THE OTAGO DAILY TIMES MONDAY, MAY 20, 1918. THE MILITARY SITUATION.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 17319, 20 May 1918, Page 4

THE OTAGO DAILY TIMES MONDAY, MAY 20, 1918. THE MILITARY SITUATION.

The "high authority" upon whom has descended the mantle discarded by General Maurice, now military critic of the Daily Chronicle, supplies the interesting information in his latest review that his statements may be regarded as conveying the considered opinion of the General Staff so far as this is capable of publication. A tribute is paid by him, it will be observed, to the brains of German regimental officers, but; since the cream of the German army may be said to be placed in the positions of command, there should be nothing surprising in the acknowledgment that the hostile forces are skilfully led. After all, it comes to this: that a weak point in the creation of the new army of Great Britain has been the shortness of the time available for the training of officers. Germany has had a great advantage in this respect from the military point of view. The American army will also experience the handicap involved in the difficulty of securing rapidly a sufficient number of highly-trained officers. It would be idle to expect that men who have without previous military experience been called upon to occupy responsible positions in an improvised army in the greatest of all wars shbuld exhibit the qualities that are displayed by men who have for years been specially trained for warfare and in whose minds has been instilled the abominable doctrine that war is a glorious business. At the end of another week the situation on the Western Front shows no change. The operations continue to be of a minor character, partaking of the nature of " sparring." But the use of such a word foreshadows the resumption of the real encounter. The military experts leave no loophole for a belisf that the enemy has any other intention. The cessation from serious attack has meant but the massing of the enemy's resources for further blows. General Maurice declares that the indications are steadily increasing that the third phase of the campaign is about to open. His most important addition to this statement is an announcement that wo are in a better position to meet an attack than on March 21. Logical reasons are given for this conclusion. " When the enemy attacks," General Maurice observes, "he will probably gain precious ground ; but, provided we send every man who can be spared to France, there is no reason why we should not check the new blow as we defeated the last." As we should expect, the view that the Germans are now preparing for a formidable effort has the endorsement of the " high authority" to whoso opinions on the military situation the public must now attach special weight. From this source we are offered the illuminating comment: " If the enemy waits a little longer he will probably bo able to resume in the same strength as on March 21." On the other hand, of course, the longer he waits the better prepared the in conjunction with the Allies will be. It is also pointed out that the German endeavour to belittle the American army does not harmonise with the" circumstance that the desire to anticipate its effective participation in

tho war has evidently been tho chief factor in driving Germany to hazard everything on the present ofFensivc. ! A cable message of interest crcdits President Wilson with having observed at Now York that tho United States must prepare for further sacrifices in order to frustrate Germany's aggressivo plans, and tho hint is thrown out that America is preparing for a mighty stroke before tho end of next year. The most comforting view to take of what America will do in 1919 is that of tho continuity of vigorous war effort that is promised on the part of tho United States—involving the transport of an enormous force to Europe—until German militarism is not only baffled and cheeked but definitely crushed. An encouraging feature of the report from the battle arena continues to be tho evidence of British aerial superiority over the enemy. It is recorded, semi-officially, that between May 9 and May 15 seventyone enemy aeroplanes were brought down in flames at the cost of nineteen British machines missing. Sir Douglas Haig's reports pay many tributes to the fine work of tho men of the British air service, and in his latest despatch he mentions that on Thursday last 32 enemy machines were brought down and a number of others driven down while only five British machines failed to return from these encounters and other daring adventures. The "high authority" does not hesitate to say that we are infinitely better in the air this year than twelve months ago, and he asserts that " aviation played a very important part in bringing the first phase of the German offensive to a standstill." As the enemy's effort approaches its culmination the Allies are answering in , the only effective way possible. There is a deepening note of preparation in their camps, the most striking illustration of which, so far as tho British Empire is concerned, is the decision of the Government of India to raise immediately a fresh army of more than half a million.