New Britain herald., 1916-07-29


 field tactics as the war progressed multiplied the need for heavy guns and powerful projectiles to break through concrete-a arm ored lines. This | transformation thus increased the su- i periority of belligerents who had the 1 initial advantage in preparation, fore ! Ing thelr adVersaries to a greater eX- l penditure of munitions than their industries were as yet able to produce, 1 while they themselves were able to 1 shower the Russian lines with the big | gcst of shell.
 Second Crisis For Allies.
 The end of tho first year of the war was the beginning of the second crisis 1 for the allies-a munitions crisis, ag 1 gravated by @ diplomatic crisis re- i Quiring new enterprises that drew on 1 their main forces. The landing of the | French and British at the Darda- nelles in April had weakened the al- i lies elsewhere, reducing the number ! of reserves on the main front, and if t did not modify their general plan i obviously made the elaboration of i-aw plans difficult and hampered cir mOvem ents
 At the same time the enigmatic situation in the Orient became serious, G. eece refusing the com penSatiO of leTcQ TOT ICIT1lOTldl CONCESSIONS LO Bulgaria which might have facilitated a union of the Balkan states. The situation in Persia and Asia Minor fol- lcwing the entry of Turkey into the war had developed menace to Great Britain in the far east. The favorable Impression produced by the advance north of Arras had diminished i.1 the absence of further operations and there was a notable absence of news favorab ble to the allies.
 More cannon, more ammunitiOn,' was the comment of the French peo- pie on the difficulties that beset them. Women and girls joined in the efforts of the trained mechanics brought back from the armies to the forge and the lathe, and the curve of munitions production took a sharp upward turn.
 The industrial efforts of the allies were given the required time by the resistance of the Russian armies The Germans advanced, but they could neither destroy nor dislocate the Rus sian forces. Despite the formidable effort of the central powers DvinSk held out, and winter was upon Field Marshal Von Hindenburg's armies with the Russian campaign unfinished. Even had it terminated then it was too late to turn against the allies in the west. Grand Duke Nicholas had won for the French and the British the entire fall and winter in which to continue their preparation.
 While intensifying to the utmost 1 tn cir production of arms and ammu | milton, the allies began early in the l second year of hostilities, with the l visit of Field Marshal Earl Kitchener | to France, the series of conferences 1 hat fin O military effort.
 Their diplomatic action, however, did not as yet reflect the same unity of purpose. No parallel result was obtained either at Athens or Sofia in negotiations regarding territory In Macedonia offered to Bulgaria, and there appeared to be a divergence of views among the allies as to further action. Negotiations were still in pro- gress when Turkey ceded the Dedeag- hatch -Mustapha Pasha railroad, with part of Adr1anOple, to Bulgaria, fore shadowing the latter's action against the allies.
 Meanwhile, the Germans and Aus trians after crossing the Vistula and occupying Russian Poland transport ed part of the troops from the Russian front to the Save and the Danube for another offensive against Serbia, which after her victory over the Aus trians had only 25O,oOO effective men left to oppose them.
 The French, in the Champagne and in the Artois in September, gained considera be territory and made inn portant captures in prisoners ana ma- terial but as in the preceding of1eh- sive north of Arras in June this move ment failed of decisive results because of the narrowness of the front of the attack and the impOssibility to push artillery preparation deeply enough into the German lines. That the of- fensive was considered to have con- firmed the superiority of the French soldier in attack in nowise altered the general situation, just then further complicated by the mobilization of the Bulgarian army menacing the Serb1- ans which threatened the eventual extension of the war to the far east by the junction of the armies of the central empires, Bulgarians ana Turks The Greek army was mopll- ized immediately but King Constantine refused to sanction the governments s policy of intervention in favor of Ser bia, Greece's ally, ad forced Premier Venizelos to resign.
 The allies heavily engaged in the Dardanelles now had to face either the eventuality of the crushing of Serbia and an unopposed junction Of the armies of the Teutonic powers with those of the garian-Turkish coali- ton, or the additional burden of campaign in the Balkans. The Oar danelles expedition had accomplished no appreciable result and the need of saving Serbia was more urgent than the opening of the Straits.
 There still appeared to be cer- tain lack of unanimity among the al- lies as to the GallipoE Peninsula and SalOnil<i. The landing at SalOniki h0uraNer and