Welsh Journals

conditions. The Press accounts show that the operations were carried out by Territorial troops, supported on the right by the Australians, and on the left by English, Welsh, and Irish contingents, fighting alongside the Guards' division. Everyone speaks of the superb bravery of our men, which was only equalled by that of the French, on the left, who succeeded in reaching the edge of the Houthulst Forest. Apparently Sir Douglas Haig's object was to flank his position by obtaining possession of the ridge north of Passchendaele village. This accom- plished, he would command the road running from Dixmude to .Roulers, and would be able to threaten the enemy's hold on the Belgian coast line. About a week before these notes were written it was hoped that he might actually be able to push forward into Roulers, but unfortunately matters have turned out precisely as in the case of the battle of the Somme two years ago. This is unfortunately not the first occasion that the calculations of our General Staff have been upset by the weather conditions, and it is notable that experience does not appear to have taught this particular lesson sufficiently well. Accord- ing to expert opinion, the approach of winter on this Front is so far advanced that it is doubtful whether further operations on a large scale are possible. Even in the case of a moderate rainfall, the sun at this time of the year is not strong enough to dry the ground, while in the case of heavy and persistent down-pours no advance on any large scale could be undertaken. In the East, Sir Stanley Maude has anticipated the threatened Turkish offensive by his brilliant success near Ramadie. His operations were, as they have always been, well thought out and decisively executed. He has acted on the lines that an offen- sive is the best form of defence, and his surprise attacks, while prepared with foresight, have not lacked anything in intelligence or in dash. The operations of the force under his command certainly add to the prestige of the British Army. German A significant incident of this War Aims month's fighting is the German offensive in the Gulf of Riga, which has left the German forces in a position from which they are able to threaten Petrograd. Con- sidering the present internal state of Russia, this may lead to grave consequences, though it is possible that the Germans have also other objects in view. No doubt they count on causing further disaffection in Finland, and more important still, they have acquired a considerable slice of territory which they hope to use for bartering purposes at the conclusion of hostilities. It is obvious that by this time Ger- many realises the impossibility of attaining to her war objects by an overwhelming military success. Under these circumstances she has apparently adopted a policy of acting on the defensive against the main bodies of allied troops in the West, and of making a series of isolated attacks in other theatres. These have the three-fold effect of inconveniencing her opponents, encouraging her war-weary populace, and, as has been said, bringing extra territory into her hands. During the next few months we shall probably hear of more of these attacks, and one of the first quarters in which to expect an attempt is Macedonia. The Kaiser's recent visit to Sofia, his inspection of Bulgarian troops behind the Front, and his public statements in which he offers Salonika to Bulgaria for the trouble of taking it, are incidents which support this view. In addition to the military position, there are im- portant political factors to be taken into considera- tion. There has been a noticeable change in the attitude of the German people as reflected in the debates in the Reichstag, and it is reasonable to suppose that this change is a direct result of the success of the operations against Russia. To achieve similar results in the Balkans would have an imme- diate repercussion on German morale, and on the will of the civil population as well as of the armies to continue the war. The fact that a large element of the Greek people are still unsatisfied as to the advisability of committing themselves irretrievably to either side, promises a very considerable result to any success scored by the Germans on the Mace- donian front. If the Allied Expeditionary Force could be driven into the sea, it would mean that Greece would be at the disposal of the enemy. The Gulf of Salonika and the whole Aegean coast and islands could be utilised for U Boat bases, so that our communications with Egypt would be very seriously threatened. Greece would be unable, even if willing, to offer any effective resistance, and the Serbian Army would be overtaken by the same fate which befell Montenegro in 1915. The con- sequent loss of Entente prestige in the East would have very grave consequences for Roumania. For over a year now she has been fighting a very difficult battle, and in all probability if she found herself as completely isolated as she would be in the event of such German success as has been suggested, she would find nothing else to do but to lay down her arms. It is possible, of course, that the next blow may be directed against Roumania herself, but as practically the same results could be obtained from an attack in Macedonia, the Germans may endeavour to kill two birds with the one stone.