NOTES ON THE GABLES.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 16977, 13 April 1917, Page 5

NOTES ON THE GABLES.

By Shbapnbl. EAOT? AND SOUTH-EAST OF ARRAS. Thero is a distinct retardation of the British oit'ensivo between Arras and Lens. Tiio heavy snowstorms which are occurring aro probably tho chief cause of this. Fainpoux, lour miles and a-half east of Arras, has been taken. That village is on the Scarpe, and closo to the Arzas-Douai railway. Tho Scarpe rises south-west of Arras and flows north and east round that town and then north-east past Douai, till it joins the Scheldt: Its direction tells us that from tho environs of Arras and tho Viray ridges, tho land slopes downward to Douai and tho Flanders Plain. The capturo of Fampoux brings tho British within 10 miles of Douai. When Bailleul, on the escarpment of tho Greater Vimy Eidge, and Villerval, Fachus, and Vimy have been taken, tho British will have several good "points d'appui" for an advance towards Douai. Before that advance can bo mado with advantage, however, Cambrai will have to bo occupied.

The Germans' official report states thatfighting continues north and south of the railway lino and the Scarpa The guarded nature of tho report, which ia meant for home consumption, may suggest that the Germans are falling- back. Tho report goes on to say that south of tho Scarpo, at Roeux, near Monchy and Wancourt, the Germans boat baok cavalry attacks by tho British. This involves tho construction of a sinall mountain out of a small molehHL 'ito British cavalry would simply be scouting parties reconnoitring ahead of the infantry. The Germans apparently admit that our troops aro crushing in tho northern arm of the small German salient which rests its head near Croisilles, and lies between Monchy on the north and Queant on the south. Queant (nearly two miles east of Noicuil) and Bullecourt (a mile north of Ecoust) aro mentioned in to-day's messages. They are on the Arra&€ambrai railway line, ftoeux is a>bout two miles east of Fampoux, and is on tho Scarpe i

GERMAN HINTS OP WITHDRAWAL. Now that tho British have obtained' command of tho Petit Vimy Heights, and most of tho greater, but lower, ridge to the south-oast, tho Germans are speaking of a line of defence called tho Siegfried line, which joins the Hindenburg line. The former line, which, of course, the Germans do not describe, probably runs from Lene to the neighbourhood of" Marooing, whence tho Hindenburg- line runs south-east to a point cast of Rheims, probably including Laon and Craonne.

A German message make's reference to the French bombarding St. Quentin and La Fere with grenades and ehrapneL The construction to put upon 'this is that the Germans, having come to the conclusion that both places will soon be in the possession of the Allies, are wantonly wrecking tho towns and killing the inhabitants before they fall 'back out of range of the Allies' guna As tho Allies are quite evidently working out encircling- movements round both places, it is plain that thenobject ie to save tho towns and the inhabitants from as much destruction and distress as possible, just as they did with Bapaume, Peronne, and Chaulnes.

ENEMY FORCES A-LONG THE ACTIVE FRONT. From the difficulties that the French are encountering along tho Aisne, -from the north of Soissons to Berry-au-Bac, and* then southwards to a point east of Rheims, it would appear that the Germans are apprehensive of heavy attacks by the French eastward from Rheims and Verdun, and that, consequently, the German General Staff has placed strong foroes in front of Laon, about Craonne, and especially along the front from Berry-au-Bao to tho Meuse. Their watchfulness at Berry-au-Bac, at Sapigneul to tho eouth, and in the Champagne, as evidenced by the frequency and determination of their counter-attacks, shows that the Germans intend to resist powerfully if they are attacked along those sectors. Tho probability is that between Arras and Verdun the Germans have somewhere about 1,250,000 men—probably 250,000 more if tho Verdun salient is counted in. From Vimy or Lens to the east of Rheims the German Staff -will require to keep at least' 750,000 men to hold that line for any length of time.

THE SUBMARINE BLOCKADE. An American statement a few days ago was to the effect that the British have destroyed or captured one enemy submarine a day since February 1. Reports of German activity in submarine construction say that tlie Germans are turning out threo boats a week. Whatever truth there is in either of these reports, those thai; are watching closely the efforts of the Germans to starve Britain, may find sufficient comfort in the results. A few days ago wo learnt that there had been fortynino encounters with submarines between February 21 and April 1, the presumption being that the encounters were between merchant ships and German submarines, and that the ships fought off the submarines.

If then the merchant ships fought off 49 submarines in less than six weeks, it is a. safe deduction that the thousands of patrol boats aided by destroyers and other vessels belonging to the naval mosquito fleet, together with French and Italian vessels, have destroyed: many submarines. It is, therefore, possible that the American report contains not the whole truth, but very nearly the whole of it, and that Germany is losing submarines at double the rate at which she can build them. Moreover, when the Admiralty plans are still further perfected, the enemy's rate of loss will bo greatly increased. It is not the enemy submarines that Britain and her Allies have to fear so much as it is the probable shortage of the next season's wheat supply.