PROGRESS OF THE WAR

New Zealand Times, Volume XLII, Issue 9756, 4 September 1917, Page 6

PROGRESS OF THE WAR

The news from the Italian front dissipate* effectually the story of the advance cf Italian cavalry on Laibach. Not that there is any contradiction of that story. But from tho accounts coming from both sides of the fighting, it is simply impossible that any such advance can have been made. The accounts agree that the latest fighting is very heavy between Monte San Gabrielle and the Brestovizza vallgy, practically from the former to the Hermada position This Austrian line crosses the Vipaccio valley between these points, and according to the accounts of both sidm, n unbroken. There is, therefore, no panic rout of the Austrians, no headlong retreat of the Austrian centre, no pursuit with frantic eagernew ui cut off and destroy the flymg enemy. These things were part of the dream which always accompanies hardwon Vittorios, The army that storms s position e.rpects to follow up the r.-if-my to destruction. ( But often, ami in trench war hitherto invariably, the strength of the attack is spent in tin- «).<>• tu, and Too defencu recovers lm >. counter. This is, the case in this Italian battle.

The Italian report of to-day demon stratas this clearly enough. It _ announces Italian lighting to consolidate he positions won. on the Bainsizza Plateau and the Carso and the Brestovizaa . In point of fact, instead of fierce pursuit of tho flying enemy, there is solid digging in, and “rectii'ing the lino” from the heights ut tho Bainsizza to the middle of the Carso. As for the enemy, who was undoubtedly ejected by storm -1 rom the whole of bis long line, he has pulled tiimsolf togethoi. Note the Itaji.in report carefully. “We repulsed repeated and violent counter-attacks oh the hoi thorn slor«e of "ionic San Gabriwlle; east of Gnnzia wo carried elements of the enemy's trenches; in the Brestovizza valley we won so many prisoners, etc.” The battle has coniinued all along the line; the enemy’s counters have been heaviest at Sat. Gabrielis, and have stopped the ulvanco; and in the southern portions the Italian advance has gained a little further; on the whole line the Italians are going on with the consoEdation which the enemy hag been unable to stop, and tho victory all along the line is complete. The Austrian report bears testimony on its side to the strength of the great assault, and only seeks to minimise the results in the usual way.

It is evidently too soon to discuss, as , the French and Italian experts were reported yesterday to he doingj the great strategic possibilities of the victory.. The discussion was of course useful as illuminating the possibilities of the Italian advance, and after General Cadorna’s statement to the interviewer that discussion was necessary. Of course it itiii represents the strategic possibilities; but these after being thus realised and made prominent, recede into the background, giving place to the tactics of the assault. These are easily understood. . In the mountains between Gorizm and Tolmino stands the great Bainsizza plateau; that plateau dominates the Carso plateau; and the Carso dominates the sea road to Trieste. On the south end of the Bainsizza are the strong positions, Monte Santo and Monte San Gabrielle. Tho Italian advance captured the Bainsizza, then it had the choice of striking north towards Tolmino and Klangenfurt, or striking south to complete the domination of the Carso.

The reports of the battle show that Santo was captured first, San Gabrielle next, and’ that the enemy’s counters were delivered against the latter. This indicates that the Italian general struck to the southward, throwing the weight of his force to the support of his attack on the Carso, which he pushed along the whole line, in the first place, and maintained in the second as far as the Bainsizza valley between Gabrielle and Hermada. The indioa-tior-s then are that the Italian general’s immediate objective is Trieste, and that he is pursuing it by getting the command of the ground from the Bainsizza plateau through the Carso and Hermada to the sea. As there is no hint of any movement towards the Tolmino sector that part of the field becomes for the moment less interesting. The strategic objective apparently revealed by the tactics is the capture of Trieste and the invasion of AustriaHungary from there. At present the tactical part of the programme is developing. But the rate of the development does not answer to the appearance Of it as reported in yesterday’s messages. There mar be more than has yet met the eye to justify the rush of attention (from the general downwards) to the strategical objectives. If so it must appear soon enough. 1

What the situation begins to look like must be fairly faced. It looks as it the Italian onslaught, having won the formidable positions before it, was pushing the enemy rapidly to disaster, and that the enemy rallied the central army with the aid of heavy reinforcements and made good. This is what happened on this ground in the last Italian offensive, which therefore did not realise the expectations based on the vast preparations and the initial successes which were then, as on this occasion, phenomenal. On the last occasion the enemy’s reinforcements came from the East front, thanks to the slackening of the Russian offensive which collapsed eventually. On the present occasion the Russians an] Roumanians who were hard pressed before Cadorna crossed the Isonzo. were holding their own and a ' little over as the last reports Indicate. It is possible that this is ca<to withdrawals for the Isonzo’ front. When they stopped the Italian advance the last time the Austrians announced largish capture, of prisoners, and their tally reached eventually 20,000 against the Italian 27,000. On this occas’on rhTtaliar tillv is over 26.000, and the Austrian has ren riled 10,000. The battle is not yet finished, and we ;m> soon to bear a sropd deal more about it So much we must eonc’ude from thplain statements of the Italiar. general reported yesterday. But we cannot avoid noting the similaritr between the two Italian statements, which certain 1 ” forbids the undue indulgence of such b-mes as yesterday appeared reasonable.

The latest news is that the Italians are maintaining their advance irith great determination at various points.

One message announces that an encircling movement is progressing steadily, in the centre somewhere. On _ this the official account throws little light, beyond claiming steady progress oast of Gorizia, while holding Up all attacks against the San Gabrlelle positions. In this advance the report announces the recapture of a hill position at a height of 3500 metres (over 10,500 feet), a palpable error, for there is nothing so high on the whole battle front. The Austrians in their report admit the extraordinary strength of the Italian thrust.

Tho Russian news is mixed. Paris declares that the enemy on the East front is in a very difficult position by reason of the transfer of seasoned troops to the Italian front, and their replacement by raw levies in insufficient numbers, causing gaps in tho line. Mr Wilton, on the other hand, declares that both at Riga and in Moldavia the defections in the Russian ranks are rapidly bringing about a great disaster. Reuter’s message takes a different view, stating that the Government has the utmost confidence in Korniloff and has granted all his demands for disciplinary reform. The enemy's bulletin claims success for some of his operations at Riga. These the Russian account (official) treats as very serious, and the crossing of the Dwma with development of the success northwards-. — Korniloff’s open gate to Petrograd—has certainly a very ugly look. The Russian bulletin reverts an important German advance on the Mitau road towards Riga,, probably to support tho movement over the Dwina, ana a great battle still proceeding which stops it. Other attacks, of tho enemy at Kovel, Vladimir, at i'ocsani. and as far ns Braila, on the Danube, wore, according -to this me«- s sage, repulsed. At all events, the’ mention of all these names chows that tho enemy is moving rather extensively. It looks as if he knows as much Mr Wilton, "‘The Times” correspondent.

The Sukhomlinoff trial is proceeding, many witnesses cl high character and official experience fixing on the accused the responsibility for the lack of munitions which caused the disasters of the great Galician retreat. M. Rodzianko, in the course of his evidence, said that be. ore that event he went to Galicia, and what he saw filled him with terror. The Donajec appears to have been foreseen by half Russia, and yet the Revolution did not come till nearly two years later. This dramatic trial reminds the world that the heroism of the Russian armies fighting the great guns of Germany unarmed saved the war ior the Entente. The Revolution did that service a second time. Democratic Russia has deserved to be treated now with the most considerate patience. » « * The West front is very interesting to-day. At the north end the enemy, while resisting the British pressure, is, according to Amsterdam, fortifying a line of canals from Osten-d to Zeebruggo, with intent to make- a short retreat in Flanders. At the other end the whole French front from the Aisne Plateau to Verdun is one great artillery battle. On the Aisne the enemy mustered for an attack on the positions captured by the French on Friday, but had to acknowledge the crushing power of the French artillery. • • * The German Socialist majority has been good enough to take the mask off the' Stockholm project which how stands revealed as a purely German project. Details of the fight won by the British destroyers off the Danish coast show the importance of that exploit. The squadron intercepted and destroyed a big flotilla of trawlers conveying supplies for the U boats, and it seems probable that in the scrap they sent two U boats to the bottom. There are probably some “mother” ships in the North Sea somewhere to which these supplies were being conveyed, according to a system designed to. enable U-boats to keep the sea without returning to port, and the destroyers will probably be after these mother ships.