OPPOSING THE BRITISH.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 16673, 19 April 1916, Page 5

OPPOSING THE BRITISH.

GERMAN ORDER OF BATTLE. LONDON, April 17. Colonel Repington has written in The Times an article detailing the German ordre de battaile north of the Somme. He says : Great events may be impending. General Foch still retains the command in the north, enabling General Joffre to coordinate the operations of the Allies. Forty German divisions, excluding cavalry, are holding the lines north of the Somme. Their numbers total 800,000 men, of whom there are 500,000 rifles, and over guns. Facing the French and Belgians on our left are a naval corps, Landwehr and Ersatz divisions. All the rest are before the British lines, while one cavalry and eight infantry divisions are held in reserve, and can be rapidly moved to any point. There is only one "Landwehr division before the British, the rest Deing good active or reserve formations equal to those at Verdun, and better than any others on either the west or east front. The Germans hold the dominant positions, and this mass of important forces is a tribute to the fighting qualities of our men. The First Bavarian Army Corps and the First 'Bavarian Reserve Division are oppo site Arras, with the Fiftieth Reserve Division in reserve. The Thirteenth Army Corps is before Ypres, the Nineteenth at Armentieres, the Seventh at Neuve Chapelle, and the Fourth opposite Loos, with various reserve corps intermixed. The Germans are without reserves except in front of the British and round Verdun. These reserves are still ample to fill the field depots during the summer campaign, though the quality of many of their rereserves is poor. If the Germans attack the British they may achieve a temporary success, but their reception will be as warm as at Verdun. We shall attack when we are strong enough. That a superiority in men and guns is necessary to assail modern trenches is now fairly well known. A third hypothesis is that the Germans propose to master the Lower Scheldt and violate the neutrality of Holland, so that the German naval armaments which have been accumulating during the' last 18 months on the Scheldt may put to sea and attack us. We still have not all the troops in Western France which we should have there, though our strategy has improved since the General Staff regained its. rightful functions last October Our output of guns and munitions is still below that of France and Germany, and it will be necessary to keep two million persons marking munitions to the end of the war, of whom a million must' be males. When our own munitions suffice for bur needs w<» must redouble our efforts to help Russia. VERDUN. GERMANS ADOPT PRUDENT METHODS. (Times and Sydney Sun Services.) PARIS, April 17. (Received April 18, at 5.5 p.m.) The press states that the comparative inaction of .the Germans on the Verdun front is due to the profitless big attack on the 9th inst., which resulted in heavy losses with insignificant gains. The Germans have now adopted prudent methods, trying to advance by small stages and local actions. The Journal says that they are endeavouring to weaken the French lines by continuous shocks and incessant movements at different points, probably preluding another general attack, which, however, is not likely to be more successful than the others, because the Germans have already used to the utmost their available force.