceeded far enough to throw any light 'ton the point. AVe. know that lie has fallen back on a width of 45 miles—Arras to Chanlnes. Also that lie is being forced towards Belgium,

iVc Have word to-day of a very substantial French co-operation- They, too, arc moving forward on a fortyrnilo front, their left in touch with tbo British near Roye, their move carrying the advance right round the corner of the salient af Soissons, and. on, to tho Crouv plateau.. The . moving British and French front is of something over a width of eighty-five miles, pursuing and fighting with tho German rearguards. The latest news makes tho distance 100 miles.

Then there is the main present French advance, which has reached rVoyon on the Oise, end Ham further east. It is with tho southern section of tho British advance, swooping into the enemy’s salient, and it has* cavalry at Work- The retreating enemy has tho great bend of the marshy Somme behind him here. AVo can easily understand how eager he is to negotiate tho obstacle; and how, on the other hand, the Allies are eager to fall oil him before he gets through. The British commander pushing his northern section —Arras to Bapnnme—-bustles tho enemy’s march. Ho has, as we have pointed out, arrangements further north for another thirty miles of advance. Like him on his northern side, the French have arrangements for an advance on their eastern side, and have got it substantially forward in tho Champagne and the Argonne. At Verdun'they ate maintaining tho pressure. Fighting in the open has-begun with tho enemy’s rearguards, and tho next few days will see some 'very interesting war—possibly on a front of 200 miles. As the development proceeds, the enemy’s object will be unfolded, and the “Entente plan for energetically frustrating the same will be made manifest. As great forces are coming into action, on tho game scale a s the Marne, the enemy will have to fight a tremendous battle for his right to retreat to his much-desired shorter line, and apparently h© is being forced away from the line of the Meuse and threatened with a break at C’ambrai by the vigorous British, and, French cooperation.

Had there been no Russian Revolution there would-have been a vast reinforcement to the German side. The traitor Russian Government was discussing peace with the German representatives through its representatives at Stockholm, and tho mad Protopopoffi was -ready to sign the treaty. Tho Russian armies were standing in enforced idleness the while. And so far we can see, the German retreat, from the Somme had probably not begun, had -certainly not taken its great development. Tho latter undoubtedly came after tho revolution in Russia had swept away the Czar and the traitorous pro-German Government. The comment of one correspondent is that the revolution came in the very nick of time. It certainly docs look as it the revolution was the signal for the Gorman retreat which, without the hope of tho great reinforcement from the German Eastern front, could not longer be postponed. Tho revolution has. in all probability, compelled the Germans to -make- arrangements to continue the struggle against the very superior forces of. the Entente.

In December some observers at the front were reckoning up the advantages obtained by tho awful slaughter of five months, oyer and above the few miles of territory wrested from the enemy. These were summed up ns: (1) The strategic advantage of rclicv. ing Verdun, which restored the offensive to the French; (2) Tho moral ascendancy of our

armies; (3) The enormous ascendancy of our material, made available by the Somme push —more great guns than the Gormans .possess, and ten shells for every one of theirs:— (4) The 'hardening of the Kitchener armies into a veteran force—for tile Somme is the victory of tho .Kitchener its ,tror, mendous encouragement.

These were the replies to tho German boast that the Somme push, which had'done nothing but burn powder, had been stopped after capturing a few unimportant lines. At that time there was no thought of retreat in tho German lines.

Now, these summaries of advantage gained by the Somme thrust will receive vast addition. The enemy has begun his retreat; his line is going back on a width of over eighty miles, abandoning countless most costly, positions; it is being closely pressed; there is a, possibility of at least two more strong offensives, one on each flank, widening the width of tho enemy’s retreat, and threatening him with both envelopment and piercing. The veteran armies of Britain and France are in superior force, with vastly better equipment, eagerly pressing forward, in enthusiastic confidence of victoryThis will presently supply abundance of material "for bettering the estimate of tho advantages they have gained. It is on the cards that they may Inflict on the enemy a disaster unexampled in history. For the moment, however, it is fair to say that the enemy is withdrawing with steadiness and skill. He is behaving like the brute he is, but ho is doing the-work of a tried soldier. His difficulties are great. It remains to bo seen whether they arc more than ho can cope with. If ho is overtaken in his withdrawal ho is doomed. Cut off from his main communications to the east, forced furiously on Belgium, risking break at Cnuibrai, and threatened with a flanking blow from Armentieres. ho' has a heavy task. Roughly, he is being forced' on the old line of the Mons retreat. Tho whirligig of jtime! , During the vast operations now fairly launched, we shall be dependent for as full knowledge as we are likely to got on the correspondent*. So much may bo guessed by the style of the official reports, which are daily growing more and more laconic. It is, therefore, well to know that the correspondents at the front are in a far better position to-day than they were at the outset of the war. The war

correspondent was then dead and buried. Kow he lias been galvanised a little, and resurrected with something of his old free hand, a fact due to the* belated military recognition of his discretion. Mr Filson Young, of the ■'Daily Mail,” who has been long at the front, puts the position clearly: The war correspondents officially accredited are allowed to go everywhere and see anythin;-; they are in close touch with the Intelligence Department; and instead of being hungry pariahs waiting for minute scraps of news, every information is given them.* Katuraliy they are not allowed to write all they know, but their opinions and impressions aro based not on Ignorance or surmise, but on knowledge, and arc to be valued or discredited according to tbe personal factor involved. This explains the good work of Gibbs and others in recent days, and assures us of a fairly good filling in of the laconic sketches of the military, during tho great battles that are at hand for the conclusion of the war.

The enemy is a good deal more Spartaii than our generals. He is close as your oyster. Tho Russians in tho Galician and Polish misfortunes were cheerful and frank; more frank about the hammering they gave the enemy when they caught him away from his groat guns, than about the strafing they got from those guns. But they “owned up” Uko men and gave us a good story without falling hack perpetually on “our plans.” The Germans do not take defeat cheerfully. While the troops make havoc on the line of retreat tho reports are brief and sullen and evasive. They admit some of their abandonments, hut their lists arc not copious, ns the Entente lists arc. Of the general system of tuo operations there is no word of theirs to enlighten guesswork,: ami of their repulses they make no mention. For instaneo, tho counter yesterday reported at Borry-nu-Bao was nht mentioned. And to-day they are reported to have made a surprise assault on ha Pompelle, one of the suburbs of Reims —the scene of a tremendous battle in the German offensive against Reims after tho settling down on the Aisne —and were defeated ; but there is never u word of it What was its object? To break through and ao stop tho advance further west? Or to mask tho retreat of a whole section of their lino in the Champagne? Time will do what the German .report docs not do—tijno will tell.

The Macedonian front .shows an advance north of Monastic; from Baghdad wo have a note of General Maude’s proclamation to the city, which has the accent of a conquest intended to bo permanent, and was issued no .doubt under instructions front tho War Council. Outside of Baghdad fighting continues, the Turks tailing back, unable to rally* Tho Russian advance from Persia is moving, but progress is delayed by snow in the mountains. Further north tho Russians are at Van once more.