GENERAL WAR SURVEY.

Colonist, Volume LX, Issue 14864, 11 September 1918, Page 7

GENERAL WAR SURVEY.

ALLIES' STEADY WORK

Wellington, Sept. 9. The Acting-Prime Minister has received from the Ministry of Information, London, the following summary of the war operations for the week ended September 6th :— v On August 30th, despite heavy coun-ter-attacks, wo continued to press the German retirement towards the line on the. Oise-Somine canal. A brilliant night attack on the 30th-31st was carried out "by the Australians on the southern portion of this line. They forced crossings over the canal north of Peronne, and captured a strongly fortified, position on Mont St. Quentin, with extraordinary small losses, holding the

position against seven counter-attacks. The immediate satisfactory effect was to hasten the enemy's withdrawal furtbur north from tho ok! Souinic battlefield. Particularly successful operations took place on September 2nd.' en an cight-milo front- south of the' Sc-arpe. Tho attack v,-as made early in the morning, forestalling the German counteroffensivOj by the Canadian Corps with four divisions, and the 17th Corps, the latter including the 52nd (Lowland Territorial Division), famous' for. its magnificent advance in October last after the Gaza battle along the coast ! almost to the gates of Jerusalem, 63rd (Naval) Division, West Lancashire and London Territorial Divisions. This determined attack resulted in the complete penetration of the Proeourt■Queant switch, and the withdrawal of the heavily punished enemy to the Canal dv Nord. Despite the obstacle this canal affords to tank attacks', our determined arniy succeeded hi" crossing it in several places. -Thcv took a large number of prisoners and nrueh -material. Losing their famous switch must produce a considerable moral effect on the enemy in this sector. In- the Ly_s salient, a. steady withdrawal is going on. Tho enemy arc. cloeely followed by British and American troops. On the French front a steady enemy withdrawal has taken place to a line on the Somme-Oise Canal. The French obtained a. footing on the east side in tho neighbourhood of Noyon.- Heavy lighting has been going on north of jSoissons between the Aisne and the I Ailette, where the ■American troops have I been operating. A considerable advance | has been made. The enemy have commenced to withdraw across^the Aisne. I The approximate- number of prisoners taken by the British since Ist August, is 70,000, and by the French and Amc- | ncans 40,000, with extraordinarily small j losses to the. Allies ,which in the Britisii' I case do not greatly exceed the number of prisoners taken. This possibly is attributable to the temporary lowerinu: of the fighting value of the enemy, and | the disorganisation inevitable from a retreat oii a large scale undertaken, under releiitla-,8 pressure. The German High Command seem so far to have kept coY trol of. i.he;situation b hut incur, grave risks- by the -heay.y demands made on their troops-.' The withdrawal, though j hasty,, vas carried oxvt methodically, I but mucli material Avas lost. -. \\ Ik Albania so "far the Austrian rein- \ iOrcemcnts have prevented the Italia3s-, j from maintaining gains, hut they still |hoki the Malakaptra Ridge, and have a! ; better position than before. i In the offensive in Palestine, the rci cotitly raised Indian battalions havo acquitted themselves well in min6V operations. The Japanese in the Ussuri offensive have driven back the. enemy on tho river Bikin, south of Khabarovsk. j r - The Chita situation is still obscure.] The Czechs have probably obtained con- J trol of the Trans-Siberian railway. I The Finnish.'Army is mutinous and, ' discontented, and the anti-allied feeling J !is strengthening. The Germans are "pushing communications on the roads ;and. railways towards Pochega and the ; White Sea. This German exploitation ,in Finland is causing more bitterness. .; Considerable- success is reported in East Africa. Yon Letow has been driven off Liomnx". During his .attemnfc-j •e-ci {lights iv various directions he was1 further attacked by.the British and sustained Considerable loss. He is now beJiig pursued in a north-easterly directiou .towards the Lurion river. His total forces, though ..considerablly reduced, may fiiill give trouble. ; The 'week has""' 'been-: marked •by a. ; steady, persistent work in ail * the theatres The ecmhisiou in llussia is rapidly disiiit^iuting. The Govern-■..mf-nt threatens \vlioL\sale murder for the attempted a.s.sr.ssii>ation of Lenin. Tho : Briiuh iOir.Si.-vssy was attacked on ; August blst 'hy the Bolshevik troops. ; nrtd the British Naval Attache was ashassiuated. The corpse was abomin- ; ably ■ -ti-ea-ted, j.\rid roinsvd a proper. ; burial. .The- r,:iiba.-:r;y was destroyed. , I'hfi French lr>iibn.s'sy is fearing n 1 Jar attack, j.ho Bolsheviks are already oncoiin.ging r'--^ jxouia.ee to miwsaere : thf Jinlish dm French.