NORTH OF THE SOMME.

Colonist, Volume LVII, Issue 14156, 19 April 1916, Page 5

NORTH OF THE SOMME.

POSITION REVIEWED BY COLONEL REPINGTON. THE ENEMY'S DISPOSITIONS. GREAT CONCENTRATION BEFORE THE BRITISH. London, April 17. Colonel Repington, in an article detailing the German ordre de bataillo north of the Sorame, says- that great events may be impending. General■ Foch is still- in command in the north, enabling General Joffre to co-ordinate the operations of the Allies. Forty German divisions, excluding cavalry, are holding the line north of the Somme, numbering 800,000, with half a- million rifles and over 3000 guns. Facing the French and Belgians on our left are naval corps and two and a half Landwehr and Ersatz divisions. All the rest are before the British, while owe cavalry and eight infantry divisions are in reserve, and can be rapidly moved to any point. Only one. LancV.vehr division is before the British. The rest are good active or reserve formations, and are equal to those at Verdun and bettor than any others in the west or east. .The' Germans hold the dominant positions. This mass of important forces is? a tribute to the fighting qualities of our .men. The Ist Bavarian Army Corps and the* Ist Bavarian Reserve Division •are opposite Arms with the 15th Reservo Division in reserve. The I3th Army, corps is at Ypres, the lDbhat Armentioros, the 7th at Neirve Chapello, and the 4th is opposite L-oos, with various reserve corps intermixed. The Germans are- without reserves except in front of the British front and ,at Verdun. These are still ample to fill the field depots during the summer cam■.paign, though the quality of many of the reserves is poor. If they attack the British there may be a temporary success, but the reception will be as warm as at Verdun. We shall attack'when strong enough. Superiority in men and guns is necessary to assail modern ; trenches. It is now fairly well known that the third hypothesis the Germans propose is to master the lower Scheldt and violate Holland's neutrality so that German naval armaments, which have been ar--ourruil siting for 18 months on . th& f'"'v"^. 1-- —■<• +„ con to attack us.

(.fossa Absooiation— Cofxbisbx.2 We still have not all the troops in Western France which should be there, thotigh the strategy has improved since the General Staff regained its functions. •In October our output of guns and munitions was still below that of France , abd Germany. It is necessary to keep : 2,000,000, maMng: munitions to the end ■of the war, of which 1,000,000 are ; males. When our ewn munitions suffice 'we must redouble our efforts to help Russia.