Resolute Russians

A barren triumph

IN the absence of fresh news of outstanding importance the situation in the west calls at present for little in the way of comment and the summary of events may be left to speak for itself.

The afternoon communiqué published yesterday showed that the enemy, feeling the desirability of at least attempting to reduce the pressure on their lines, have been making a number of serious attempts to regain lost ground, but that the French have been able to hold them in check along the whole front.

Arras has been violently bombarded and a continuous cannonading to the north of Souchez.

Wednesday night was relatively calm in the Arras region, a condition of affairs not, however, likely to continue long.

An attempt to retake positions in front of Dampierre (West of Peronne) was easily repulsed by the French and near Leintry (in Lorraine) a counter-attack was beaten off after a lively combat.

At the Calonne trench, where the French held positions in a portion of the German second line, the position was reported unchanged.

The communiqué added that in the Fecht region 716 prisoners, including 25 officers, have been taken by our Allies since June 14.

The evening report, given below, takes us very little further, the enemy’s activities being mainly confined to the expenditure of shell.

The French advance in the Metzeral region has been slightly accentuated.

Main interest is still centred on events in the eastern theatre, but there does not appear to be much fresh news and the suggestions advanced here yesterday as to the new Russian dispositions are supported by the military correspondents whose views found expression in print in this morning’s papers.

There are suggestions that the Germans are about to take action against Warsaw, a portion of the troops operating in Galicia having been transferred to the Bzura front.

This, however, it is pointed out, would be a difficult operation by reason of the scanty communications between the frontier and the Ivangorod Kowel-Kief Railway.

Moreover, the Russians are well served with railways here and, in fact, in this respect they are better placed than has been customary with them.

The Germans, on the other hand, would be “struggling through a country without railways and ill provided with roads”.

Indeed, surveying the whole position from the point of view of the terrain, the German is rapidly losing his advantage, while the position of our Ally is just as rapidly improving.

As with Permysl, so it is becoming increasingly clear that, as an aid to future operations the re-occupation of Lemburg represents a comparatively barren triumph.

It has been mentioned here repeatedly of late that with his hand to the plough the enemy carriage turn back.

He must go on and finish the job or meet the outright disaster which failure inevitably means.

If Russia had brought up her last reserves, if the lines in front of the German General Staff represented the last hope of their opponents, it would be safe for Mackenson and his colleagues to adopt a defensive line of action, establish themselves in strong positions (as in the west) and have strong forces free for use elsewhere.