How Goes the Fight?

Star (Christchurch), Issue 12063, 19 July 1917, Page 2

How Goes the Fight?

NOTES ON THE WAR, THE POSITION ANALYSED.CHR.ISTCHURCH. July 19. There is a paragraph in one of Colonel Repington's articles in 'The Times" that may be commended to the attention of the New Zealand public just now, and especially to those peoplo who have only a, vague idea of the actual military position. "Neither wo nor France can afford the heavy losses of a great and general offensive for the moment," he declared. "We could conduct such au offensive certainly, but if battalions fall, as they may, to half their strength, and if losses are not made good, then we must remember that moral falls proportionately with losses as a. general rule, and that in view of the British and American reserve power which can arrive i n Franco w 0 should bo very foolish to exhaust in advance armies which are, in the case at all events of Fiance, her last. Colonel TJepington went on to emphasise Franco's urgent need of help, going so far as to urge that America should send 200,000 recruits to Europe forthwith, to be tiained in France and incorporated in the French armies. "France,'' ho declared, ' needs this support now in order to keep the French ranks full." It is vei v important, ' he said a train, "that America'should understand "it-h art France needs help an quickly as possible. '' In view of that very frank and emphatic statement Xew Ze-a landers who think that the Dominion has done enough in the way of sending men may be disposed to revise their opinions.

The whole of tho article from which these quotations are made is of great inteiest, for it is a. frank survey of the general situation and especially of tho situation in the western theatre. •' Wo are drawing near to the oloso of t'ho third year of tho struggle, and there .-ire no conclusive military reasons why tho war should soon end, - ' Colonel Pepington says. " Marshal Joffre, constantly pestered with tho common Question on this subject, referred one dav to his chauffeur for the answer to it. No Great. Power, and no great Army or Navy, have been struck down on Sand, or sea.. Great losses of life, treasure, ships and war material ha-vo occurred, and tho economic pressure is intense, but people will find tho wherewithal to nourish themselves, fresh contingents of recruits are? still found to fight, the bane of one now invention is usually succeeded by the antidote, while so long a;; nations strike off paper and accept each scrap as. a. thousand pounds, marks, francs or roubles without demur, tho financial liquida-tion is postponed till tho peace. If we Allies are strong*!" than our enemies, and much stronger potentially now that tho New World is with us. wa also have our difficulties. such as tho loss of authority and discipline, entailed upon Russia by her revolution, and in general our su periority is not such as to guarantee, an innTK'diatc or even early crushing of t.h* enemy's armies by military means. Spirits are also stall unsubdued, and tin? situation will continue until the. affirmation, of military superiority in tho field by ono side or the othjer. or revolution, or tho waste of manhood, or want, bordering on starvation, or finally strikes implying a failure in resolution, compel one sido or the other to lay down its arms.

"'Though the still unused, resources ol t.lio Allies are. greatly superior to those of (irnnany and her dupes, and though it. is inherently probable, on this account, that Germany will he br.iton, we have nor. y*>t established in the. field the superiority of military force necessary for decisive* victory, whilr, the economic pressure upon the. enemy, though severe, affords no certain grounds for anticipating the early cessation of hostilities. .... . The, obstacle, to the defeat, of the enemy in the field 1 is the failure of the Allies to amass in the western theatre of war all tho military resources which they possess, and, m our case., to utiliso to tho full the resources of our manhood. Both these difficulties can he overcome, by goodwill. for a concentration of our existing forces in the French theatre is por-fc-crly practicable, while a. few amendments to our Service Acts will give us the men we need for victory. There are no able-bodied civilians of military age in France, and thero should hp none in England, even if the Army lends experts and skilled hands to essential industries. Considering all the advantages that belong to tho defence, we must, have a great, superiority of force to overcome the enemy, and the war is being prolonged because we. have not. drawn for this purpose upon our a,valiable manhood as France has done."

There follows n passage that, cives the key to the course of the campaign in the western theatre this year. " If wa are to keep up our armies with drafts, in i-npply the additional divisions and guns so much needed, it. is indispensable that wp should no longer delay to throw all our might into the balance. Tt is not. fair to our heroes in France, or to our Allies, that we should fail to do all that is in our power. France, our wonderful and faithful Ally, has excelled herself. The steadiness of her people and the gallantry of her armies are still the wonder of the world. This people are absolutely determined to go through with tho war to the end, and thero is no difference between the sentiments of any part of the country. But the French people, like ours, act best when they act with knowledge and are told the truth. The truth is that 1 , with something near an equality of forces and with the note of interrogation on the Russian front, we must not gamble for victory, and must not indulge in soaring strategy until the new forces of Britain and the forces of America arrive to deliver the final blow." The note of interrogation on the Russian front has been answered., but the relief afforded to the Western Allies by the Russian offensive is not yet sufficiently pronounced to encourage tho expectation of any important change in general policy.

Colonel Repington concludes his article on a note that ought to find an echo in all the British dominions. He comments on the complete understanding reached between the French and British General Staffs as to the future conduct of the war. and adds that a similar agreement' is recorded on the naval side by the British, French and

American naval representatives at. the conference in Paris. " But .' he adds, " the road that Knds to victory is still long and stony, and, in its last, terms, t.he result of thn w;ir depends nppn the resolution of belligerent people, With groat pi* sacrifices and greater exhaustion than our people s, I'rancc> and Germany are still unwavering in their resolution- Will the British detnociaeies allow history to say that they failed, at the eleventh hour, in courage and in constancy? All depends upon the. answer, hut it, is certain that they have victory within their grasp it they remain hard as steel, aud maintain a. resolution equal to that of the enenn.