FIGHTING ROUND YPRES.

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume XLIII, Issue 13973, 20 April 1916, Page 4

FIGHTING ROUND YPRES.

• A STRICKEN ZONE. UO'NDON, Feb. 25. In a, message sent from .British h^adquarters_;£lie'•press Association corres-, pondent-says;— The post avcolj has been marked by some' very sharp fightiiig m the south-eafitela sector of the Ypres yaJient, more than half, the time during the wildest weather of the entire winter. Indeed, . more than'; once did the wind the rain simply war dowji and wash out the hunia-n strife.

The otftoiAl". bulletins covering . tlus Veriod have summarised, the progress of events m this battered and stricken

zone. What they have naturally not: attempted.-. to;. suggest, is' the probable significance: r>f the eneyiyV activity, arid people .at home reading* headlines 'about ••I. fresjr(^.-niiin;bid for Calais may well deem it probable that another 'pha.se m live .struggle is beginning. That a % very deliberate attack upon the front i.s govcmwl ,by the iUiiil objective of "breaking through,' ' it is doubtless fcafo to assert neither side, is going to expend thousands of shells and, incur /hundreds of casualties, except \hi . direct furtherance, of. $iis cml. The German assault and capture of the "Interna-tional Trsneil" . "ynl Sunday, February 13, may legitimately be regarded as such a. step. Ho far i\a;l 'gaj), ascertain, the enemy had made' no g're,at concentration m ordeii. to,.Jj.e. : ready . inmrediately to follow tip* any v xujexpected.ly big measure of success. Hip aim Avas to driv.e 'i"b& Jlriti|H; from the lino skirting the bluiif formed by tlie YiM-es-Comines '.Canal, aiid to consolidate himself m 'this position. This waJ* «»iiougk to attempt for one ntep. MWPLED THUXDJiR OF JJ.EAVY • . '.' . GUNS. At the moment of Avriting tho Germans -still occupy about 400 yards of, tho 600. yards they took" u' weeJt ago. 1, wi-y "at' the moment, of writing, for Llic muffled thunder" o| lieavy guns is even now rolling do\vn from tliat seldom K.h'iit reirion, and at any time may coma lUjWB oi ft cottnter-«,ttaok which Has' tompletely turned the tables upon t|)e Hochefe. \n point of fact, taldng H that our policy is to killas many Germans as possible, I can conceive it prob-\ iible tliat no' particular .Hurry may bo shown a-s to driving 'the' enemy back. Against tho fact that the "International Trench" forms a- sector of otir salient must be set the consideration that ftHs proving a- terribly costly position to 'the ♦ foo to retain. * '

llio '■ International Trench" has really c-aftcd to bo a trench at all. The, intf.nso Germaai bombardment and incessant mine .springing have crumpled and cratered it to such a, degree that our troops fell back upon the support trenches. The enemy 'swarmed m, and Berlin has not yet nnished boasting of tho successes. But success m warfare i» not to be 1 dissociated from the question ot" cost, and probably now the German i ligh Uuriimand is realising that Avhat tho British have had to give up' is little better than a death trap for the Boches. A salient upon fairly level ground must always be at a disadvantage against iirtillery fii'e. Instead of only a straight I rout to lire' through, it offers angles to enfilade, but manifestly this same condition bcco'iues & cdrre'spouding advantage when t ( he enemy effects a footiiiir m a sector of the salient. SO^ffi TERRIBLE "STRAFING." Uur gunners have done some terrible •'strafing" of the "International Trench"

during the past seven days. They barrage the ground' beyond it so* tliat the enemy can only Jiioye up reinforcements uiider shrapnel ancf ' liigli explosive shells. ' .Toe of silencing a well-placed' battery is incredible, Quito recently aii;mtsn succeeded m locating the Whereabouts of a concealed battery of field artillery which had done much execution, liheir own gunners got on to the spot and poured m a little avalanche of shells. Tho Oerman obaeiTation ollioers were ap~ parently quite satisfied that they had done the business of the troublesome '/j.kn.ltory by the time the cease fire was

ordered. Actually thoy/'lia'd dono no damage worth mentioning; • -.-< But although tho .fighting. 1 am referring to has no evident significance be youd its own local' character, it would be idle to deny that wo may be on tin eve, of great events m this zone. Progressive steps may follow one another with an unexpected rapidity, and boil up into n great offensive. The Second Battle of Ypres, it is worth recalling,, began m such a desultory fashion. 1 have Ho knowledge as to what possible concentrations may be going on behind the enemy lines, *but it is manifestly sound tactics to conceal purpose by delaying movements to the utmost. There ato reasons other than military signs for regarding it as moro than likely that the Germans Mill seek to force a decision at the earliest possible moment. The lure of tlie Ypres salient seems irn».sistible to them.