WEEKLY WAR SUMMARY.

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume XLV, Issue 14610, 21 May 1918, Page 5

WEEKLY WAR SUMMARY.

POSITION OX THE VARIOUS FRONTS. THE SITUATfoN REVIEWED. (Per Press Association). WELLINGTON, last night. The following telegraphic summary of war news has been received by the Gov-ernor-General from the Secretary for State for the Colonies : — GERMAN TACTICS. The growing unrest among the subject nations of the Austrian. Empire is bocoming too strong for the Government at Vienna, and the Emperor, impelled by the instinct of self-preservation, has taken a. further step on the road to Bubjection to Germany. Though the terms of the new alliance are not public, a Vienna telegram refers to its extension and deepening. Even if the Austrian Emperor at one time desired to escape from German control, he is powerless to do so now, since tho interests of the Hnpsburgs are bound up with the predominance of the German and the Magyar land-owning classes. The emancipation of the subject races can only be achieved with help from without. All the Allies will work m co-operation to satisfy their just claims. In Germany itself, reactionary forces are Btill rampant. The Prussian Lower House rejected the equal franchise. In a by-election m Saxony the Independent Socialists lost a seat, and twelve members of the minority group have been sentenced at Leipzig to penal Mrvifeuk. Further aggressions of Germany m Russia lead to friction between the German mission at Moscow and' the Russian Government, and the aggressions of Turkey m the long-coveted Persntn province of Azerbajan are causing alarm and) resentment to the Persian Government. Germany is now employing against Switzerland the tactics she recently used against Holland. SUCCESSFUL MISSION. The British mission which, recently arrived at Rio de Janeiro was much, gratified by the cordial reception and warm welcome it received. MINOR. OPERATIONS ON THE WESTERN FRONT. A review of operations on the West front for tlte week ending May 16 shows that a second week has passed with only minor operations. There are two points specially to notice m these. The first is that the local objective m each case is to seize observation points. The second point is that m each . case of enemy initiative, the operations ended m a complete and costly failure, even where, as on the Voormezeele-La Clytte front, he employed and sacrificed considerable'bodies of fresh troops. But each operation initiated by the Allies — namely, at Locre, Morlancourt, and Grivesnes — has been a complete success. This is a sweeping statement, and German propagandists spare no words to prove the exact opposite, but the map proves that at no single point did the enemy gain his objective or succeed m holding any local gain more than a few hours. Enemy protestations of Allied failures characterise every local gain by the French m the Locre sector as an attempt to' retake Kemmel Hill — an objective whiuh, as the enemy knows to his cost, would call for an operation on v very considerable scale, aoid could not oossibly be aimed at by a local effort. The length to which enemy publicists, have gone m this perversion Of ' the truth is powerful evidence of the necessity felt for concealing from the German people anything which may „■• detract from confidence m the army, which they are told^ is invincible, but which they are beginning to suspect were better described as cannon-fodder. Though minor* operations nave only n local or tactical value, they have strategicul significance, indicating points where the enemy is prepared to incur considerable sacrifice thereby to gain observation' posts. From his persistence we may" draw conclusions regarding the positions to which the enemy attaches special value for future purposes. ! While minor manoeuvres 'for positions have been taking place along the front lines, it must not be forgotten that m tense activity is continuous m the rear services on both sides. BRITISH AIR SUPREMACY. In tho air service the Allies' claim to supremacy rests on more than mere protestation. A comparative statement for the month of . April, 1918, of the number of bombs dropped by British airmen m France behind the enemy lines, and dropped by the enemy m the area occupied by the British troops, shows : — British Enemy. By day ... ... ... 17,867 687 By night ... ... 6,035 1,374 Total 25,900 2,033 Evidence is provided by the demoralised complaints of German prisoners that ■even when the enemy are withdrawn for a rest the British airmen allow them no peace. One described feelingly how 24 of his comrades were killed by a single British bombing attack on Bapaumo on April 30. The Air Ministry reports that German air prisoners recently captured show a noticeable falling off m morale, and make no attempt to deny our superiority m the air. There is great air activity on the Belgian coast, particularly by our bombing machines. The coastal bases at Ostend and! Zeebrugge are repeatedly attacked and the enemy harassed m his endeavor to repair the damage caused by the recent successful naval operations. THE ENEMY'S TROUBLES; ALLIES' INCREASING STRENGTH. The fundamental cause which is gradually disentegrating the Central European Alliance is lack of food. Little can, be extorted from Germany's allies, some ol whom are already experiencing actual starvation. To obtain grain elsewhere will necessitate using force, making further demands on the troops. She caimot spare this, and the shameless exploitation of her allies by Germany for her own ends to their detriment sows seeds of discord among them. For two reasons Germany has been forced to seek ii decision m the field as early as possible. Delay would involve the risk of a break-up of the Alliance, which she cannot afford. Her victory m tbe coming summer campaign must be absolute or worse than useless, for Germany will have exhausted 1 her reserves, whilst even should the French and British find themselves similarly reduced, the American army will just be approaching his zenith. . By commencing operations, Germany thinks she will be able to achieve a decisive victory within the time limit. The Allies are already confident that with the infusion of American troops, whose first drafts are already incorporated m French and British Divisions, they can withstand the full force of the enemy