In the West

Stratford Evening Post, Volume XXXV, Issue 74, 25 February 1918, Page 5

In the West

ACTIVE OPERATIONS. Press Association -Copyright, Australia and N 7. Cabto Association. London, February 23. Sir Douglas Haig reports: Hostile artillery is active in the neighborhood of the Airas-Camhri road. La Basse? and Ypres. Aeroplanes yesterday dropped bombs on billets and rail sidings at Cnurtrai. Ledgehem and Douai. We brought down nine hostile, machines. Three of ours are missing. We dropped 678 bombs last night, 300 being on an aerodrome, south-east of Leca-

teau, used by the enemy’s night flyers, nineteen direct hits being observed. The remainder were dropped on aerodromes at Ghent and Tournai.

Scottish troops made a successful raid at Monchy to Preux. Hostile artillerying continues.

A Belgian communique states: After a violent bombardment, enemy detachments aiaeked our advanced posts in the region of Kleostermolen. but- the enemy failed to reach our lines.

NEWSPAPER OPINION.

ress Assn.—Copyright.—Australian lian and N.Z. Cable 'Association

London, February 23. j The Manchester Guardian contends that the German advance on Russia must modify the offensive on the Western front, as it will absorb a large army with firing lines of communication exposed to guerilla war-* fare. An attack on the Western front is still probable, but unless the Germans gain a remarkable, initial ( success, they will not attempt a for-] xnal break through or keep up the attack month after month. The attacks will be local and brief; THE WINTER PAST. . ALLIES READY FOR ACTION. CALM CONFIDENCE OF TROOPS. Press Association—Copyright United Service. (Received 9.30 a.m.) London Feb 24. J Special correspondent states ; “ The ground on the West front has hardened] and the' worst period of mud and winter is over. Calm and cheeriness prevails, and everything is in readiness for the new campaigns, j Nobody at the front, believes that the Central Powers are, capable of break-' ing the Fra neo-British lines. j “ General Smuts, after inspection of j the lines, reported that they gave the. hoche no chance in an offensive. “The arrival of Turkish troops in ( Belgium is interpreted to mean that divisions used against Russians are being brought westward. The Austrian troops are apparently intended for reserves. The number is tin-, known, but there is reason to believe that Austria-Hungary acted niggardly.” A NEW MAP OF EUROPE.

GERMAN TERRITORIAL AIMS,

Press Association —Copyright, Austria lian and N.Z. Cable Association (Received 11.0 a.m.) Paris February 24.

Le Matin states that a so-called ethnographical map which was published in Berne in 1917 by a German propagandaist shows the delimitation of the Ukrainian and Polish frontiers as defined at Brest Litovsk. It shows that the Western frontier, which was to be given bo Russia, would run by Pskoff and Kharkoff, merging into that which formerly was the easterly limit of Greater Poland, while Petrograd is shown as belonging to Finland, thus driving Russia back to the, Muscovite steppes. i