PROGRESS OF THE WAR

New Zealand Times, Volume XLII, Issue 9722, 26 July 1917, Page 4

PROGRESS OF THE WAR

The Russian front to-day gives good news and bad. It also offers tho riddlo for answer, of whether the bad is going to bo overwhelming. The good is certainly substantial, as even tho enemy’s’ bulletins help us to realise. The main point—a very important point, considering the circumstances that perplexed the world’s attempts to understand the Russian situation —is that the Russian troops are fighting well and fighting forward in many parts of the great line between tho Baltic and tho Black Seas; in fact, in all parts but one —tho important section of tho Galician frontier. At Jaoobstadt —between Riga and Dvinsk—these troops have attacked in force twice; southwest of Dvinsk they have assaulted the Gorman lines, penetrated deeply, and kept up a severe hand-to-hand struggle before retiring, with heavy losses; at Krevo and Smorgon they have renewed the assault of three days ago which penetrated two miles, and failed. This for tho sections north of the Galician. South of the Galician, they have, with the Roumanian troops, advanced and fought from the Carpathians at the source of the Trotns and along the Putna and Sereth front to the Danube.

These particulars are given by tho enemy. His account makes the most ■of the repulses and losses. For which reason wo must wait, before we got Russian confirmation. We can judge by the enemy’s account of the first battle of Sraorgon-llrevo, which represented a total defeat and total withdrawal of the attacking Russian forces. The Russian account claimed, on the other hand, the retention of some at least, if not all, of tho captured ground, and the enemy’s account of the renewal of the assault does not discredit tho Russian claim of the result of the assault itself- This time tho, enemy claims that the attacking forces were destroyed, only remnants returning. If tho claim is true, it proves, at all events, that the Russians fought with determination and good moral. In tho southern (Roumanian) sector tho enemy’s account reads like the description of a near thing, for it presents a hard battle along the whole Roumanian lino to the Danube, won in a by no means decisive fashion by General Mackenscn. According to this, the RussianRoumanian forces made a large offensive, pressed it strongly, and maintained it long, until they were stopped by Mackensen. It is possible that they made gains and held them. Bo that as it may. they took the offensive and fought well. The same applies to the northern sectors at Jaoobstadt and south of Dvinsk- The fact stands out that the Russian offensive is responsible for the long series of battles—with the exception of one sector—from the Baltic to the Black Sea. That, in the circumstances, is a very great fact. Prominent is the renewal of the assault at Krevo-Smorgon, where the first assault broke down from the “instability” of certain detachments. The second time there was no instability, for if the enemy’s version is correct, the Russians died rather than give way, only remnants returning. It is evident that the moral of the Russian armies is improving north and south of the Galician front. That is the good part of the day’s news from the Russian front.

We come to the bad part. The Russian armies of the Galician sector are retreating. The Russian command is aware of the significance of that. M. Kerensky has said that the main effort of Russia must be to stop that retreat- It is the weak place, and the Russian High Command is seeing to it. Wo may be sure that Brusiloff’s energies are in strong action.

"What has happened? The enemy’s report says that the effect of his

strategy’ is becoming powerful. tic represents his strategy as having developed into an advance on a trout of 250 kilometres—about 170 miles—from the Carpathians to some dozen miles or so north of Reference to the map verifies the distance, fiom Kim polling north. The meaning is that tho two assaults we discussed yesterday across the Taruopol-Ostrov railway, and astride tho Dniester have swept the Russian Seventh Army from Brzezany and pushed back Korniloff’s old army, from the Lomnica back towards the Sereth. His addition that tho Archduke Joseph’s army is cooperating means that from Dolina to Kimpolung the enemy has advanced his whole line and is sweeping into Bukowina. Thus we have the whole enemy’s line moving forward, driving the Russians before it on a front of 170 miles. That is tho meaning of tho enemy’s report.

Yesterday wo saw tho beginning ot tho development of this great offensive. But there were no details from cither side beyond tho statement of tho enemy that the assaults in tho centre were being developed, and that tho Russians wore stoutly resisting. The enemy’s claim to-day implies that the assault has developed into a general advance, and the question arises how far it has got. The reference ot Kerensky is compatible with a general Russian retreat. But what of Bizet zany, of Kalicz, of Stanislaa, and of Czernowitz, further to the south? The general advance of the enemy’ threatens all those places. But they are none of them mentioned. Had tho Russians abandoned them, or any ot them, tho fact would surely have been mentioned by the enemy. It certainly would have given truth and body to the general outline of his narrative. Wo can only conclude that the Russian retreat has not yet been driven past these named places; that they are threatened, but not yet approached, and that the design of the Russian High Command is to maintain the Russian hold, in fact, stopping the general retreat before it reaches them.

The details of the enemy’s claim, stress tho capture of Tarnopol, near the northern end of the advance, with all the magazines of that great centre of Russian supply in this region. That is the crucial point of tho whole operation. A million’s worth of stores, other booty uncounted as yet, prisoners captured by several divisions at 3000 per division, many heavy guns, are the details of the captures at and near Tarnopol. This brings us somewhere within guessing distance of the shape of tho great enemy advance and of the Russian retreat; The lines, it seems clear, are, hot straight. The northern end of the Russian line is bent back to tho Sereth and Tarnopol; the rest is probably a succession of irregular curves, stretching from the front at Kimpolung, where the Archduke’s army has begun to move, to Brzezany, in a running fight, which has not yet covered much ground. But the whole operation is too indefinite in the enemy’s description to hazard more than this guess of its character. But the main base of supply is gone with the hepd hack_ of the northern end of the Russian line, and that implies very grave consequences. The fact shows that the Russian High Command baa a vast task before it to stop the retreat. While it is bringing up supplies from Kieff and Odessa, and reinforcements—there is a supply of loyal trained men. we are informed, to draw upon—the question of transport wall be formidable, and the retreat must become more rapid. Moreover, the line must keep connection north of Tarnopol and south of Kimpolung. That, with the base at Tarnopol gone, is another awkward problem.

On tho whole, the question of whether after all the bad part of tho day’s reports (the retreat) will not override and overwhelm the good part (the strong Russian offensive elsewhere), is tho disquieting question of the day. Tile elements of reassurance are (1) the Russian offensive elsewhere limits tho forces available for pressing the enemy advantage in Galicia; (2) the exclusive employment of German forces in the strengthening of the enemy’s Galician offensive proves that tho Austrians have all their spare strength engaged against Italy; (3) the improvement of the morale of tho Russian armies; (4) the pressure on the Western front is bound to ho vastly increased during the coming weeks.

As we write the Russian account of tho happenings along the great line comes with reassuring effect. It claims successes in the northern sectors, whore tho enemy reported failures, and the claim is' supported by details. It supplies the information that while Stanislao is being abandoned as too far advanced, tho line from Brzezany through Buczacz towards Kimpolung is to Be held and is being hold, and that arrangements are being rapidly made to fill the gap in the Tarnopol and Sereth sector. It turns out that the Eleventh Army’s disaffection caused this break, and that the other armies are conforming to the situation, making tho best of its failure. The position is, of course, serious, but the Russian armies, wo are reminded, have come through worse. To realise that wo have only to look back over the accounts of their great retreat of 1915. If all tho Russian armies had given way like the Eleventh. as at one time seemed possible, tlie disaster would have been immense and decisive. But only one', broke up, the rest are holding firm, and the gap is being repaired. The enemy is trying hard like the good soldier he is, to take advantage of the gap by a general advance of his whole fine, but finds a stubborn defence in hia front, while every effort is made to stop him in the gap. The Russian official report discounts the enemy’s description of his advance as 250 kilometres, or 170 miles. It limits the advance to 30 or 40 miles of the northern end chiefly, treating the rest as the enemy’s desire to advance rather than his actual advance- And this is supported by the report of the abandonment of Stanislau. The absence of the other from both- reports is a significant corroboration of this view. The whole issue turns on the fortunes of the northern gap left by the Eleventh Army. The rest of the line the Ftssi an s claim is as tight as a bottle. We can the snhiect with more reassurance than we had on the first review of what news was at hand.

Sir Douglas Haig's report shows little change, hut the enemy speaks with almost bated breath of the artillery fixe he is maintaining in Flanders. The French, on their front, have done hri]liant work in recovering all the ground lost on the Aisne plateau on Sunday and they have been subjected to further attacks on the Aisne plateau, which they have repulsed. It is good news for the West front that tho large American loan now being issued

—for a thousand million sterling-—is intended to facilitate tbo immediate dispatch of a large American army to the front. The number of mentis stated, at a million, including National Guards, regulars, ana drafts. It is hard to see how the drafts —if the enrolments now going on are meant by the term —'can be available immediately. But the other forces can make up half a million for immediate dispatch, and that number will make a tremendous sensation on the West. The Russian set-back has evidently spurred the American President to a great effort to make good, which proves that the American co-operation is the greatest and most loyal thing in the mST***'y of our race. _____