NOTES ON THE WAR CABLES.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 17191, 19 December 1917, Page 5

NOTES ON THE WAR CABLES.

By SHEArNEL.

NO NEED FOR ALARM. Sir Douglas Haig says thcro ie nothing to report on the west trout. This implies, of course, thai, neither the British nor tho Germans have been showing any marked activity on tho front lines. Behind tho British lines, however, elaborate preparations are being mode to meet arty attacks that arc being devised by Marshal vou Iliudcnburg and General von Ludemlorf. According to Mr Murdoch, a correspondent at tho British Headquarters, tho British front is being stiffened for any possible German onslaught, and the Germans are daily increasing thoir concentrations.. He mentions tho Germans' boast that they aro preparing for a decisive drive,) and adds that German automatically-controlled balloons aro being floated over tho British lines upon which they aro dropping pamphlets and newspapers containing intimidating threats.

Can it bo that the Germans think such tactics will tend to frighten the wits out of tho British? These proceedings and tho firebrand Chauvinist articles that are appearing in the German press arc all a part of tho' Gorman psychological tactics of " roaring" as did tho ass in the lion's skin.

Germany is trying to work up some sort of stage fright upon tho Allies, and to impress the minds of the allied soldiers with the might of tho German military machine. That machine has been greatly out of gear since tho Mar no and the first of Ypres, and has been badly rattled at Verdun and on tho Somme. Great battles afterwards fought at Arras, Lens,- on the Aisne, and again at Ypres, have added to its weakness, and another attack' by tho Allies would prove the extent to which cnfeeblement has penetrated its organism.

It may be doubtful whether the Germans are preparing for attack or defence; but it is a moral certainty that Miey are talking loudly in the hope of preventing the Allies from assisting Italy, where so much is at stake. It is hardly likely that the Germans aro going to attempt any decision in France. They may have to demonstrate somewhero owing to the exigencies of the situation both there and in Italy, Palestine, and Mesopotamia. They are not going to sacrifice hundreds of thousands of lives against a steel wall such as exists' m France. They certainly will not to fight a final and; decisive battle while Italy is unbeaten. For that reason alone, the Allies are in a position, because they can easily afford it, to send succour continuously to Italy. Another matter that will weigh with the German strategists is that it would be bad strategy to" weaken the German numerical strength greatly in view of the stream of Americans that will soon be ' reaching France in increasing numbers. It would take Germany, with the backing of every Austrian sho can find, at least a year, with good luck, good.management, and a mechanical superiority, to produce a serious impression upon the allied defence in France. To attempt sucli an offensive as she is alleged to bo preparing would be a huge gamble on chances.* She would not bo attacking munition starved armies, such as thoso she attacked in Russia in 1915. She is not going to tryvery hard to overthrow Britain and Franco that way. She is trying to bring about the downfall of the Allies by diplomacy and socialistic propaganda among the proletariat with tho aid of the pacifists and the socialistic supporters of the Internationale. Militarily, Germany is 1 not a whit nearer victory now than she was before the Russian revolution. She is nearer defeat, however, provided the Allies hang firmly together and provided their civil populations maintain the determination to overthrow Kaiserism and all that appertains thereto.

THE ITALIAN SITUATION. After a brief lull on the Brenta-Piave front the Austro-Germans have resumed their attempt to force a passage down the Brenta Valley. From a description of the latest fighting that has taken place it; would appear that the enemy offensive is losing its verve. It is too -early yet to assume definitely that the situation is safe, but if tho Austro-Germans make as little progress in the next fortnight as they nave during tho past four weeks there will be good, grounds for believing that the Italians have broken the back of tho offensive

The inactivity of the enemy on the Middle and Lower Piave sectors and the fact that the British in the Monte Grappa sector, near the Piave, have not been seriously engaged by the enemy forces indicate that tho greater part of the AustroGerman strength in men and guns has been thrown against the Italian? on the Asiago Plateau. Possibly by now the losses of the Austro-Germans are becoming so great that their general staffs are . beginning to reconsider the situation and to have grave doubts whether the game is Worth the candle. The Central Powers are beginning to discover that all the world is not as badly a,rmed a'nd wretchedly governed as Russia was, and that western civilisation is not so decadent as they imagined. Messages from Italy have latterly referred confidently to the situation, and the advices to-day" indicate that the attempts of the enemy to torco a passage down the Brenta have been badlj defeated, }heavy losses also having been inflicted upon the attacking forces by n successful Italian counter-attack.

ANOTHER 1 CONVOY DISASTER. Some details are furnished thi-? morning of an unfortunate occurrence in the North Sea, involving the loss of a British destroyer, four armed trawlers, and six merchant vessels. This is the second convoy that has been successfully attacked by the •Germans in a period of six months, and no doubt the Admiralty come n for some severe criticism fronts the British press. Our weakness in the North Sea may possibly be accounted for <by the fact that the submarine menace is absorbing most of the attention of the naval authorities, and that the Germans, being aware of that, are taking advantage of fctto long winter nights to make raids far out into the North Sea. Tho least that can be said of these two destroyer raids by the Germans is that they are decidedly humiliating to those now controlling the British navy. There does not seem to bo tho same alertness all round in the North Sea as there was when Admiral Jellicoe was in command of the fleet.