NOTES ON THE WAR.

Pelorus Guardian and Miners' Advocate., Volume 29, Issue 37, 15 May 1917, Page 4

NOTES ON THE WAR.

Mr Bonar Law’s summary of the British gains in the present campaign on the West front is very encouraging. A substantial advance on a 25-mile front, penetrating to a depth of five miles in six weeks, provides something for the Germans to ponder over. Although the enemy claim to have made an orderly retreat, “according to plans,’’ the capture of 20,000 prisoners, 237 guns, 227 trench mortars, was effected, and this in spite of the fact that the attadkers had to give battle to fully twice their number. The advance and the small proportion of casualties are in striking contrast to the wearisome and costly Somme battle last year, and speaks volumes for the superiority of British guns and mastery of the air. Hindenburg’s calculations that the elaborate British preparations for the great spring offensive would be upset by a sudden retreat were based on a misconception of British power and organisation. Ho reckoned that the time lost by the British in establishing a new line of attack across this gap would enable him to firmly plant his armies in an impregnable position, but his plans were rudely upset by the fast following up of the “contemptible little army.’’ The French havo also kept the enemy busily engaged along the Aisnc plateau, have pushed their line forward in other sectors, and have resisted all his attempts to recover lost ground. On the whole the position on land is distinctly in favour of the Allies, as far as the Westernyfront is concerned. On the Russian front hostilities are still practically at a standstill, and the grave internal dissensions of our Eastern Ally are still hindering military operations. The German Admiralty is still bolstering up the German people with exaggerated statements of submarine sinkings —reporting that the aggregate tonnage sent to the bottom during the past five weeks is one million tons. Our Admiralty’s figures during these weeks gives the total number of ships lost as 135 of the larger tonnage (over 1600 tons), and 60 of the smaller. At the high average of 4000 tons, the former works out at 540,000 tons, and the smaller craft at 500 gives 30,000, making a total of 570,000 tons. The real" average, however, is likely to be much below these figures, and allowing for a few vessels posted as overdue, we may take it as certain that nothing like a million tons of shipping have been sunk during the past five weeks.