Five Mile Beach weekly journal., 1917-11-09


the allies, though this is denied by the
London press. However, the military
leaders of the entente are now awake
to the Importance of the Italian front,
and there are indications that they
will concentrate much of their efforts
there during the winter, when opera
lions in Flanders must necessarily be
halted. This will be In accordance
with the advice of an Italian general
given many months ago and hitherto
ignored. The question of a joint allied
wal council to direct operations on all
fronts is made more imperative by the
Italian affair and may be settled at
the coming conference in Paris. Ev-
eryone admits that lack Of team work
has been responsible for most of the
reverses the allies have suffered.
1t is expected that Germany will
now make a new suggestion of peace,
as she has done after each of her sue
cessful drives. and also 1t is expected
that the allies will reject 1t with scorn,
as in the past.
In Russia the peace agitation is
dying down because of the German
operations in the Gulf of Riga and the
peril Of the Gulf of Finland ports and
of Petrograd. The crisis there served
to strengthen the hands of the Ker-
ensky government, and even the ex-
treme Socialists and other radical fac
lions are urging the army to resist
further German advances. There was
little fighting on the Russian front last
week, and the German fleet apparently
had abandoned or postponed its plans
to enter the Gulf of Finland.
Good Gains in Flanders.
Attention must not be wholly d.
verted from the western front by the
invasion of Italy. There was desper-
ate fighting in FLANDERS, In the course
of which the French and British, with
the efficient aid of the Belgian troops,
made some very important gains. In
the swamps south of Dixmude the
French and Belgians took Merckem
peninsula and the village of Luyghem.
A little farther south the British kept
up their attacks on the part of the
Pa~sschendaele ridge still held by the
Germans, and the Canadians led in an
offensive which carried them almost
into the town itself. Further progress
on this line will probably result in the
capture of Roulers, an important rail
center only six miles northeast of the
ridge and already dominated by the
British guns.
Along the Aisne and in the Verdun
region the French successfully with
stood all the attacks of the crown
prince and inflicted heavy losses on
him.
The allied ~aviators were especially
busy during the week, dropping many
tons of explosives on munition facto.
ries, depots, railway stations, aer-
dromes and all other military objec-
tives within their reach. They do not
seem yet to have started on a cam
paign of re~taliatory raids on German
towns, but that may come quickly,
since Germany on Wednesday night
sent some thirty airplanes In seven
groups across the water to bomb Lon
don and other parts Of England. Also
the German aviators made q few more
raids on Nancy.
In Africa and Mesopotamia the Brit
ish made considerable progress last
week, and they also announced the
capture of Beersheba In Palestine.
Count George Won Hertling, prime
minister of Bavaria, has been APP
pointed German chancellor, but seems
to have well grounded fears that he
cannot control a majority of-the reich
stag. He is fully acceptable only to
the Catholic center group. Helfferich
resigned as vice chancellor and was
succeeded by Friedrich Won Payer, a
progressive.
Another U. s. Transport Torpedoed.
! On Thursday the navy department
announced that another American
transport, the Finland, had been
struck by a torpedo when homeward
the vessel was so little hurt that she
returned to port under her own power.
The sinking of the Antilles brought
about an announcement from Secre-
tary Daniels that hereafter naval
crews will man all transports carry
ing American soldiers to France. The
report Of the British admiralty showed
a parked falling off in the number Of
s-Jmarine victims for the week.
Sir Eric Geddes, first lord Of the
admiralty, gave parliament some In
teresting facts concerning the subma.
rine campaign, stating that between
40 and so per cent of the German o.
boats operating In the North sea, the
Atlantic and the Arctic have been