How Goes the Fight?

Star (Christchurch), Issue 12175, 26 November 1917, Page 2

How Goes the Fight?

NOTES M THE WAR,

THE POSITION ANALYSED,

CHRISTCHURCH,v November 26

The nosition south-west of Cambrai is stilfchanging, for the British are now energetically endeavouring to devflop their success. The Germans say they still hold Moeuvrcs and that they repulsed an attack on Inchy. a mile to the nortb-west. There has been heavy fighting in the Bourlon Wood, and the enemy asserts that he repulsed an attack on Bourlon village, which is just on the northern edge of the wood, so that it is apparent that the British have been making progress in that direction. A ridge is crowned by this patch of timber, and the British communique reports that this high ground was stormed. Fontaine-Notre I>ame remains in German hands. From the German report it is to be gathered that there has been fierce fighting across the canal beyond Marcoing, where the enemy holds Rum illy village and the hills above it, The Germans are posted on the high eastern side of the valley, where Hill 06, for instance, gives them direct observation over a fairly wide stretch of country, and that fact gives an added importance to th e fighting between Masnieres and Rumilly, where the British have a. footing on the rising ground. According to the enemy's communique British efforts to advance on this sector were repulsed with heavy losses, bu't the British report merely states that the operations are developing satisfactorily- There' must have been a good deal of unreported fighting further south along the western bank of the canal, where the Germans hold Ban'teux and Honnecourti.

The important sector of the new British front, of course, is that facing Inchy and Bourlon, with th e wide valley of the Agache behind them. The} valley is perhaps not of great consequence, but if it had been possible to keep ithe Germans moving and to occupy the high ground on either side of the Agache as far as Marquion, on the Arras-Cambrai road, the German strong point at Queant would, have been practically untenable. It is possible thatj the realisation of this danger came, to the Germans before the British had time to organise a movement northwards. The Germans knew, of course, that their lines of communication were threatened, and they must; have rushed their reserves to Pronville, Inchy and Bourlon even while they were forming for the defence of Cambrai. It is doubtful, therefore, whether the opportunity to turn Queant and R.eincour'b was ever presented, but if it did occur the moment soon passed. Now the task will involve hard fighting and much of it.

A passage from a speech delivered by General Smuts in London early in October is particularly worth quoting now, because it reveals the view that the military authorities take of the war in the western theatre. General Smuts had said 'that Germany had relied purely on her fighting power, ignoring the political, economic and psychological factors, all of tremendous importtance, and he went on to argue that even on the military side victory was now out of the question for the enemy. H© was speaking before the Italian disaster, of course, but it is doubtful whether, even after the disaster, Vyj would seriously have modified his opinion, because he "would argue that th c reverse could only add a little to the ■length of the sltruggle and that thfi issue would still remain beyond doubt. " But let us look at the matter from the German angle," he said, "and see how the purely military situation stands at the beginning of the fourth year of the war. With one or two exceptions the enemy is everywhere on the defensive, everywhere slowly retiring before us. That that movement is necessarily slow is inherent in the nature of the new form of warfare, which requires enormous transport of heavy artillery and mechanical apparatus of all kinds. But even the advance of a mile by us involves tremendous losses for the enemv, losses incomparable to tbose sustained in the great) battles of former wars; and such losses and defeats are now being continually inflicted on the enemy.

"Take the western front, where the flower of the German Army is gathered. One continuous retiremenn has been proceeding from the summer of last year; very slow, but very sure. Verdun, Champagne, Vimy, Arr.is, Messines, Langemarek, Westhoek, Zonnebeke ; on that almost immovable line tho manhood of Germany is bleeding to death, and a tragedy of slaughter is being enacted which probably ii.is had no parallel in the. history of the world. It is not a question of great pushes; the war of machinery on the western front is largely immobile, Ihe movement is very slow, but the results are the more terrible and crushing. To defea.t Germany you need not advance to the Rhine; one strip of country is a.s good as another as long as they vi'l! only stand, and. believe me, !-;ng before the Rhino is reached Germany will have sued for peace. Our military predominance on the western front is no longer in question, and, remember, that issue of military predominance is tho very one on which the Germans challenged the world in August, 1314."

There followed a striking reference to the Russian situation. " Germany is doing her best to strike down Russia. Great as have been the German blunders in the past, I am not sure that, from the point of view of a farsighted policy, this is not her greatest and most fatal blunder of all. The invasion of Belgium and the submarine campaign were colossal mistakes which will cost Germany this war; her striking down of Russia at this juncture may do more, and may even compromise her distant future. For, in striking Russia she is striking one who cannot defend herself, who like herself was an autocracy, but has received a new consciousness from the sufferings of this terrible war, one who has reached some inward crisis of the soul, like Saul on the way to Damascus, and is now being led blindfold, and incapable of offensive laction. Russia is a woman labouring in childbirth, and Germany is choosing this moment to strike her down. Whatever the strict rights of the case may be, the spirit of history will never forgive her, the liberty which is being painfully born in Russia will rise fo vindicate Russia in thvy comma generations/ and will.

become the most implaca-bie enemy of the future Germany. If I were a German statesman I would at this crisis carefully bear in mind the wise old Bismarckian policy and avoid making the Slav the future historic enemy of the Teuton."

One other paragraph, a reference to the submarine campaign, may he quoted here. "The German n.iiers are trying to still the fears of the people, with vain hopes that the submarine weapon will beat us yet, and that we will be forced to make a German peace. All hope now centres in the submarine, the new weapon of tiiis war, the decisive weapon. But these hopes are also illusory. Whatever the dangers of the submarine, it has ceased to be a decisive factor. Take that from me as a bed-rock fact. The published figures show that the submarine is being fought with ra.pidly increasing vigour and success, and what with diminishing losses and our rapidly expanding shipbuilding programme, we are confidently looking forward to the time when our mercantile tonnage will be on the increase, in spite of the submarine. It is useless to conceal that there was a time when we did feel very anxious about the submarine, but that time is past. The submarine has been beaten by the silent heroism of our Navy and mercantile marine. Deeds have heen done on the seas so astoundinc that details cannot be publishpd until the end of the war. In the general critical temper of our times less than justice has been done to this aspect of our naval effort, but I feel sure the future will appraise it at its true value."