NOTES ON THE WAR CABLES.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 17326, 28 May 1918, Page 5

NOTES ON THE WAR CABLES.

Br Shrapnk*,

ENEMY TACTICS SERIOUSLY AFFECTED. The situation conccrning our air superiority, respecting which fresh particulars have now been cabled, was dealt with yesterday. There is little to add except that the suggestion of combining the air staffs under ono head merits favourable consideration. It is suggested that the Allies aro now in a position to isolate many of the units of the German army, but as the enemy can move his troops at night cither by railway traction or other means, such as motor steam tractors, as well as by "foot slogging," it may be expected that his reinforcements and reserves will bo shifted under cover of darkness. Nevertheless, if this course bo forced upon the Germans, it will seriously interfere with the perfection of their tactical plans, because whenever the Allies discover a weak spot in the enemy's armour, they will bo able to force the fighting by day, and then use their air squadrons in placo of cavalry. In the meantime the Allies are effectively bombing railway stations, but, if they organise the air service under one control, and distribute the activities of the service according to the type of machine they should be able to traverse whole sections of roads and railways and give particular attention to bridges. When they aro following the road lines it would be necessary to ut,j the heaviest bombs on the bridges as well as the roads. If in tracing main lines of supply air machines aro sent abroad in sufficient numbers, they are bound to come across trains and convoys, and, as German rolling stock is known to be insufficient and in a bad state of repair, any destruction of material would very seriously affect the enemy's communication service and the rato of supply. The destruction of ammunition and food convoys, if it be maintained continuously behind large groups of the enemy's forces, must lead to a great disorganisation of the German army service and to loss of morale amongst the units of which the supply is interfered with. While the means of supply aro being hampered, the smaller and swifter machines could give attention to groups -of men held in reserve, and could attack by machine gun fire the advancing columns, especially if the Germans use the echelon tactics which they are believed to be practising behind their lines and in which they are going to employ mass movements when they find a* weak spot. Wherever the Germans attack in masses it will be found that they will send! forward the subject , races of Austria and Germany to break down tho ammunition supply of the Allied troops holding tho lines, and the main body of the shock troops will be sent m to give the finishing touches. Such tactics are quite in accord with the principles of Prussian politico-militarists. In the long ran tho discontented principalities will bo stripped of soldiers and few able-bodied men will be left to support any separatist or revolutionary movements. As in Belgium, Serbia, and Armenia, Germany's policy is so to denude those countries of populations that she will be able to colonise those lands with Germans, Austrians, and Hungarians, and, failing that, leave them in such a condition that many generations will elapso before they can actively oppose German penetration. SUBMARINE LOSSES. Three enemy submarines are reported today to have been destroyed—two by direct action and one by being rammed by an American troop ship. Spanish patrol vessels, moreover, are active along the Spanish coast. They have been forced into adopting some means of protecting the nation's merchant service from being unscrupulously destroyed and to preserve Spanish crews ' from boing incontinently and callously m-ur- j dered. Of two German submarines which sought sanctuary in Spanish ports, one at- | tempted impudently to disregard the authority of the Spanish port officials in a manner similar to that in which a U boat commander escaped with his vessel from Cadiz. This time, however, the authorities took no risk, and, having caught the submarine in tho ■ attempt to escape, disembarked the crew and dismantled the engines. It will, in view of tho activity of the Spanish authorities and 1 of tho spreading indignation in Spain, be interesting to hear whether any action is taken by Germany. The British Admiralty has decided eto depart from the rule of not announcing the destruction of_ individual submarines. More is probably said in the message to this effect than is intended. When submarines are met and destroyed! outside the nets and mino fields which have been specially set to catch them or to assist in their destruction it would be unwiso to announce the fact. The destruction of German submarines in British waters and in the North Sea will, however, be reported. ' GERMANS FEELING THE LINES. Reports from the West front to-day speak of greatly increased activity on the part of tho enemy's artillery. A French report states that on the Somme sector, in the region of Hangard, there was fairly great reciprocal artillery work. Though the British report by Router's correspondent at Headquarters details very extensive and heavy German bombardments east and south of Arras as far south as VillersBretonneux, and a prolonged outburst of gunfife all round the front of the Lvs salient from Festubert, on the south, to Ypres, on the north, it is not assumed by the military authorities that these enemy bombardments are heralding the German resumption of the offensivo. If not, the purpose of the Germans has been to see what reply the British would make; that is, to see what tactics the British airmen would adopt in the way of spotting tho German batteries, and incidentally to kill as many British troops as possible. It also may bo a demonstration to cover movements of German troops to points where the Germans have decided to attack if they are going to take advantage of the moonlight to make an attempt to break the British and French lines in the early hours of some morning. The Germans liavc now so manj guns on the West front that they hope by heavy concentrated fire on certain sectors to hido the fact that they have a thick and unsuspected concentration on another and a weaker sector. As the forces on both sides aro so evenly balanced' in strength, it has become very necessary for tho German High Command to hide its hand in order to offect a surprise on a great scale. By I;his means it is hoped to tiirow tho plans of the Allies into confusion, effect a rapid advance upon some great strategic centre in France, and follow up tho advance with a succession of rapid and heavy blows before General Foch can manoeuvro with his reserves and guns.