Albuquerque morning journal. [volume] (Albuquerque, N.M.) 1903-1926, 1917-10-08
Secretary Of War Baker Issues
Weekly Review of Activities
in Europe; Americans Not
Mentioned,
SHELLS AND CONTROL or
AIR IMPORTANT FACTORS
Allies Are Gradually Gaining
and Evacuation by Germans
of Submarine Bases Soon
Believed Sure.

| NS' JOURNAL srEciAt LEASED wtNEt
Washington, Oct. 7.-Decisive as
cendancy for the allies in the supreme
test of battle strength now taking
place on the bloody fields of Flanders
Is claimed by Secretary Baker in the
weekly review of war operations is.
sued tonight by the war department.
While it may be premature to assert
| that the British war machine has
forced decision over the Germans.
Mr.. Baker says the victories of the
past fortnight, threatening the Ger
man submarine bases on the Belgian
coast, are conclusive indications of
} the allies superiority. With favora-
! BILE weather, he thinks, these victories
will be repeated and extended.
No Reference to United states.
The review, which is for the week
ended last night, makes no reference
to the American forces in France or
To the great preparations for war 60
ing forward at home.
says, "is focused on the titanic strug-
gle now going on in Flanders. The
battle raging there is proving an en-
gagement of wholly unprecedented
scope and potentialities.
"At the beginning of the week, ow-
ing to bad weather, the Germans
were able to launch counter attacks
against the positions recently gained
by the British. Notwithstanding the
fact that the Germans made use of
smoke screens, liquid fire and brought
into action an imposing array of ar
tillery in their attack against the ad-
vanced British lines between Tower
Hamlets and Polygon wood, as well as
along the Menin-Ypres road, their ef-
forts proved futile.
Significant British Feat.
1T Is significant, on the other hand,
that while the British were sustain.
ing the shock of German assaults sue.
cessfully they were able to bring up
sufficient fresh troops In order to
launch another offensive action on an
even larger scale than the preceding
one, in the fact of the enemy's on
slaught.
Slowly but, therefore, the more ir-
resistibly, the allied drive at the heart
of the German line in the west is
sweeping onward.
THE wisdom of the British in
maintaining a great density of front
would appear justified by the results
achieved during the past week. It
must be borne In mind that it is due
to the depth Of the British line as
much as to any other one factor. that
while the enemy is reeling under one
blow the allies are ready to deliver
another and still a third.
No Decisive Success.
1T has been characteristic of the
in Flanders hitherto that
neither belligerent has attained what
we may call decisive success.
'The defeats inflicted upon the
Germans during the past fortnight
are conclusive indications of allied su-
periority.
THE full success of these opera
tions means that the Belgian coast.
with its numerous submarine bases, |
will become untenable to the enemy. |
zeebrugge. Ostend and the system of
canals leading out Of Bruges, are
THE test of the battle strength of
the contending belligerents is taking !
place. Allied ascendancy would ap-
pear decisive.
Shells and Air Control Win.
"The two immediate contributing |
factors of this success are: Air CON
troll and shell supply.
The enemy realizes the danger he |
IS facing. We may expect him to |
counter-attack in force. He may even
regain certain secondary detectives
temporarily, but the British war ma
chine is moving forward, and il time
permits and the combat season re-
mains open, the allied victories of the |
past two weeks will in all probable
ty be repeated and extended"
The review sketches briefly the |
weeks news from other fronts, with |
he comment that reports from the
Russian front are more encouraging |