The Taranaki Herald. DAILY EVENING THURSDAY, AUGUST 22, 1918. THE ALLIED OFFENSIVE.

Taranaki Herald, Volume LXVI, Issue 16216, 22 August 1918, Page 2

The Taranaki Herald. DAILY EVENING THURSDAY, AUGUST 22, 1918. THE ALLIED OFFENSIVE.

With reasonable hick in the matter of weather conditions General Foch may have three months yet in which to pursue the offensive in France and Flanders. It was in the middle of November, 1916, that the ,British made their first advance along the Ancre and about the same time in 1917 that they captured the Passchendaele ridge. Later still they broke the Hindenburg line on a front of over thirty miles. Therefore we need not anticipate a settling down in the trenches again for many weeks and during that time much may happen. It is assumed in some quarters that the Germans have defences of extraordinary strength prepared somewhere at the rear of their present lines and that they are now making an orderly if not altogether voluntary withdrawal thereto. If there is any prudence in their command they must have a line of greater or less strength to retire to, but it is difficult to believe that it is stronger than the famous Hindenburg line, which was broken less than a year ago. In the interval the enemy’s manpower has been seriously weakened, while the Allies are stronger thah they were. In the matter of gun-power and air services they are relatively immensely stronger than they were in November last. Hence it is a fair assumption that they will be able to break any line that the enemy is likely to have prepared, . if it suits General Foch’s plans to do so. Since he launched his counter-attack on July 16, about five weeks ago, the Allies have recovered the greater part of the territory captured by the Germans in the last five months, and, what is better, they have put several hundreds of thousands of Germans out of action, a large proportion permanently. Nor have they been brought to a standstill; far from it, for though' between the Vesle and the Aisne they are marking time, it is only because there is a cheaper way of beating the enemy, by pushing the attack in other directions. They are gradually forcing their way between the Somme and the Aisne, and the indications are that very soon they will be in possession of Chaulnes, Roye, and Noyons, thus interrupting the German communication lines and compelling a considerable further withdrawal, not only in this sector, but between Soissons and Rheims as well. The latest development of- the offensive is between Albert and Arras, where the British are now, not very far from Bapaume. A substantial advance in this direction will greatly improve the Allies’ facilities for the rapid movement of troops, since it will give themundisturbed possession of the important railway from Arras to Albert and Amiens, besides putting them on to two lines running to Cambrai. While this is going on the Americans and French

along the Yesle are no doubt preparing for a further advance, which will take them to the lino of the Aisne, and it is very doubtful whether the enemy will be able to hold that line and not be forced over the Chemin des Dames, from which the German offensive in June started, eventually reaching the Marne. , Sir Douglas Haig’s forces north of the Lys are not idle, though the gains hero are small compared with those further south. He is, however, so engaging the enemy’s attention there that Prince Rupprecht is obliged to keep part of his reserves handy instead of sending them to assist the Crown Prince’s group. The latest estimate we have had of these reserves is that they number thirty divisions, which is practically all the enemy has left, except the. 1920 hoys, who will not have the steadiness and experience of the older men. The position is full of hope for the Allies, and we may see a repetition of the events of March, 1917, when the enemy retired on a front of 85 miles, abandoning Peronne, Chaulnes, Nesle, and Hoyons and the Allies advanced some twelve miles, recapturing about sixty villages. According to an Italian newspaper the populace in Germany is becoming alarmed at the turn of events in the last five weeks, while a Hague correspondent also states that discontent is seriously increasing among German workmen.