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Show PROGRESS OF THE WAR. Following the example of the Germans Ger-mans at Verdun, the English and French have attacked at an unexpected point. They have selected the hilly country north and south of the Somme river for thoir grand offensive, and thus have sought for a certain element of surprise sur-prise after a bombardment of five days all along -the line from the sea toa point some miles south of the Somme. More brilliant prospects seemed to be offered by an offensive eastward and northeastward from the Ypres salient and from points just to the southward, and it is quite likely that the English, imitating the strategy of General Brus-siloff, Brus-siloff, may deliver two equal blows at far-removed points of the line. The English began their offensive in a new way. General Haig, who has studied every detail of tho fighting on the British front in France and Flanders, Flan-ders, is the one, no doubt, who, in consultation con-sultation with General Joffre, decided upon a novel method of opening an offensive. Too method was necessitated necessi-tated by the peculiar conditions existing exist-ing on the western front. Chief among these conditions was the appalling strength of the German field defenses, consisting of main trenches, communicating communi-cating trenches, dugouts many feet deep, entanglements of heavy barb wire, obstacles of various kinds, death traps and a hundred and one devices for impeding im-peding the movements of foot soldiers. The English began their bombardment bombard-ment about six days ago, hurling millions mil-lions of shells and sparing no part of the German line. This was confusing to the German commanders, who were trying to determine where the principal blow or blows were to be delivered. A further cause of mystification was the peculiar method of raiding trenches and retreating without attempting to hold and consolidate gains. The purpose of this begins to be apparent. ap-parent. It would have been folly to attempt a big rush of infantry before the Gorman defenses had been practically practi-cally destroyed, at least in those sectors sec-tors chosen for the main attacks. The raiders served as scouts while at the same time inflicting losses upon the enemy iu the first line trenches. We are warranted in concluding that the attacks at-tacks on both sides of the Somme did not begin until the raiders reported that the German defenses had been wrecked. Then the 1 Tench and English commenced their quick dash across the rolling country. coun-try. Up to yesterday afternoon the allies had obtained the usual successes attendant at-tendant on the initial drives. At some points in the region east of Albert they penctrated the Teuton lines to a depth of five miles. It must be held firmly in mind, however, that both sides have adopted the plan of manning the front line trenches rather lightly. Thev no longer crowd them with troops, because these troops are certain to be slaughtered slaugh-tered in a big offensive. Tho Germans, Ger-mans, we may assume, are eon tent to lose many well-organized works if ultimately ul-timately they can mass sufficient forces in the second or third line defenses to bring the drive to a standstill. Until further data is obtained it is useless to guess at what is being accom plished. The reports themselves from day to day will be fairly illuminating, while by no means complete. If the English are really making good progress prog-ress we shall soon hear mentioned the familiar names of the larger towns long ' held by the Germans, such as Peronne, St. Quentin, Canibrai, La Fere, Laon and many others. Another element of surprise in the offensive iB the participation of the French. Everybody had been talking of the British offensive. It was not expected that the French would be able to launch any offensive at this time., because be-cause of their task at Verdun. But the offensive begins just at the point where the English and French lines join, the English operating along the northern and tho French along the southern sector. sec-tor. This united action is evidence that the French are far from short of reserves. re-serves. Moreover, there are large contingents con-tingents of Russians to help them. Tho Russians probably will take paA in the present offensive as reserves, although their services would be equally valuable were they to hold other parts of the line whilo the French, conducted their part of the offensive without the aid of their gallant Slav allies. Something which closely approximates the simultaneous offensive planned by the allies is now in progress. The Russians Rus-sians continue their heavy blows from Kovel to Bukowina. The Italians are pressing forward through territory re-, cently taken by the Austro-Hungarians and havo recaptured many mountain positions po-sitions and the strong vantage points of Posina and Arsiero. The announcement announce-ment is made in Rome that -the Aus- : trians have suffered very heavy losses, j On tho eastern front General Brus-siloff Brus-siloff and his able lieutenant, General Letchitzky, have achieved further notable not-able success in the last week. General Letchitzky has practically cleared the entire province of Bukowina of the Aus-trians Aus-trians and has ejected the enemy from Kolomea, in southeastern Galicia. Tho battle near Kolomea was on a mighty scale. The Russians, operating -between the Dniester and Pruth rivers, advanced ad-vanced over a front of nearly thirty miles. The Russians, according to Vienna, Vi-enna, greatly outnumbered the Austrian, Aus-trian, and, although driven back in many fierce counter-attacks, finally overran the Austrian line, taking at first 10,000 and in the succeeding two days as many as 15,000 or 18,000 prisoners. pris-oners. Along the entire front the Russians Rus-sians have taken nearly 40,000 prisoners in the last week. In the Kovel-Stokhod sector, where the Germans' are opposing the Russians, General Bmssiloff has been barely able to hold his own. The Germans brought up heavy reinforcements and at this point on tho line the adversaries are numerically more nearly equal than at any other point. The Germans have made ferocious counter-attacks and the tide of battle has swayed back and forth without decisive results for ten days. A little further to the'south the Russians Rus-sians have penetrated to points west of Soku, which is just north of Lemberg. This appears to be the most westward point yet reached by the Russians in tho present drive. Here the Germans and Austrbans are co-operating. In the last week they have driven in the apex of the Russian salient, but the Slavs are stubbornly maintaining themselves along a line west of Sokul. Kolomea, which the Russians have just occupied, is a railroad center which offers several good transportation routes to the northwestward in the direction of Lemberg. A few miles to the northwest north-west is the stronghold of Stanislas, toward to-ward which tho Muscovites are moving. mov-ing. On the border of Bukowina and Galicia Ga-licia is the town of Kuty, where General Gen-eral Von Bothmer has been holding out valiantly against the Slavs. The Russians, Rus-sians, it seems, now occupy the town and Von Bothmer is forced back into the foothills of the Carpathians. Owing Ow-ing to Russian successes both north and south of this point, his position is precarious, pre-carious, although he has several "mountain "moun-tain passes through which he can retreat re-treat with difficulty. While exerting their utmost pressure against the Russian line near Kovel the Germans, under General Hindcnburg, have assumed the offensive on the northern north-ern Russian front. This is principally by way of a diversion and has not yet developed its full strength. In any event it is unlikely that the Teutons, bo-set bo-set as they aro on all sides, will be able to start a real offensive in the Riga or Dvinsk sectors. Tho struggle for the Thiaumont works northeast of Verdun has been in progress prog-ress about ten days. For a week the Germans held it and then were expelled or partly expelled by the French. Within With-in a few hours the Germans were again in complete possession and now the war office in Paris announces that the French have recaptured the entire work. West of the Mouse the fighting on and in the neighborhood of Hill 304, which has continued for months, is still as bitter bit-ter as ever. By means of flaming gases the Germans have made a further advance, ad-vance, but the battle sways forward and backward as at Thiaumont. The Grand Duke Nicholas manages to keep the Turks engaged in Armenia and Mesopotamia. The Turks, having driven back the Russians at several points, are able to announce '"'big victories," but tho truth probably is that the grand rpj.ke is still marking time. His forces which were operating at Kerind on the Persian border of Mesopotamia have been worsted "in operations with the Moslems and have retired in the direction direc-tion of Kerrr.ausha. To the northwest in the sector west of Erzerum the Turks have made further advances along the ridges and peaks, but have obtained no decision anywhere. On the sea there has been a battle between Russians and Germans, but little lit-tle is known of the circumstances. A Russian cruiser accompanied by a squadron squad-ron of destroyers was attacked by the Germans and withdrew after lively firing. The Russians, re-enforced, resumed re-sumed the battle, but neither Berlin nor Petrograd has yet made a detailed report of the battle. A German submarine which spent a day at Cartagena, Spain, has since sunk four or five small ships in the Mediterranean. Mediter-ranean. Italian warships, says a report from Rome, entered the harbor of Durazzo, Albania, and sank two Austrian transports trans-ports laden with munitions and other supplies. |