Great events

Navy battle in the Baltic

Three German warships lost

British revenge at Hooge

The “certain liveliness” which is manifest in all quarters of the vast war area indicates, one instinctively feels that we are once more “on the eve of great events” and gives “body” to rumours which have been in circulation for several days past.

Yesterday, from a private source information came to hand (but could not of course be published without permission) that heavy fighting was going on upon the British front.

Late at night this was confirmed by a despatch from Sir John French, which contained the gratifying tidings that the British had made good at Hooge.

The attack was preceded by “a successful artillery bombardment” the enemy getting a taste of what in a letter from the front is described as the “Lloyd George Sheila” and the infantry assault which followed ended not only in the capture of the trenches we lost when the enemy employed their liquid fire but in “further progress north and west of Hooge, extending the front of the trenches captured to 1,200 yards.”

We still measure our gains by yards but it is becoming increasingly clear that, whenever an effort is made, our superiority over the enemy is demonstrated in unmistakable style. No more evidence than that is required to assure us that when “the day” arrives nothing will be wanting to complete the discomfiture of the foe.

The Allies’ air supremacy is also continually receiving fresh proof, and the latest raid by the French, although conducted under unfavourable atmosphere conditions was a great success.

The valleys were shrouded in most and the sky was cloudy but 28 out of 32 bombarding auto planes reached their goal, warded off the German Aviatiks which made half hearted attempts to bar the way and dropped no fewer than 164 shells of all calibres upon the station and factory of Sarrebruck.

Sarrebruck (or Saarbruecken) is 50 miles by rail East of Metz and is the centre of the Saar coal district which produces eleven million tones annually. On the Saar is a large harbour filled ingenious apparatus for loading the barge which carry on coal on the canalised Saar, and this harbour may yet re-receive unwelcome attentions.

Success on the air and land do not complete the story. Yesterday, as was promptly announced in the Argus then the news came through, was added to an already long record the feat of a British submarine in sinking the Turkish battleship, the Hair-ed Din Barbarosse. The Hair-ed-Din Barbarosse and the Torgud Reis, as explained yesterday, were the German battleships Fredrich Wilhelm and Weissenburg and were sold to Turkey in 1910.

Although not fit to lie in the line against modern vessels the battleship with the Pirates name was, no doubt, regarded as very useful by her owners in harassing troops ashore, against whom her slow-firing guns could do great execution and her loss will be keenly felt by The Turks.