PROGRESS OF THE WAR

New Zealand Times, Volume XLIII, Issue 9955, 26 April 1918, Page 4

PROGRESS OF THE WAR

The great Zeebrugge raid takes second place to-day, but not without a good deal of further information. It appears now that the element of surprise was almost complete; that the mole battery so dangerous to the block ships dashing for their objective was stormed by the landing parties at tho first attempt; that the Zeebrugge Canal was effectively blocked by the two ships exploded across the entrance by what the salt water will convert into a concrete wall. This will require weeks of skilled labour, working with special appliances, for its removal, an-d during those weeks British seaplanes will he prepared to argue points with the said workmen, to the disadvantage of the said, special appliances. It appears, also, that some of the lock-gates ‘ are destroyed. •- * • The meet interesting item in this connection is that many" ’ experts in England and America 'consider the raid only the beginning of an ‘extensive campaign against the enemy’s submarine bases. So mote it be! But wo wait till wo'" see. One feveldtiou was the extreme intricacy of the operation, with tho failure of the enemy' 'to' see it until the attacking cruiser was close to the mole. We cannot’count on repeating cither .the 'success of Hie long approach or the luck of the enemy’s neglect to use his star shells, which turn night into day. This, however, does not suggest that there will he no more work of this kind. It, only, forbids ns to gamble too much on the results. However, ..thq^Nayy, has begun, and we shall watch , the .progress of the skill and inventiveness, with which it encourages, its people, to be daring. Seamanship is-still .on-.top-in-.the service even though the art has become, prodigiously scientific. If the progress damages the enemy very much—a tiling about which the Navy will do its very best—it may bring out. the High Sea Fleet to try and save the balance of the submarine effort. Then we shall see things. Wo hope we shall not vitally miss the cool skill which made Lord Jellicoe the most successful of the manoeuvring British Admirals, and blit for tho failure of tho light would certainly have destroyed the High Sea Fleet. In this connection, it must be admitted, however," that Admiral Beatty has established a great record as a tactician.

Further details show the heroism of the men. Of these a number were left on the mole by the Vindictive to complete the destruction of the military works. Imagine them working under the fire which had shown its quality by the havoc wrought on board their cruiser. Patrol boats and launches went to take them off, and' got away with a section. The remainder deliberately stayed to finish what remained of the work, facing certain death or capture. To describe that devotion properly would beggar the English language. We can only bow reverently hi fore the fact. Wo trust that before the enemy fell upon them they had finished with the guns and the battery. They did not all die. The enemy’s report says he found forty, and captured the survivors. If ho had any chivalry in him he would send them hack with very highest compliments. Ho makes light of the whole affair, exaggerates the objective, and ignores the blocking of the Zeebruggo canal. But the truth will prevail.

Wo of New Zealand cannot leave this great feat of naval arms unnoticed. We must do more than enjoy the thrill of tho stirring narrative. We must express our appreciation, in .'a , special message, with words of gratitude for the service done for the protection of the mercantile imarine, which has faced the submarine piracy throughout with silent heroism of unexampled sacrifice, going on with its duty unarmed and regardless. If the Mayor of Wellington and the Navy League people call a nuhlic meeting and submit a simple resolution to be cabled to the Admiral in command, they will, wo feel sure, have a great response.

The Western land campaign Las again taken pride of place. Hindonburg has once again resumed the offensive, and all the gossip, .and all tho predictions, and all tho conjectures, and all the camouflage of both sides are blown away in the smoke of tho renewed battle. So ; far as .Wo can judge it has begun well for our, people. At all events, their lines have stood tho first shock,' all'the' positions being held but one. That one—tho capture of Villers-Bretonnouk, between the Somme and the Avre—is not too encouraging. It strong part of the line barring the road "'toAmiens, and tho British General has boon reporting steady improvement of the position during the lull. Bor contra, tho attacks in tho region of V'mi, designed to relieve the ene-"v'- eonaestion, success of which would have been a great help to tho advance on Amiens, havo Been handsomely repulsed.

By way of sauce'to help ns relish thp renewal of his offensive, the enemy

has launched , a great... bulletin, summarising the .results of Ills original offensive. It, of course, makes very unpleasant reading for British eyes, with its tale of territory gained and prisoners and booty taken- The tale of territory is obviously exaggerated, as tho merest glance at tho map shows that the enemy has not penetrated forty miles uniformly, ns his bulletin implies, if it docs not expressly so state. We may judge, therefore, that the tale of prisoners and booty is exaggerated also. Nevertheless, the tale, both of territory and booty, is dread’ful.' It moans, at any rate, .as wo have several times pointed out, that the enemy has won the first battle of tho campaign of great battles. But it certainly means also that, as we have likewise said, lie has not won the campaign. Tho course of the battle that hq has won' shows that tho enemy s progress, rapid during his winning, got very slow when ho neared defeat. Jt establishes that his getting his objectives on the coast is not by any means a matter of arithmetic —so many days to where he is; therefore, so many days to the coast, according to the incidental mileage. That demonstration is our victory. The decisive stoppage wo effected 1 is a victory, especially as wo stopped tho enemy in very uncomfortable positions. This the summarising bulletin he has launched with his second offensive admits. It declares that the British have found vantage points of which they are making use, taking advantage of the difficulties of, reinforcement and supply, which their successful resistance has created.

It is not a confession that the second offensive is handicapped by these d !?‘ calces, and it says nothing of th difficulties of tho congestions which must be overcome before attacks of the second offensive can be P ro P® r ‘> deployed. Nevertheless, these are the facts/ For the outcome wo must wait with what confidence we can muster, and there is reason for mustering a good deal. “■.- • • •

An encouraging word at this stage of tho renewed offensive is the statement of the American Adjutant-General to tho Military Affairs Committee of Congress that, with sufficient ships, it Is possible to place 3,000,000 American trained soldiers in France within a year. This means that the American armies will be ready. That removes ono of tho two grave doubts that nave been expressed in expert quarters with rather uncomfortable reiteration. . The second grave doubt —as to sufficiency of ships to carry tho men—has been met to. some extent by .the production of a certain amount of shipping, over tho amount expected in the beginning, and by. the progress of construction in England and America. There was once a third doubt, which exists no longer, because the U-boats have been mastered in all their attempts to waylay the transports, as a .German authority has explicitly admitted in cold print, Reverting to the shipping problem, the arrival reported to-day of seventeen liners in American ports gives substantial support to tho hope that the ships required for the American effort will ho forthcoming.

The story of the abandonment by tho enemy of massed attacks is not confirmed by the enemy’s practice. He is reported to have rushed 1 over his parapets as usual after his bombardments.' And as usual in the battle of the first phase' tho Allied infantry and artillery- ! were ready for him. In all instances but one tho reception was very successful, the attacks made being broken before reaching their objectives, ; and concentrations for attack being dispersed before they could be launched. However, this is but the beginning, and there is going to be good opportunity for watching the results of mass attacks.

The exception to the frustration occured near Albert, in the fight for the railway line. There the attack got homo and pressed the defence back a matter' of 400 yards, and was, after some stiff fighting, driven hack ( to its own lines.

The -assault is, apparently developing along the whole lino, from tho Avre to the Ypres' neighbourhood. So far the heaviest weight seems to have fallen on two sections—the Amiens section south of the Somme and tho GiyenchyRobecq section, and the indications of a drive at Ypres, in the Koramel section, ate very marked.

Two messages report the approach through Belgium of Austro-Hungarian troops, soon to he thrown into the fight. Those may be . true. But we cannot believe it until these new troops appear. The enemy, in any case, is determined to put all the weight in his power into his assault. Therefore, if these Austrians arrive, we certainly ought not to bo surprised.

The main attacks were, the latest message informs us, against Ypres at Dranoutre, on the foot of Mont Kemmel, and against Amiens, south of the Somme, 'important tactical positions widely apart. The former, after gaining au initial success, was decisively repulsed by the French, The latter, which obtained possession of the outskirts of Brotonnex —not the , whole place, as stated in a former message—is held up in battle, which is still raging. Evidently the, enemy’s renewal comprehends jus whole objective. He is striking to win wib war witu 3> singl© blow. , .