SITUATION ON THE WESTERN FRONT.

Colonist, Volume LX, Issue 14857, 3 September 1918, Page 6

SITUATION ON THE WESTERN FRONT.

. (United Press Association.)

;; '. ', " Wellington, Sopf. 2. I he'following telegraphic review of tiio. general wajr sifcuai'-iou ior tho week uncled .August 30th lias' boon received by the Acting-Prime \Jiuisier from the British Ministry of Information:--On, the British front the advance has been continued along tho whole line from the Somme to the Sc-iirpe. On t;;e reft flank, north of the Spiype, Gavrelles find Arloux-en-GoueJle iJfuo been 'capLiired. • South of the Sea roc vc gained Cheri&y and Fontaine les Cioisliips. These" places hp\p never yet .Yon ,in !'•:•:.if-h hands. Onr 'advance here j carried us two miles east oi che furthest line ever reached in 1917. '

Ah.'ht important progress has Ivon made by tlio French between Royo ;:iid the i)ise. Ixxpaumc has fallen to the British and Noyon to the French.

It seems evident that the enemy intend retiring to n shorter line to o'.jiain a 'better defensive position ;:nd economise troops. Probably they -will retire to the Hindenburg Line, ■ but they will ■endeavour tp postpone this course" unlii the weather renders active . operations impracticable.' They will probably make a stand west cf the Hindenburg" I.mc. Events will show -whether they wiJl be allowed to retire "gradually according to plan. The British adraiice on euher side of the Scarce, in already a .serious threat to their line". Tfki cn'eniv rannuo nl'rnv up -to iTi'lva-ico. mudl'fi!r(-.M;-r here without endangering their genqnl retirement. This explains tho determined resistance on this part or the front. The British advance.is therefore highly important,; though vis .ultimate effect ■is not yet known;

The enemy resistance has been very unequal. ' Seme divisions have exhibited the _old determination'; others have surrendered freely. "It is necessary to guard against exaggerated expectations. We have captured 21,000 ...prisoners-, and our total losses only slightly exceed this figure. The total"number, of ' prisoners ea-otured by the British since August Bth exceeds 47,000, and-the guns eapcured number over 500. Alligd captures since July 18th exceed 100,009 prisoners, with piobably nearly 2000

guns

The officially-inspired.. German press still explain away the Gentian collapse. 'Nevertheless the fighting of the past month shows a. notable deterioration in the German morale, with (increasing indiscipline, insubordination, and disobedience of orders.

Estimates of the German total losses in dead from the beginning-of the war are .largely conjectural, but the figure is certainly.•well over two millions: