NOTES ON THE WAR CABLES.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 17324, 25 May 1918, Page 7

NOTES ON THE WAR CABLES.

Br Sheapnii., ANOTHER WEEK'S RESPITE. ' < Aituiuer wceK hojj pu&ycu iuiu, us Aar as WQ know, tuo expcuiuu reiiuwai oi mo German uneiißivo has nut uegun. Weatner peruutLa, o) u'f operations aim artaitry botnwirdluenta oi tue normal kind will ix> continuous a.ong uiu UneuleneU lront, as Allies airect couiliiuolls attention, to tlie communications ol tlHi Germans. Kor.n £,1(108 luay uu taid to ue " oamouliage 11 hi i U> the position oi reserves, batr tenes, dumps, antl means ol communication anu suppiy. in tlie matter ol launching another great stroke tuo Germans will havu advantage of strikmg when and where they liiio, and it is a lorgune conclusion tliaii tney wili attempt to bi.ri.to at & point vviic-re an attack ;s not expected. It Marshal \on ivlackensen is in cnoigo of tile main iorou, ol manoeuvre, he will nave respect fop Uie consideration tliat led General vou Kluck to attempt to eiiange his trout and direction. A'o critical moment will cause him to chango the procedure he- has outlined to reach, certain objectives. Only del eat or tho exhaustion of hiii storm troops by tho severity of his losso3 will turn him aside. On tho assumption that Germany has brought her ablest generals from the Russian front/to tho west, it is reasonable to conclude she is determined to 6eek a decision : year on the west front. Sincc the Germans were held up on the Soinme alid the Lys, and since anxious inquiries have been made in Germany as to why the victorious German armies are not still achieving the victories which are to give a German peace, the Kaiser and militarists have been trying to maintain hope, enthusiasm, and unity within Germany and amongst her Allies by proclaim-* mg irom the housetops that what the great German armies have done in the east will be done in the west. The Germans are being ' told that failure is impossible. Everything is in perfect train for the invincible conquerors of the east now gathered in the west, and, with the German sword and the help of God, the greatest generals in the world are going to crush the obstinate but fooush Allies who will not admit that they are beaten. Germany has beaten Russia because Russia was soething with treachery, and because supplies of rifles and ammunition wero withheld from the Russian troopa at the instigation of Gorman agents and Russian traitors. The horizon on the west front is not so rosy for the Germans. There has been a great attempt to suborn a large section of the French people, but the trioka that availed the Germans in Russia and temporarily in Italy will not avail them in r ranee. Something, however, went wrong at Cambrai and St. Quentin. Excuses have been made, the chief of which were that thero was a lack of reserves and that there vi as over-confidence. It seems now, how-' ever, that what occurred should not have ; occurred, as the material defences wero very strong. Some one will be held responsible for not making the stand which could have been made in order to prevent large numbers of British troops irom being cut 'off r and enveloped. Omy another example of rating the power of the enemy below value will Jet the Germans again perform what they did on tho Cambrai tront. r Germany is convinced that luck or foolish conhdence is not going to aid her in the next bout, and this time she is making pro 4 paxations to put up the greatest test of thai war. General Bridges, of the British MiliJ tary Mission in the United States, has saidJ that the Germans have 1,500,000 bayonets—l that is, front-lino troops that have to bear i the brunt of shock tactics—on the west tront li that number be multiplied by three ' it will give a very rough approximation of the effective fighting forces Germany ha»i within striking distance of tho front Hn Pj , ; suggested ttiat tho Germans will beready to renew the offensive by June L If the delay of another week is being made by the enemy purely for the purpose -of 1 : putting the finishing touches upon the new tactical plans, tho Germans, who are, ,-of ■ course, well informed about the numbers®! : the Americans, are not rating the fighting qualities of the Americans very high. It is - oither upon that or upon the lack of efficient officers who would be able to handle the' American troops correctly at a critical, moment, that they are relying in calculating ' that the American strength will be of small value to the Allies. ITALY BECOMING LIVELY. ; Several successful operations have been oarned out m Italy from time to time since the Austrian offensive was held up. The Italians are working along tho lines that attack is the best form of defence, and they ar ° making local attacks, the success' of 1 which have an important tactical bearing upon the situation. At Monte Corno, where they have recently achieved success, they have wrested from the Austrians an important " jumping-off " place for advance down the Prenzela Valley into the Plains of-Lom-bardy. In conjunction with the French they have taken tho offensive in Albaiiia a • step i n the right direction, for the tirpoee of increasing the difficulties of Austria, ANSWERS TO CORRESPONDENT.' A correspondent, writing from Ravensbourne, submits tho following * 4 Ml) In reference to the freedom of the - seas. Di<i not Britain look upon Germany ' a B committing an unfriendly act if she constructed a naval base in tho Pacific?. If this is correct, do you think that the above is one of tho reasons that Germany complains that she has not the freedom of the seas? (2) How did the Allies' casualties compare in numbers in the Somme push with the German casualties in tho recent offensive?"

Both Britain and America viewed with suspicion the advent of the Germans into the Pacific. The consequence, was that the Sainoan Islands wero divided between tha three nations. It cannot bo said 1 that tho British viewed the action of Germany at tho tinio as an " unfriendly act," but it is .certain that some British statesmen and the Admiralty viewed the acts of tho Germans in the Pacific with suspicion. Tho oxcase given by tho Germans, that they wanted colonics for expansion, and purely for trading stations, was accepted by the British. It is said that Bismarck asked for West Australia or tho northern part of Queens- : land for tho emigration of surplua Gcnnfcn population, and got Heligolandl and the northern part of the .western portion pf New Guinea instead. It was only after the cession of Heligoland was made that the British Government awo Ice to the fact'that German colonics were being sought both for their resources and for strategical purposes, but nothing was said officially in Britain to givo the Germans offence. On tho hand, every facility and sympathy wore accorded Germany in the acquisition of - colonies in Africa. Britain did not object to tho claims by Germany that she should'' have the' right to tho reversion of the Portuguese African colonies. No special estimate of tho Allies' loose* in tho Sommo "push" has been published, but a German estimate gave them as between 600,000 and 700,000. Our authorities put down the Gorman casualties when the Germans wore held up where they are noir on tho Sommo front as 230,000.