The Glasgow courier., 1915-08-20
At the beginning of 1915 the situa-

At the beginning Of 1918 the situa.
ton on the several battle fronts was
as follows: The Germans occupied all
OF Belgium except district in the
southwest corner. Their right flank
rested on the British channel near Nieu-
port. From this point the opposing
German and allied lines ran in gen. |
eral direction south, passing through |
or near lpres, Belgium, and Lille, Ar.
ras. Peronne to Noyon, all in France.
At Noyon the lines bent eastward, past |
scissors to Rheims, Verdun. thence |
Southeastward past Nancy French) to
the Vosges mountains. from where a
direct southwark stretch Of 100 miles
carried it to the border Of Switzerland.
partly Oh French and partly on Ger
man soil (Alsace). On this line of ap-
proximately 400 miles as the trenches
lay there were about 100000 French,
100000 British and $4,000 Belgians.
The British and Belgians were on the
allied left flank in Belgium and near
the border. The French held the line
from near Lille to the Swiss border.
Both sides were intrenched. The
new year opened with lighting around
Nieuport, the Germans being the ag-
gressors. On the allied right, particu-
larly in Alsace, along the Voeges and
around Kolmar, the French took the
initiative On the eastern front the
Germans were within twenty-five
miles Of Warsaw, Poland. and were
making desperate efforts to control the
passes on the Bsura and Rawa rivers.
In Galicia the Russians abandoned
their long siege Of Cracow and began
. second attempt to invade Hungary
through the passes Of the Carpathians.
The strength Of the armies on the
Who'll, eastern front was probably 1,000.-
600 on each side. In front Of Warsaw
both armies were strongly intrenched.
In the Caucasus the Russians claimed
to be overcoming the Turks. Germany
claimed that she held over 1.2OO,O 900
prisoners. Lord Kitchener asked for
100000 more men.
The French won a small success
around Steinbach, in Alsace, on Jan.
4, but this was Offset on the 18th by
brilliant stroke of the Germans at Sois-
sons, their nearest reach to Paris. The
French were forced back south OF the
Aisne river from positions held since
September. The end of January found
the French at standstill.
Cars Armies Active.
Late in January the Russians invad-
ed East Prussia, aiming to strike koe-
nigsberg, a strong German post on the
Baltic Early in February the Ger
mans forced the fighting in front OF
Warsaw and at the same time drove
the invading Russians from East Prus-
sia. making heavy captures. Mean
while the Germans recaptured Plock,
on the Vistula. in northern Poland. and
pushed northeast toward the Niemen
river, across the Russian border. Ger
man soil was now free Of foes, for the
Austrians defeated the Russians al
Dukla pass, in the Carpathians, an(
We're gradually forcing them out Of
Bukovina, an Austrian crown province
east of Galicia, which the cars force
had occupied since September.
The Russian advance toward Hun
gary was met by Austrians marching
north. and by the middle Of Februar!
the Russians had been driven from tn
four great passes of the Carpathianl
and were held as in wise in southern
Galicia, between the mountains on th'
south and the Austrian front in Buk0
wilma and the Austro-German from
based on Cracow.
A Blow at Constantinople.
On the 10th Of February the larg'
aeet of allied ships made desperate
attempt to force entrance through Dar
danelles strait toward Constantinople
Bombardment was kept up two day
and resumed on the 25th without i'm
portant results. This was intended 70
a naval preliminary to advance over
land upon Constantinople.
A new and highly dramatic aspeC
was given to the war in March whe
the allies assembled the powerful fec
at the western entrance to the Dards
nelles and prepared to force passag
through the Turkish forts along shor'
The ships were expected to silence th
main forts and cooperate with Ian
troops which would march on Coz
stantinople. The vast enterprise II
the conquest of Constantinople was al
nounced as a desperate effort to ope
the southern seas to Russia for th
purpose Of getting in war supplies an
munitions. In the February attac
the forts at the entrance had been &
fenced, the feet was we'll inside Of tt
" strait, and the prospect was so favo
able by the middle of March that tt
British admiral promised to be in II
> Turkish capital on Easter day, April
But the ships Of the allies were roug
y ly handled when they faced the for
: at the Narrows.
Here on the 18th of March the Br
ish battleships Irresistible and Oces
: | and tho Eronch hattlQShiD ROuVpt we