"The past week may in the future prove to _be one of the most important periods of the Present war, and possibly a decisive one. When the Germans launched their attack apon the Russians last Sunday morning it Apparently believed that the element of would give the attackers a very ble advantage. If there were any "all it was short-lived, and the Germans for practically a full week were unable to make any announcement save that the attacks "Were proceeding to plan. They had not "made such announcements of successes as marked their swift advances through the Low Countries last year, though it is possible that by the time these lines come to be read the German high command will have made the promised statement as to how they "think the campaign is proceeding. The claim that they have made no declarations up to ithe present in order that the enemy should mot be able to secure a true idea of the real situation is interesting but not convincing. The Russian command is probably just as well informed as ío the actual situation as are the Germans, and if their communiques are accepted,—and they seem to be moderate enough in all conscience,—the German lightning advance had has considerable of the original speed knocked out of it.
Tu the south the Germans and Rumanians seem to be definitely held up by the River ith. The enemy explanation that a stroke in the north was preferable to one in the south will carry no conviction, for it is obvious that if progress could be made in that area it would have been. To all apbearances the Germans and Rumanians have been well held during the past week. Further north what claims have been made appear somewhat conflicting. If the report that a major action is being fought at Byevostok, 150 miles west of Minsk is correct the. have not made much progress in that region for a whole week's fighting, while the same conclusion is to be drawn from the report concerning the heavy fight-\ing alleged to be proceeding in the Lemberg district. Some progress appears to have been made by the German armies in the Baltic states, but exactly how impres-Sive that is remains to be seen.
Meantime for the sixteenth night in succession the R.A.F, has been carrying out punishing raids over western Germany. They continue to grow in intensity and though the Germans endeavour to describe the British reports of these raids as fantastic it needs to be remembered that German communique have admitted that the damage which has been done is severe. Meantime the R.A.F, continue to demonstrate Superiority in men and material over the enemy air force and the casualties which have been inflicted on the Germans are in satisfactory ratio to British losses. The endeavour of the British air force to drive the Germans back from their advanced air bases seems to be bearing fruit and may ultimate-Ty prove to be of the greatest importance. 1n the meantime the British and Free French
ively: "The Vichy forces are offering into Syria is proceeding slowly but Balen, which seems to be only a question stubborn resistance, but with the fall of
of time, the possibility of the Allies moving westward from that point should have a profound effect and oblige the resisting forces in the south to withdraw northward.
During the week there has been' little to report from Libya or Abyssinia. Tobruk is still being besieged by the enemy, though from the latest reports it would not app. that the garrison is in any way particularly embarrassed, but is able to swap blows with the enemy much to the latter's disadvantage. Only minor operations are proceeding in Abyssinia where the rainy season is in full Swing, and the probabilities are that comparatively little will be done before the rains cease, when the task of rounding up the comparatively small Italian force still at large should quickly put an end to the Abyssinian campaign and result in the complete elimination of the Italians from that part of "their former empire in north-east Africa. Taken by and large the past week has not been an unsatisfactory one and it may be, when the passage of time permits of it to be put morer perspective; that it will turn out the democracies, 3i ye been definitely to the advantage of
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.