The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1916-07-31

T the war ends with anxiety shifting
 from the group of the Entente Pow
 CTS to that of our adversaries who are
 now obliged to meet a general com
 bined offensive on every front" said Marquis de Chambrun, a member of
 the Foreign Affairs Committee of the
 Chamber of Deputies in summarizing
 the military situation for The Asso-
 ciated Press at the close of the wars s l second year.
 While French, British and Rus
 sian preparations become more com pIete, a crisis of exhaustion is fast arising for the Austrians and Ger mans. Our adversaries thought it
 would be impossible for us to prepare,
 and certainly during the first year of | the war there were difficulties that | had to be overcome. We are proud | to say that this was accomplished even while our valiant soldiers were resisting the German invasion. Thanks to the patriotism of the country and the abnegation shown by all classes l in France and England; thanks also | to the campaign in both countries
 for more cannon and more ammuni- ton. industrial action was every l where multiplied and General Joffre
 was able to say in an Order of the ! Day to the army at Verdun, We have munitions in abundance
 ''The Austrians and Germans re- sorted to submarine warfare which will not attempt to qualify. It may continue to work harm in a piratical form, but it will not open ports nor further the commercial aims and
 needs of the Central Empires. now ef-
 fectively blockaded, norywin it restore to Germany her lost colonies. <
 '"The Russians are continuing their
 work successfully on the Eastern front. They have again invaded Bukowina and are pushing forward
 in the region of Lutsh and into the
 Carpathians, while Grand Duke Nich-
 olas is advancing victoriously in the
 Caucasus.
 "The closer one examines the sit-
 uation the more manifest becomes
 the anticipated ascendency of the AL lies, increasing as time goes on be- cause of their unrestricted resources and unshaken confidence in vic- tory"
 From various critics and experts on military affairs expressions have been, obtained from which the military sit uation, according to the French view, may be summarized as follows:
 The extent of the difficulties of the Central empires does not even now appear from the state of the war as viewed from geographical stand point, but has shown itself in the changed tactics in evidence and is becoming obvious in the altered map. The operations of the F'ranco-British armies, outnumbered in men and guns during the first six months, saved France by sheer heroism, but could not end the war; could only prolong it and gain time. The Russians pushed into East Prussia, conquered Bukowina, invaded Galicia, crossed the Carpathians and even threatened Silesia, but exhausted their armament in April, 1915, and lacked even the essentials for defense. The Ger mans knew it would be impossible for Great Britain and France to have caught up in nine months with the Germans 45 years preparations and felt themselves free, dealing with France. to turn upon the Russian armies. Nine divisions transported from the F-ranco-British front rein forced the Austrians, and the offens- i've against the Austrians began in May By the end of July Przemyzl and Lemberg had been retaken and the Russians were considering the abandonment of Warsaw and the line of the Vistula. Short even of rifles, many of Emperor Nicholas troops defended themselves with clubs dur ing the long retreat in which was ac- the second miracle of the war, the continuity of their line being integrity of the Russian armies.
 The battleof Arras in June. 1915, was considered to have proved the Allies man for man, able to beat the Germans in the offensive, other things tillery of the opposing forces were not yet equal. The transformation of field tactics as the war progressed and powerful projectiles to break through concrete-armo ored lines. This thus increased the su- periority of belhgerents who had the initial advantage in preparation. fore ing their adversaries to greater ex- penditure of munitions than their in- dustries were as yet able to produce. while they themselves werei able to shower the Russian lines with the biggest of shells.
 The end of the first year of the war was the beginning of the second crisis for the Allies-a munitions cri- sis, aggravated by diplomatic crisis requiring new enterprises that drew on their main forces. The landing of the French and British at the Dar- danelles in April had weakened the Allies elsewhere, reducing the. num- Der of reserves on the main front, and if it did not modify their general plan it obviously made the elabora- ton of new plans difficult and ham pered their movements.
 At the same time the enigmatic situation in the Orient became serious, Greece refusing the compensation of fered for territorial concessions to Bulgaria which might have facilitated a union of the Balkan States. The situation in Persia and Asia Minor following the entry of Turkey into the war had developed a menace to Great Britain in the Far East. The favor able impression produced by the ad- vance north of Arras had diminished in the absence of further operations and there was a notable absence of news favorable to the Allies.
 More cannon, more ammunition"