NOTES ON THE WAR CABLES.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 17092, 25 August 1917, Page 7

NOTES ON THE WAR CABLES.

By Shrapnel. THE YPBES FIGHTING. Tiie JBritiiUi iorctia, aua south-east of Xprcs, or© sfceu/iuy but slowly j>usliiiig lorwuru along tuo i pres-liouiors iuiu MpresMenm roaus, m tuoo ox a v«ry determined reaistonco by the enemy, itourers, an nn- i portant railway and road centre, id 1Z miles nortn-eass ui xpree, and seven miles and ahatt Irom tno irons between Z*onnubeko and Langouiarck. Memn, south ot Koiuers, and souia by east ot ¥pres, is a lutio over 10 nuies from Mpre s ana a little under eight irules lrom tno lighting line. ln<%3e objectives, altnougn only as distant lrom the British iront as fort Chalmers is Irom i>unedm, are very distant in the respect that, owing to tne manner in which me Germans have organised tne delences in tho wooded Jiigh giound between xpres and the two towns mentioned, tho attainment of them is .difficult. The immediate object ox the Britisn ia to obtain a iootnig beiore winter in the ground round Ypres, and to enlarge taeir Iront north, east, and southward of Ypres, eo as to be able to convert the ruined town into a safe base for bigger assaults in the near future. ■By pushing outwards as they have done tney are producing another Ypres salient, but on a larger, and therefore safer, scale than the old and highly-uncomfortable small salient which was destroyed by tho suooesa at \Vybschaete and Messines. In bending the German line on the west front as the Allies have done at Ypres, between Arras and St. Quentin, and at Verdun, tho Allies are increasing its length and are to that extent weakening the Gearman defence. These tactics are good as long as the Allies are superior in numbers and are still better in view of the fact that Germany is finding it increasingly difficult to man the lines on both the east and west fronts. Rapid progress in Flanders is not to be expeoted now that the Germans are of the opinion that the British have taken fcV>n offensive in West Flanders for the purpose of driving them from their submarine and | destroyer bases on the coast at Osbend and Zeeibrugge.

West Flanders is a base, dso, for air raids against the coastal towns in the southeast of England, and the loss of it, besides lowering the reputation of tha Geatmana for invincibility amongst the civilian population, would interfere greatly with the enetay's means of. perpetrating their muchoherished acts of frightfulness against the most hated foe. The Germane will therefore most bitterly contest every in West Flanders. Moreover, they are very determined to prevent by all the means in their

power the British from establishing oontaet on land with the borders of Holland. For the purpose of squeezing Holland economically and compelling that country to remain neutral, or to assist her, Germany must do, her utmost to prevent the Ailing left flank from establishing contact with the Dutch border south of the estuary of the Scheldt. LENS. Severe fighting still continues round Lens without much change in the positions. Southward of the town, the British have obtained a footing on what is called the Green Crassier, which is probably a very

old slag heap that has become grasscovered. Reports speak of fighting on the western outskirts of the town and to the north, but in regard to the latter operations there is a peculiar absence of particulars. As the positions north of the town—especially Hill 70 and the ground eastward of it in the direction of Bois Hugo and Cite Auguste—are the most important to hold, it is disappointing not to hear wbat is transpiring there. As long as the British hold those positions the conditions are favourable for an advance from Cite St. Laurent towards Cite St. Edouard and towards the important position of Cite da Grand Conde, north-east of Lens, which will not be abandoned by the Germans until such an advance made on the north or until their communications are threatened by an advance from Avion to Fosse, 13 milog west of Sallaumines. In all probability the present attacks will be continued by the British until their guns are in new positions north and south of Lens. In the German official report there is. no mention of the Germans having recovered ground anywhere; which must bo regarded as throwing a satisfactory light on the positions north of Lens. According to a statement by General Maurice, the German reinforcements that have been sent to T.« m were twice the number of the British reinforce ments, but, owing to the great losses and exhaustion of their forces, the Germans were not able to stem the tide of the assaults of the British, who are now right into Lens on the north-west and southwest. From the manner in which the attack is being made, ■it seems there is no prospect of enveloping the Germans in Lena. THE GREAT ITALIAN OFFENSIVE. The bending of the Austrian line at Koriti and Selo, and the capture of Brestovizza, together with the assistance lent by British and Italian monitors from the Gulf of Duino, have enabled the Italians to invest the Austrian positions on Monte Tuerceto, or Hermada, and now that the. Austrian communications with that position are out, the capture of that outpost of the defences of Trieste should not foe long delayed. An indication of the immense weight of the Italian thrust, and of the Austrian losses, c&ji 'be gathered from the number of prisoners—over 16,000—who have been taken. Since that number was reported there has been much severe fighting, and the total should soon reach 20,000. There con be little doubt that the Italian success is greatly interfering with Mnrehnl. von Mackensen's prospects in Galicia, from whioh quarter the Russo-Rumanian reports have for some time been, on the whole, very satisfactory.