Severe fighting in the West

The Calais threat

Decidedly more favourable news comes this morning, especially from Petrograd, which officially reports severe checks to the enemy between the Vistula and the Bug, and between the latter river and the Wieprz; the German and Austrian losses being heavy.

Thus, for a time at least, General Mackensen’s attempt to reach Brest-Litovsk, the very important railway centre East of Warsaw, and in co-operation with German forces to the north, not only to sever the Grand Duke’s communications with Russia, but to capture Warsaw, has been foiled.

Vienna, however, claims that in, apparently, a second battle in the Krasnick district the Russians were defeated, but Berlin says the situation of the German troops is unchanged.

In the Austro-Italian theatre, a Vienna communiqué says a great battle took place in the Gorizia district on Monday, and that the third Italian Army, consisting of four army corps, attacking from the bridgehead at the fortress to the sea, was completely repulsed suffering heavy losses.

There is no mention of this battle in the latest Italian report, in which General Cadorna states that the Italian offensive on the Carnic Plateau is developing successfully.

In the Germans communiqué on Monday, relating probably to Sunday’s fighting, it was said: “An English attack North of Ypres on the road to Pilken and a French attack on Souchez, were repulsed with sanguinary losses.”

Sir John French, in one of these very rare reports, informs us that on Sunday evening, North of Ypres, a British platoon took advantage of the havoc wrought by our artillery on a German sap to complete its destruction.

They advanced, disposed of the few Germans who had survived the bombardment, and returned with hardly any loss.

Is this attack by the few men forming a platoon, with the subsequent retirement, the repulse with sanguinary loss spoken of in the German communiqué?

On Monday, the enemy rushed a barricade on the Ypres-Roulers railway but a British counter-attack immediately re-captured the position.

Elsewhere, along the line from Ypres to the Moselle, there are stoutly-contested local actions, French communiqués referring to fierce fighting around Souchez station and in the Argonne; on the heights of the Meuse, east of the Calonne trench; and between the Meuse and the Moselle, from the Bpos le Pretre to Fey, the enemy in no case scoring a success.

Again we hear of German declarations that ‘Calais has to be taken at all costs.’ A Brussels telegram to Amsterdam newspaper ‘Telegraaf’ is said to have conveyed the information that German officers are making the declaration, and that extensive preparations for the endeavour are in progress.

Possibly the statement is to be read in connection with the Zurich message published yesterday, to the effect that the ten army corps are reinforcing the central part of the German front on France.

What amount of truth there is in the alleged Calaia declaration, the future will reveal.

There is, of course, little of the wisdom of the serpent in giving timely notice to one’s enemy of such an endeavour if it is really intended; at the same time, allowance much be made for the German love of boasting which is apt, at times, to outrun discretion.