NOTES ON THE GABLES.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 16590, 13 January 1916, Page 6

NOTES ON THE GABLES.

Br Shbaphel. FIGHTING IN FRANCE. Tn Franco some serious fighting has boon taking place in the Cbamp&gn© district. Thar© General Joffre's nibbling process has been applied with a definite purpose, which is to destroy the German lines of communication between German Lorraine and Luxemburg and the forces north of the Aisne. The immediate objective of the French is the lateral railway from Bourgoyno to the Argonne. That railway is of great strategical importance to the Germans, as it enables them to quickly transfer forces to any part of their line between the north of Rheims and the Argonne Heights. At the Butte de Mesnil, between Tahure and Yille sur Tourbe, the Germans mado four concertive attacks —that is, they advanced upon the 10 kilometre front, along which tho blow was struck, from four directions. They suffered great losses for the small gain in the first lino of the French trenches, from which, with tho exception of two insignificant portions, they were driven by a French counter-attack. To-day's cables report a great French victory between Courtinc and the Mesnil Heights. Sixty thousand Germans, many of whom were picked troops, attacked and met with great disaster, great numbers being killed and many thousands of prisoners taken. The French authorities state that the victory is of great importance, which probably means that, apart from the disaster to tho Germans, tho command of the lateral railway to tho north of the French trenches has been gained. The larger object of the French operations is to constrict the battle neck through which lies the German road of retreat. If the command of the railway is now in the hands of the French, the forces m the Argonne will havo to depend on a radial railway from Belgium for supplies, and any reinforcements that may bo suddenly required will now require to be sent by a roundabout route. THE MESOPOTAMIAN PROBLEM. The fighting in which the British were victorious did not occur near Kut, but half-way down the river between Kut and Basra. The Turks on both sides of the river near Aligherbi, about 100 miles southeast of Kilt, were defeated on January 6. According to the report from Constantinople, and a later one from London, General Townshend's forces at Kut are completely enveloped. The seriousness of his position depends upon the strength of the Turkish forces and the speed at which their reinforcements are travelling, and also upon the strength and rapidity which the Anglo-India relief forces are advancing up both banks of Tigris. Heavy rains are impeding the progress of the British, and it may bo assumed that they are also delaying the Turkish reinforcements. The British are at the disadvantage of having to fight their way against the advanced columns of Turks sent forward to check them. If the victory over the Turks occurred on January 6, the relief forces should by now have pushed on a considerable distance, unless they have been completely held up by the spread of the flood waters over the low-lying lands. There are indications in the cables that tho Germans are of opinion that it is more important just now to meet the British advance towards Bagdad than to attack the Suez Canal, It is, therefore, to be hoped that large forces are being sent to the assistance of General Townshend. It is a natural conclusion that the Germans will be more concerned with their Bagdad railway concessions than with any desire to carry out the hazardous and very doubtful proposition of re-establishing the Turkish rule in Egypt. According to Major Moraht, tho idea of that undertaking does not now bulk largely in the minds of the German politicostrategists. THE RUSSIANS. The Gorman reports suggest that there has been a slackening of the Russian offensive; but, from what the Kolnisohe Zeitung says, tho German authorities are not under the mistaken apprehension that the Russians have been completely checked. The Austrians tried to outflank the Russians in Bukowina, but their forces were dispersed. The Russians claim to be advancing at an average of two miles daily along their whole front, and speak of having consolidated their positions with barbed wire and steel rails. If they have taken tho trouble to strengthen their new trenchcs with such external means of defence, it must mean either that the enemy has been greatly reinforced or that the Russians are awaiting fresh additions to their forces. From Vienna tho information has come that two Czech, regiments surrendered to the Russians without fighting. Surrenders of such a nature on the Austrian side have occurred before. The polyglot nature of the Austrian Empire is against loyalty and cohesion in the Austrian oonsoript forces. The only parts of their army that the Austrian officers can rely upon are the Austrians of German descent and the Hungarians. The Czechs are closely allied to the Poles, but they, in the claims for autonomy, have shown that they do not wish to be allied with that of the Poles. As the offensive of the Russians becomes more vigorous and harassing, the surrender of large bodies of Austrian troops may be expected. Numbers of Croats, • Slovenians, Dalmatians, and Aus tro-Rumanians will, if not closely watched, take the first opportunities of crossing over to the Russians. The Germans have done much in reorganising the Austrian forces and restoring l the morale, which went to pieces under Generals Dankl and Auffenberg; but a series of defeats at the hands of the Russians will probaibly destroy the morale for good, as the fighting power of the Austrians is already affeoted 1 by the deficiencies of their commissariat.