PROGRESS OF THE WAR

New Zealand Times, Volume XLII, Issue 9639, 20 April 1917, Page 4

PROGRESS OF THE WAR

Mr Bonar Law’s very hopeful statement about the end Of the war has been taken out of its context, and thus given exaggerated value. On turning to his speech, the reader will see that the excerpt which has been made to bulk so large, instead of standing prominent as a conclusion led up to by a careful summary of facts, is only a qualifying statement, made, in fact, to soften the harshness of a conclusion far more akin to pessimism than to optimism. In spite of the entry of America into the war, Mr Bonar Law said the hardest and most difficult part of the war is yet before us. And, having said that, he proceeded to express his hope that, after all, the night was nearly over. To read this in its proper place is to read it in its proper light. We can then see that Mr Bonar Law did not, as the treatment of his statement encourages iis to believe, predict speedy victory. He only said that the situation is very difficult, and that he hoped we shall come out of it all right. A very different thing. That is the right attitude, from which we must not be led away by taking the hopeful words of responsible men who are behind the scenes out ’ of their context.

We can watch the war now, of course, with high hopes, to which the development of the great Allied offensive gives encouragement, growing greater every day. The time, however, has not yet come to guess at the ,end of the war. The only thing we can do is to watch the developments with intelligence, and accompany them with hopes for which they supply the basis. We shall win, it is now fairly certain provided the enemy does not manage some new way, or get an unexpected stroke of good fortune. Of this sort of thing there does not appear to bo any great chance. But wax la war. For the present wo are doing very well on the West front. We are making records with captures once deemed absolutely impossible. Napoleon used to say that all great captains succeeded by adapting the effort to the task. That is precisely what our captains are doing. Their task was gigantic; it was to take impregnable trenches. They organised gigantic efforts, and tho' trenches are everywhere falling. * • *

The French at Verdun were attacked by captains who tried to adapt their effort to their task, and they met the attack with an effort superior, and the enemy failed. They then adapted their effort to the task of turning the enemy out of the positions he had gained before the final failure of his effort, and they succeeded, with a rapidity which electrified public opinion in every country of the Entente. The British’ in their turn adapted effort to task, and in their turn electrified public opinion by imposing retreat on the enemy, from positions stronger than any the world had ever previously seen in war. This feat the British general repeated, widening bis front with great strokes of victory. In their turn the French, again adapting effort to task, captured impregnable positions, prisoners in thousands, and booty of all kinds in great quantities, also on a widening front.

The enemy also adapted effort to task. But the task was not the task of holding his defences. It was the task of explaining away his defeats. And his effort has failed. The development of the offensive against him -on a front of close pressure which has reached a width of 140 miles, has torn his explanation of deep strategic intention to tatters. The fact stands revealed that he built trenches to hold till it suited him to either dictate peace from the unbroken battlements or advance to glorious victory. He

has been driven out of them with peremptory ana skilful violence. Ho has no such strong places behind as those he has abandoned to superior force, and those strong positions of his old line which he still holds are not likely to resist tho attack which has adapted effort to task. We can therefore view the development of the offensive against him tvith confidence.

Tlte enemy’s reports give us a good summary of the French advance of the 21 hours since, the last dispatches reached us- They trace the lines of the attack, showing the sections (X) between the Oise and the Aisne east of Laon; (2) along the Aisne from Vailly to Craonne; (3) Craonne to Bertjgney, past Reims; (4) tho Champagne section to Anbonvc. On all that hue they acknowledge the firm pressure of tho groat line of assault which notwithstanding their statements of yesterday to the contrary has been strongly maintained. It is the usual course the Allied attacks take after tho enemy confidently declares .that he has stopped them. His note is not in that key to-day. Ho admits the French capture of Brayc, duo west of Craoune ten miles; he acknowledges tlm* on both sines of Craonne the fighting is hot and tho bombardment of his positions is most powerful; ho tells of new- fights in tho Champagne sector; and he is silent as to the results of the battle between tho Oise and the Aisne, across the massif of St. Gobain, whore tho threat against the east side of Laon grows more and more menacing.

Tho French report fills in the colour. Tho battle between the Oise and tho Sommed owed its fierce character to tho enemy’s initiative. Goaded to pervousness by tho menace to .Laon, the los s of which will cripple his railway facilities very seriously; ho organised and delivered a powerful assault on the French line, determined to drive it back at any cost. The French mot him in their usual style, strafing the most part of his advance in No Man’s Land with their seventy-fives, and pushing off with the bayonet the balance which got into their trenches with a rush. He paid the cost he started out to pay, andi he did not get tho goods. The French lino stands like a rock and has resumed its fire.

But the greatest stroke of the day was delivered south of that big fight. The French line we saw yesterday established across tho Ailette to Vauxaillon on the Craonne plateau, and stretching sharp southwards to Margeval and Vailly, near the Aisne, thence going east along the crest of the ridge to Laon. The opposing lines here formed a triangle, the base being the northern line of heights overlooking the Ailette valley and the St. Go bain massif, from Vauxaillon to Craonne. The French objective was to wipe out that triangle and bring their line forward to tho northern edge of the heights. In front of them lay the villages of Braye and Ostel, the former at the edge of the heights, the latter half-way, standing before the French section between Margeval and Vailly.

They moved against these positions; the enemy engaged desperately; there ensued a. fierce battle. But our brave Allies were not to be baulked. They stormed the enemy out of the first line passing through Ostel; their advanced parties pressed oil to Braye, and presently that place was stormed in its turn, the enemy flying routed, leaving great quantities of munitions, guns, and provisions behind. The triangle thus gained, the enemy has lost Braye, and his line passes at an awkward ' angle, from the Ailctte on tho north below and eastward over the eastern remnant of the Craonne plateau through that place. The result is that Oraoftne is seriously compromised. The bombardment on both sides of the place, noted by the -Hermans, is no doubti intended to complete tho battle of Ostel-Braye by its capture. When Craonne falls_ the French line will run from tho Ailette valley into the gap of Reims, with its guns on the Craonne crest dominating the St. Gobain massif, and Laon will he seriously\ menaced from both the south and the cast.

To prevent that consummation, the enemy attacked with two divisions furiously between Javincourt and the Aisne, probably at Berry-au-Bac or Sapigneul, with the immediate object of barring the gap of Reims to save Craonne from envelopment that way, and at tho same time stop the advance against Laoir. Before this we must note that the French were pressing their advantage on the Brayo side, capturing guns and prisoners, using their cavalry ahead of their infantry, and had taken the opportunity to capture the Conde bridge, thus consolidating their western position. The German onslaught with two divisions east of Craonne was met and destroyed by the French artillery, and the attempt to beat back the advance from the gap of Reims suppressed.

While these operations were in full swing east and west of Craonne, the Russian Brigade with the French army, taking advantage of tho victorious advance on Braye, moved against the enemy to the north, over the Ailette, from Courcy, and captured many positions on tho massif of St. Gobain, bringing their line nearer to I/aon on that side.

Further east on the Auberive section the “fresh fights” of the German official report have given the French fresh positions. Tho general results 'bf the whole French advance on the above captures of terrain have made Oraonne totter and brought Laon into danger, together with 17,000 prisoners and 75 guns (not all the guns captured have been counted yet), many of them of heavy calibre, nil of which were taken intact, and turned against tho retreating enemy.

The rest of the French news consists of very interesting details of the fighting in which our Allies have bo greatly distinguished themselves.

The British have not been idle while these operations were going on. Sir Douglas Haig reports substantial advance at various points .between tho Lagnicourt sector and St. Quentin, That place, it seems now probable, will oe overwhelmed as soon as the French get possession of St. Gobain anl drive the enemy out of Laon. Further north the British have gained ground in the Scarpe valley, and still further north Sir Douglas Haig reports a strong advance with capture of enemy trenches (two lines) from Loos towards Lens, with intent apparently to drive the enemy out of the remnant he still holds in that neighbourhood. A Headquarters correspondent veports that so far tho British have captured in the

Arras battle 230 out of the GOO guns in action against then.

There is a suggestive pendant to the Western news. The Herman gen-eral-in-chief is reported to have broken up his concentrations against he Italian and Russian fronts, and sent the troops in frantic haste westward. Vienna reports that the xkusinan front is absolutely still, and Petrograd that there are signs (the burning of Braila and Focsani) which c'-rrohorato the report that tho German troops arc to he withdrawn from Roumanm* Petrograd announces very opportunciy that the unrest of the early days of the revolution is over, and that the Russian armies are ready and eager for a move against the enemy, being now assured ot food and munitions.

The American preparations tor a worthy part in the great struggle are advancing rapidly. The latest proof of American practical goodwill is the passing by Congress of a Bill opening the Pnited States to the recruiting ot tho Allies.