PROGRESS OF THE WAR.

Wairarapa Daily Times, Volume LXVIII, Issue 14230, 9 March 1915, Page 4

PROGRESS OF THE WAR.

A French communique states that the Allies captured trenches north and west of Souain, in the Champagno district. Tho Germans who gained a footing on a hill-top west of Munster, on the eastern slopes of the Vosges, were driven back after a hand to hand fight, suffering extremely heavy losses. An account of the retaking of the trenches at Notre Dame de Lorette (north of Arras) graphically describes an irresistible French bayonet charge, in which 3000 Germans wcto killed. The Allies, have gained a footing in a strongly fortified wood west of Perthes (three miles cast of

Souain), ,and, havq carried another | trench north of Beausejour. The Allies, have repulsed five counter attacks | at Hartmansweiler, Kopf, in German Alsace. For some weeks now the French communiques "havo at intervals recorded that "further progress has been made in the Champagne district," that a trench has been captured north of Perthes, or Le Mcsnil, or Beausejour. Apart from the efforts being put forth in Alsace, the Champagne district.seems to be the only section of the line where the French are really making a sustained attempt to push forward. For the remainder of tho line they seem to be content to allow" the" enemy -to do most of tho attacking, only occasionally launching assaults themselves. Thero is a dual reason for this activity in the Champagne district. In tho first place the battle line sags southward between Rheims and tho Argon tie, bringing the German artillery at one noint at least just south-east of Rheims, uncomfortably close to the, railway which . ruus from that town through St. Hilairo and SI;. Monohould to Verdun. In tho second place, the French, by pushing northwards from Perthes and Beausejour, aro grn- | dually creeping toward another railway line which runs just behind, and, roughi ly, parallel with the German trenches in this region. Thus, from RhoiniH to i the Argonnc the battle line lien between two roughly parallel linos of railway, each of which is hiyMv i -" 1 "rfs>Mi because of tho facilities it affords in I the matter'of supplies and the quick | movement of reinforcements to any point of the battle-front. On the German side the line behind them is of additional importance, in that it, links up the army in the Champagne with the army in front of Verdun. If the French can win to this railway the immediate effect will be that the Gormans, with their communications hampered, will "have to fall back northwards from their lines of trenches east ■ of Rheims. | Ferocious fighting is going on in the districts between Warsaw and the East Prussian frontier, where the Russians recently checked the southern advance of the Germans. It appears to be specially severe along the line PrzasnyszOstrolenka front. An official communique states that the Germans have been driven back behind the Sop-Ozkino-Lipsk front. The Russians have also had further successes in the Mlawa district, where GOO Germans were made prisoners. A great battle is developing near the Pilica river, to the south of Warsaw. A crisis has arisen in Greece. The populace favoured their country going to war with Germany, but the King favours Greece adopting a neutral attitude. The Premier has emphasised the danger of an Austro-German ascendancy in the Balkans. Neither Austria nor Germany had, he said, offered to respect the Greek interests, while the Allies had. The attitude of the King of Greece is no doubt puzzling to most people, but when the veil is lifted, aud we find that he is married, to Princess Sophia of Prussia, sister of tho German Kaiser, the position becomes clearer. It was on account of the King of Greece disapproving of the late Premier's policy of interventiou in tho war on the Allies' side that the Greek Ministry resigned a day or two ago. Greece owes her very existence to the Allies. She gained her independence in the famous struggle of 1821-29, after centuries of subjection to Turkey, and was in 1830 declared a kingdom under the protection of Great Britain, France and Russia. In the war with Turkey, which arose in 3897, out. of Greek sympathy with Crete, Greece was defeated and had to pay a large indemnity. As a result of the war of the Balkan States with Turkey, and subsequently with her former ally, Bulgaria, Greece gained new territory of approximately 1(3,919 square miles, including the districts of Salonica and Jauina. Router states that the Greek Crown Council, with two dissentients, favoured immediate intervention on the side of the Entente. The Greeks in London and abroad favour intervention, and believe that the late Premier will soon return to enforce his policy. Tho Allied fleets arc continuing the bombardment of the Dardanelles with success. Their operations have caused a panic in Constantinople, and it is feared that the appearance of the Allied fleet will be the signal for a gcu-'j oral massacre of Christians. Ilava 's agency reports that Bulgaria has secretly mobilised three divisions, including one sent to an unknown destination, though Adriauoplo is suggested as the place. A Bill providing for a credit of £8,000,000 for military expenses, is at present before the Chamber of Deputies. Mr George Macaulay Trevelyan, late Fellow of Trinity College, Cambridge, and a well-known writer of historical ' works, such as "England Under tho Stuarts," "Garibaldi's Defence of the Roman Republic," and "Garibaldi and the Making of Italy," ha 3 returned from a tour of Servia, and relates -'ome terrible atrocities which the Austrians have perpetrated He states that, when the Austrians invaded the northwest of Servia. they murdered 10,000 men, women and children Nearly one thousand of the inhabitants were shut in their houses at Shabat-z - and burned ilive. Innumerable other atrocities were perpetrated by the Austrians.