How Goes the Fight?

Star (Christchurch), Issue 11948, 6 March 1917, Page 8

How Goes the Fight?

NOTES ON THE WAR.

THE POSITION ANALYSED.

CHRISTCHURCH, March 6

The suggestion made in this column the other day that the British front had been extended south of the Somme Is now confirmed, and it is now announced that the now sector covers the area between the Somme at Biache&and 'tlbe Avre at Roye. It includes, therefore, the urea in which the French 'achieved their sensational success (during iho first -week in July, when, hatching the enemy off his guard, they ■wept through Frise and Dompierre and advanced to within rifle shot ol Pennine. The whole front of the Somme offensive, from Chilly in the gouth to Gommccourti, is now held by the British, whose whole line, making no allowance for the innumerable little bends and turns, is something like 115 to 120 miles in length. Since the close of the Somme offensive, that is to say, they have taken over about thirty miles from the French, and thus have released an army that cannot have numbered less than 203.000 for service elsewhere. Actually the change means more than that, because the big fighting this year along the British front would have required adequate support from the French on the Chaulnes sector, quite apart from whatever efforts the French armies might have been making elsewhere Consequently the divisions in lino and those in reserve yould have had to be supplemented end relieved from time to time. Any reader who followed the story of the Bomme battle closely nud who marked how the extension of the front called fresh divisions into the line, and how divisions that took part in the severe • fighting were withdrawn and rested before being called on for another effort, will bo able to appreciate the magnitude of the assistance that the British are lending the French now in *aking over an extra thirty miles of the front.

From the moment when the British General Staff decided to pitch its camp at Rouen, so to speak, it was obvious that the intention was ultimately to transfer the whole of the front between the Oise and the Yser to British hands, provided, of course, the trench war continued long enough—and no one in authority was likely to have been unduly optimistic on that score. There were other considerations governing the selection of Rouen which need not be discussed just now, but it is obvious that if the intention had been to hold the front north of the Somme merely, there would have been no urgent necessity for the establishment of a base as far south as Rouen. Sir John French in the earlier days had his headquarters at St Onier, but even in those days it was obvious that the British lino was bound to extend 60ulh of Arras. Abbevillo and Amiens ■were probably passed in review, but with the expansion of the army in the depots at Home, and with the increase of tho number of divisions in France, the Allied General Staff's cannot have hesitated long about making the choice. It was from Arras to Albert that the French first "turned over" to the British, and then tho lines established after such intense fighting north of Arras were transferred. There seems to have been a minor adjustment north of the Somme prior to July, but at Christmas the British had taken over the trenches down to the Somine.

There is a small sector between Roye &r.d the Oise concerning which no positive statement can be made. The point of junction of two armies of different nationality and language is generally regarded as a point of comparative weakness, and though the cooperation of French and British in the great offensive was always wonderfully close there may havo been always a fear that the co-ordination would fall to be exact at a critical moment. Such an accident never did occur, of course, but it was with the possibility in mind, no do-dbt, that the General Staffs decided to make the junction not precisely at tho Somme but to the north of the river, so that there should he no actual break between the British right and the French left. For the iamo reason it may be decided to make the new junction at Rove instead of on the Oise itself. The matter is. of importance, of course, and is worth mentioning here in view of the fact that the British extension so far has not gone beyond Roye.

Mr Warner Allen had the good fortune to be in the Amiens region when a British division was taking over from a French, and there is a pleasant note of the incident in his "Unbroken Line." "After a time," he says, " the ascending stream of khaki, with its uniform equipment and convoys, met a descending stream of light blue, laded and battered, with convoys which to English eyes seemed strangely mixed and picturesque. When the lines first met there seemed to be a certain feeling of shyness between the French ami tho English. Each man was anxious tj show the other how well and boldieriy he could bear himself. There was a little ripple m the lined as they passed, and the swing of tho marching men grew freer and smarter. Then, after a, time, the shyness broke down, and whenever tho men were standing easy thero was an exchange of nods and smiles, and, perhaps, if an interpreter wero handy, greetings would be passed. Sometimes an English battalion, lined up along the road, would watch with critical and approving eye a battalion of French Chasseurs swing past at the oniick step, ■which is then- special pride. Once, in a field near tho road, a. battery of horse artillery swept up at full gallop. Its guns took up their positions in perfect alignment, while battery after battery of French ,7o's went jangling past through the mud."

There are one or two notes from correspondents of the "Daily Telegraph" that, will bear quotation just now as showing the economic condition of enemy countries. Greater Berlin, according to the Rotterdam correspondent, began" tho year with reduced rations, approaching the semi-starva-tion limit. The allowance of potatoes jper week was slb, and under the ne\V arrangements this must inchide the!

weight oL' potatoes contained in hotel cv ies;aurant dibhe?, for which a card ,-lutd to bo tendered. Twp pounds of

turnips completed the vegetable ration - for the week. Butter was reduced to the exiguous quantity of fifty grammes ] a week (less than two ounces)., supple- ] mented by thirty grammes (one ounce) of margarine. These reductions coincided with an egg famine. The official 3 announcement says: "We shall not bo ] in a good position as regards eggs in the New Year. Supplies are so shorti that it cannot even bo contemplated! to continue the small allowance the population of Berlin have had up till now. For the present eggs will only be allowed to sick persons. Probably these conditions will continue until the middle of February. 1 ' Another message deals with Aus- ! trian conditions, as revealed by travellers arriving in Switzerland. "Travellers who have just reached Switzerland state that the aspect of the population in some of the towns and country <lis- ; tricts is pitiable," it runs. "Every other person ono meets looks worried., haggard, and pale, and the common remark is: 'We are starving.'" The price of certain articles is prohibitive for the vast majority, even if they could he had Ham at Vienna, now costs 10s a pound, beef, lard, and mutton from 6s to 7s. But this is only when these articles are to be had. There are cases where people have to •wait two weeks before their turn comes to have a small portion of meat. ATI the provisions are sold out before eight o'clock in the morning. It now appears also that Austria has received nothing from Rumania. Whatever stores of provisions were captured were reserved for ihe German array operaiing in Rumania, and the quantity of meat, potatoes, rice, tfugar and com collected by the German foraging 'troops is admitted to have been very insignificant."