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[GERMAN VIEW]

Military Operations of the Month

By H. H. von Mellenthin
Foreign Editor New-Yorker Staats-Zeitung

CCURATE judgment of the present war situation from the military standpoint and a discussion of the whole development of the politicomilitary conditions during the period ending about the middle of February must be based upon consideration of the grand offensives predicted for the approaching Spring which are expected to decide the conflict.

Even the outstanding military event of the past month, the declaration by Germany of unrestricted U-boat warfare, which led to the rupture of diplomatic relations between the United States and Germany, and which at the present moment threatens to develop into armed conflict between the two nations, must be divested of its political garb and viewed from the standpoint of its effect upon the shaping of the war situation.

The cause and the purpose of unrestricted warfare in the barred zone around the British Isles and in the Mediterranean was fully explained by the German Chancellor in his speech at the session of the Main Committee of the Reichstag on Jan. 31, published elsewhere in these pages.

The German U-boat "blockade " has a dual purpose. England is to be forced by lack of supplies to consider peace, and the forthcoming allied offensive in the west is to be hampered, and, if possible, frustrated by the blocking of the sources of supply. The Allies are to be incapacitated to draw upon new men, new munitions, and new supplies at a time when they will most sorely need them.

The situation on the principal fighting fronts has again degenerated to trench activity, but considerable mobility marks the areas behind the fronts. Each nation is sharpening its weapons for the Spring campaign. These preparations

cannot be overshadowed even by the Uboat war. Just as storming attacks are prepared by artillery, so the operations. of the submarines are to be valued merely as preliminary actions.

The lull on the various battle fronts has been dictated chiefly by the adverse weather conditions of the season. All the livelier is the activity behind the fronts. Everywhere there is ceaseless hustle and bustle. Every factory, every munitions plant, every arsenal, and every shipyard is working at full blast. Preparations are made for the grave hour of the decision which Spring is expected to bring.

Field Marshal von Hindenburg in reporting to Chancellor von Bethmann Hollweg shortly before the declaration of unrestricted U-boat warfare, stated that all fronts are firmly intact and that all necessary reserves are at hand.

The Month's Military Activities A detailed review of the operations of the month past follows:

1. WEST FRONT-After a period of comparative calm marked by artillery duels, reconnoitring "feelers along the

German front as far as the Swiss mountains, and minor scout actions, the British are of late displaying a lively activity along the Ancre-Somme front. This British front now extends as far as the area south of the Somme where the British have taken over the positions formerly held by the French. General Sir Douglas Haig is making strenuous efforts to "build up" his lines in this area. He was partly successful in this during the last few days in the northern sector, on both banks of the Ancre and in the direction of Bapaume. The Germans have evacuated Grandcourt, thus enabling the British to straighten out their northern front line, which had been

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... German Lines in Moldavia, Feb. 20,1917.

SCENE OF LATEST ACTIVITIES ON THE RUMANIAN FRONT

hitherto a source of danger because of its salient form.

This front lies directly west of Bapaume, the immediate object of the last grand offensive of the joint French and British forces. It may be safely assumed that it is against this sector that a new allied offensive will be directed. But in the meantime military conditions have changed. The value of the possession of Bapaume has been decreased in proportion to the new defense fronts established during the last few months by the Germans behind the BapaumePéronne highway. Today it is known that the German high command was seriously considering the abandonment of Péronne during the Entente offensive on the Somme; that the French, who advanced to the very gates of this stronghold, failed to occupy it, is cause for much astonishment. Thus, the evacuation of Bapaume would scarcely form an important military event as the situation stands today. The entire terrain

in front of the city has been literally battered to pieces, while the newly established lines in the rear have been strongly fortified for an efficacious defense. Through the evacuation of Grandcourt and Serre the Germans have now gained closer coherence with their new lines.

Only the future developments of the situation can show whether the six sharp attacks launched in quick succession by the British on Feb. 1 were the beginning of a new offensive. It would seem that weather conditions at present would scarcely permit this, but the lively activity which is marking the situation on the entire west front indicates that the phase of preparation is approaching its end.

At Verdun the army of the German Crown Prince made an important advance on the west bank of the Meuse, storming French trenches east of Hill 304 Simultaon a front of 1,600 meters. neous attacks on Dead Man's Hill and

to the northeast of Avocourt brought the desired success.

Offensive actions also took place on the Woevre plain. These, however, assumed no important proportions, though it should be recalled here that a prominent French military expert long ago made the prediction that upon this plain the fate of Verdun would one day be decided.

At the moment of writing comes official news from Berlin of a substantial success achieved by the Crown Prince's right wing in the Champagne, where his storming columns smashed through four lines of strongly defended French positions on Hill 185 and the Maison de Champagne, south of Ripont. More than 800 prisoners were taken, including 28 officers. This unusual ratio between officers and men captured indicates heavy losses on the part of the defenders, as does the large booty reported by the Berlin War Office. Curiously enough, this action has been thus far completely ignored by the French official communiqués. The assumption is justified that no reference to it will be made until the French have succeeded in regaining at least part of the ground lost.

This German success in the Champagne is the most important infantry action reported this year from the west front. Any further successes in this region will necessarily influence the situation at Verdun, since the scene of this latest German offensive movement is only some nine miles from the Paris-Verdun railway. Astonishingly little attention has been paid by allied and neutral military observers to the obvious connection between the Champagne and Verdun positions. Penetration on a large scale of the French Champagne lines and subsequent cutting of the Paris-Verdun railway east of Rheims would mean the isolation of France's Verdun army and of the whole southern chain of French fortresses. For this reason the situation in the Champagne bears particularly attentive watching.

The Situation of Russia

2. RUSSIAN FRONT-The Russian offensive on the Riga front after small successes won in the initial onrush has

been stifled in blood and mud amid the frozen swamps of the Aa River. The Muscovite attacks were directed chiefly against the Village of Kalnzem, which is nearest the important German base at Mitau, and, incidentally, nearest to the East Prussian frontier. On Jan. 23 the German counterthrusts set in. They resulted in the expulsion of the enemy from the greater part of the river terrain. All subsequent Russian attempts to regain the lost ground failed under the heaviest losses, according to Berlin. The bitterness of the battles in this region may be seen in the fact that it is impossible in the ice-covered swamp region to dig new trenches, so that the fighting takes place virtually without cover.

Bloody battles are still under way on the Dwina front, midway between Dwinsk and the Narotch Lake, near Driswiaty Lake, as well as north of Kisilim, in Vol-' hynia, and on the Halicz-Stanislau sector, in East Galicia. On these fronts the Teutonic forces have undertaken a series of strong advances which were met by stubborn resistance on the part of the Russians.

Once more the adequacy of the military strength and the resources of Russia have taken the foreground in the discussion of the future conduct of the Entente war, the subject being revived by the mission of General Castelnau, who recently arrived in Petrograd. The assertion has been frequently made of late that the Central Powers with their proclamation of an independent kingdom of Poland "spoiled Russia's peace soup."

In judging the present war situation the question of Russia's preparedness for a continuation of the struggle and her necessity for peace must be considered. Russia's necessity for peace is determined by her dependency upon her allies for munitions and money.

Armed conflict between the United States and Germany would primarily benefit Russia, for all the U-boats of the Central Powers would be unable to prevent wholesale shipments of munitions from America to Russia.

The lively aerial activity along the whole Russian front proves that there, too, preparations for a Spring campaign are under way.

Balkan and Italian Fronts

3. RUMANIAN CAMPAIGN - King Frost is holding back the armies of the Central Powers, having made impossible a continuation of their victorious advance after the Sereth River was reached. During the final stages of mobile warfare on that front Russian resistance had become considerably stiffened, particularly in the battle for Galatz.

In the region of the "three countries' corner," in the northern sector of the wooded Carpathian front, the troops of the Central Powers have lately made a series of successful advances. The battles in the Meste-Canesti sector, on the Jacobeny-Kimpolung railway, may signify the beginning of a renewed offensive in the Rumanian campaign. At present that front runs as follows: West of Polgyes Pass and Gyimes Pass, east of the wooded Carpathians, as far as the region west of Tergu Okna, along the railway running north from Focsani, east of Oitutz Pass to the Putna west of Panciu, then along the Putna to east of Focsani, to the bridgehead Fundeni, Nemoloasa, to the Sereth, along that river as far as Braila, and further across the Danube into the Dobrudja. This line is held by the following armies of the Central Powers: (1) Army of General von Gerok, (right wing of army group Kovess.) (2) Army group Arz von Straussenburg. (3) Army of General Krafft von Delmensingen. (4) Army of General von Morgen, (Falkenhayn's Ninth Army.) (5) Army Koch, (Danube Army.) (6) Army Nezerow, (Dobrudja Army.)

4. ITALIAN FRONT-The Isonzo front is no exception to the sudden flareup of preparatory activity which is marking all other chief battle lines. Austro-Hungarian troops have attacked the Italian on the Carso Plateau, on the heights to the east and southeast of Goritzia, thus taking the initiative in a reopening of mobile operations. Fighting also has been resumed around Tolmein. Even Italian military experts had predicted that after the conclusion of the Rumanian campaign the forces released on the German side would be sent against Italy.

5. MACEDONIAN FRONT-At the great war council of the Allies in Rome at the beginning of the year, which was attended by Lloyd George and Briand, Italy's backbone was to be stiffened. Particularly, she was to be induced to participate in the fighting in Macedonia. Military necessity had made it imperative for the Entente to render the Greek Army armless, thus removing the menace of a possible enemy in the rear of the Saloniki expedition. Italy has from the outset disapproved of the Entente's Greece. policy toward Rome never trusted the ambitions and aims of Venizelos, and Italy as far as she could stood off from the military events in Macedonia. Since the Rome war council Italian forces have appeared in greater strength on the Macedonian theatre, without, however, relieving the stagnation of the military situation on that front. Here, too, renewed mobility of action has been begun by the Central Powers. The storming of a height to the east of Paralovo defended by Italian troops signifies no exciting military event in itself. However, it gains interesting color by the fact that the attackers were Germans. It had been a long time since German participation in operations on the Macedonian front had been heard of.

The

6. TIGRIS FRONT-Of the extra European theatres of war the Mesopotamian front has again come into the forefront of war news of late. British expeditionary army has resumed its advance against Kut-el-Amara, on the road to Bagdad. As far as the military situation in this region can be judged at this time, it appears that the Turks have been driven off from the southern banks of the Tigris. It is more than probable, however, that only advance positions have been abandoned, since the Turkish main forces are concentrated on the northern banks. But these battles undoubtedly will play an important rôle in connection with the expected decisive combats looked for in the coming Spring, since for England success or failure in Mesopotamia means security or menace to the Persian Gulf.

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