BATTLE OF LULE BURGAS.

Dominion, Volume 6, Issue 1588, 4 November 1912, Page 5

BATTLE OF LULE BURGAS.

— * . ' FRENZIED FIGHTING. HOW THE TURKS WERE ROUTED. DESPERATE-BULGARIAN ONSLAUGHT. i. I AT THE BAYONET POINT. ROADS STREWN WITH DEAD AND -DYING

The'latest news regarding the war in the Balkans is to the effect that London is horrified \at the accounts of frenzied fighting. A full meeting of the Cabinet was held 1 on Friday, and.the King is being kept constantly informed of the latest developments in the Balkans. No fewer than 400,000 men took part in the battle of Lule Burgas, which began last Tuesday. An obstinate struggle with varying success continued till Wednesday, when the Turks began to yield all along the line. The Bulgarians stormed many positions at the point of the bayonet, and the . artillery kept the Turks in check at the critical moments by overwhelming fire. The Bulgarians translated their battle cry, "To the knife," into reality." The officers were powerless to check the frenzy of the troops, and were compelled to adopt the tactics of frenzy.'.-'The roads in the vicinity of the battle are strewn with the . dead and dying. The Turkish soldiers are worn out and starving. A proposal from.tha French Premier 'suggesting mediation has been received in Vienna , By TeleEranh—Press Association—CoDTrleht

PANIC-STRICKEN TURKS.

THE FIGHTING AT LULE~BURGAS, HEAVY LOSSES. Vienna, November 1. The newspaper "Reichpost" states that 230,000 men participated in the battle of Lule Burgas. Their line extended from Viza to Lule Burgas. The Turks', retirement, from Baba Eski and their right wing's attack on Bunar Hissar led the Bulgarians to bring their left' wing earlier ;than was expected into contact with 1 the advancing Turks'. .The shook of battle at this point was extremely violent. . • Engagements were fiercely fought In the woods, where.Redif battalions (or reserves) from Asia , Minor behaved ..with great gallantry; but their advance, despite the continual summoning of fresh reserves, 1 was gradually checked.

The Turkish line was eventually completely broken, and, being hemmed in, the" Turks retired with heavy loss.

It was the battle of Kirk Kilisse .over' again. The Turks began with a courageous rush; then their broken Tanks became panic-stricken.. The panio spread .to-,thef entire Army, Corps,''four divisions of which were shattered and dispersed in disorder. .■

The Turks' had "entrenched -themselves in several strong lines on either'side'of Lule Burgas. The Bulgarian artillery took lip a,position on the, flank of tho entrenchments, and .shelled the lines. The rout,was complete,'threatening the last line of defence at Chatalja.. The Bulgarian infantry showed remarkable contempt for death. : . , FATAL NIGHT ATTACK. Constantinople; November i. The Turks held their own well at Kirk. Kilisse until the fatal night attack in general, when it was a case of "sauve qui pßut";(save who can). The Turks then discarded their coats and boots. The Turks claim'., .that they repulsed the Bulgarians at Viza, and were also successful at Adrianople. . a LATER ACCOUNTS. > BULGARIANS COMPLETELY j VICTORIOUS. A' DIVERSION THAT FAILED. (Reo. November 3,5.5 p.m.) London, November 2. The, Sofia correspondent of "The Times" states that the Turks made a. desperate effort On Thursday to retrieve the situation. They rallied their forces between 1 Chorlu and Istranja, and were reinforced by a division, from

The Bulgarians, however, proved completely , victorious, capturing Chorlu, Istranja, and Rosaboto. , Troops to the number of four hundred thousand, participated in the battle of Lule BuTgas, which commenced on Tuesday and oontinued obstinately and with wavering success • until. Wednesday, but after Wednesday's fighting the Turks yielded all along the line.

Shevket Pasha and Torgut Pasha attempted to make a diversion on Thursday, .when they landed at Midia-twenty thousand men and advanced towards Viza, where General Kutchineff routed them. . , ': - THE DECISIVE STAGE. GRAPHIC DESCRIPTION ' OP THE , BATTLE. . Vienna, November 2. The "Eeichpost," in describing the final struggle at Lulo Burgas, states that the decisive stage opened on Tuesday, Monday's bloody initial engagements having ended favourably for the, Bulgarian right wing at Lule Burgas. The Bulgarian left wing, advancing vigorously near Bunarhissar, passed from th<j i defensive to the offensive. 1 ■ The Turks had here attempted to forestall the Bulgarian advance by threatening the line cf retreat from Sarai to Chatalja by taking the offensive from Sarai, via Viza, against the Bulgarians. ' A Startling Attack. When Tuesday's counter offensive movement began from a lino running from the township of Uskub, nine miles eastward of Kirk Kilesse, to Hajaefakti and Monastir Dagli, the foremost Turkish lines were shaken by a startling attack which was executed with unprecedented elan; but froah reserves enabled the Turks temporarily to reform. A bitter battle raged during the whole day at Woodee and Thatalea, the Turks eventually emerging in formless masses. Simultaneously the Bulgarian right wing attacked the Turkish positions at Lule Burgas from Baba Eski and Tcnikieni, driving the Turks,from their fortified lines at Elandere, Kavakk, Reisi, and the Ergene River, back upon Lule Burgas. "To the Knife," Host of the Turkish positions were stormed at the point of the bayonet, the infantry admirably suwortitig'the artll'.

lery by keeping the Turks down at tho decisive momenta by an overwhelming fird.

Some of the positions, however, were taken without artillery support, the. Bulgarian troops showing unexampled. dash, and tho infantry translated their battle cry, "Na nost". (meaning "To the knifo") into reality, -without, any concession tomodern tactical considerationsWhole regiments, while four hundred paces from the enemy's lines, threw themselves in a Single rush , on the . foe,- without firing a shot or talking cover..;, Each individual wont for a Turk, with, the bayonet. . The officers were powerless against the frenzy of. the troops, and. were obliged to adopt the tactics of frenzy. . The "Roichpost" states that only a fraction of Nazim Pasha's army got behind Chataija. .'■■■>' ROADS STREWN WITH DEAD AND DYING. . ■ THE SIGN OF THE CROSS. Sofia, Novombor 2. , The roads towards Chataija are. strew* l with, the dead 'and dying; alsoweapons and clothing. j' 0 .The .Christian soldiers who were placed in the forefront' of>tlie..''Turkish lines during the battles endeavoured to' attract the notico of their, co-religionists on tho opposite side by; the sign of the: ■Cross.

THE BATTLE OF KIRK KILISSE. FURTHER PARTICULARS. TURKS WORN OUT AND STARVING* Constantinople, November -2. . Further details regarding tht>.. fighting at ICirk Kilisse (cabled on November 28) show that General Hilmi, in.coitfmand of twenty thousand men,''advanced -and encountered three divisions of the enemy, of which the central was' the;'most'important; This division General Hilnii attacked, simultaneously sending a flanking column against eaoh. wing:; The fighit with, the central division continued from ; noon until/night, .but the /flanking columns failed to coine in' contact with the enemy. . One of the divisions had, Without informing General Hilmi,' advanced; and stationed itself behind General Hilmi's two detaohed columns, tho latter ,of which got between tho Bulgarian and Turkish fire. This led to a panic. A Turkish officer subsequently remark-, ed:— ' ~ ■ 1 - "We had been starving for a week. I had scarcely been able to obtain a small, .roll. A number of horses were dying.each day, and it was impossible for the. sol- : diers, who were worn out and starving, to fight." . : ) Upwards of ten thousand ragged'and' starving Kirk Kilisss refugees, including, many, women and children, are camping in the court-yards ;6f the Stamboul mosques. . •

PANDEMONIUM. "THE BULGARIANS ARE COMING." Sofia, November 2. The inhabitants of Kirk lyilisso were unaware of the Turkish: disaster until two o'clock in the afternoon,' when the Sty, "The Bulgarians ai& coming," arose. In a twinklihg .pandemonium broke' -lo'ase. The population flocked;to the railway station. Soldiers -stormed the trains and compelled the drivers at the point of the revolver to steam out, Others trudged afoot towards Lulo Burgas.

All the villages between Adrianople and Lule Burgas' are burning, the Moss lems firing their own villages before quitting them; HORRIBLE ATROCITIES. BULGARIANS IMPRISONED AND INCINERATED. WHOLESALE MASSACRES, * (Rec. 1 November 3,.8.6 p.m.) Sofia, November 2. The "Mir" states that the Turks, before evacuating Bunarhissar, imprisoned and incinerated two hundred Bulgarians in. the barracks and massacred Bulgarians wholesale in the Struma Valley. (Rec. November 3, 5.5 p.m.) Athens, November 2. A party of Turks, flying on the evening of October 22 from Sarafttaporo, itiade their way-to Metaxa. They seiswT fiftytwo inhabitants and conveyed them to Serijc, where they cast them into a prison in which seventy-five Other Grooks had been placed. Tho governor then liberated ICS soldiers, and armed the crowd, which surrounded 1 ho Greeks nnd massacred 121, including five priests. Their nosea and hands were then cut. A Christian villager brought to Janina was murdered in the inarket place in the presence of the authorities. . Constantinople, November 1. fmtlw la' SUmbsul, tlw

Turkish, dofea'ts, .threaten too mos.saci.f3 Christians. A, moro 6tringent state -of siege has been lordared. Owing to Turkish atrooitios after tkijfir rcoont defeats, the Bulgarians intend to command the 'capital in the interests/ of Christians. , > Sofia the capture of .UtrorAitza.i THE SIJEGE OP SCUTARI*, TBLEGRAM'TEOM ESSAD PASHA. Constantinople, November 2. Essad Paslia Iras telegraphed to Salonika asking {or Turikisli troops, adding that it is impossible,to hold Scutari with Al-, banians alone. . POSITION AT ADRIANOiPLE, —. CIVILIANS INVITED TO QUIT, (Reo. November 3, 5.5 p.m.) Sofia, November 2, The Bulgarians invited tlio civilians to j quit Adiriaaople. The commandant replied that they were "Willing to do 60 if the garrison would likewise bo given a [free passage. The Bulgarians refused to agree to this. Belgrade, November 1. A large force' of' Servians is - quitting Macedonia, and proceeding to AdrianopJe. There are flow fifty trains daily between Vranja and Uskub, RAPID TR/ANSIT OF TROOPS. A THREAT NOT CARRIED OUT. 1 Sofia, November 1. Train captures by the advanced guard j of. the Bulgarian army are enabling tliej rapid transit of troops and supplies south J and east of Adrianoplo. j It appears that the Turks two or three years ago maintained a garrison of 15,000 mon at Mustafa Pasha;, but, acting on the advice of Field-Marshal von der dolts (thb well-known. German), reduced it to a. comparatively weak force. r The Turkish., authorities before'the. outbreak warned Bulgarian notabilities that if the. town was attacked .the Turks would shoot all Bulgarians, but they retired without giving effect to the threat. THE GREEKS. ! TURKISH ! CRUISER SUNK. Athens, November 1. ■ The Greeks have occupied Saraothraoe, an island belonging. tp ; . Turkey, in the north-east of tho Aegean: Sea, 24 miles from the coast of Macedonia. London, November 1. A Greek torpedo .boat sank a Turkish cruiser in the Gulf of Salonika. ' Constantinople, November 1, . >The orttiser, thcirFethi Bulond, sank in. five minutes , after being torpedoed by the Greeks. Ptirt bf the crew .got ashore, arid nearly all the rieinainder.'Were .saved. . Athens, November 2. Lieutenant Vosti sank- the. ~Turkish cruiser Fethi Bulend by means of two .torpedoes, at a distance Of . 150 .yards. \ . Rome, ..November ;1;r.7 General' Ricciottt Garibkldi has gonei to Athens to raise 3000 volunteers, including a '.thousand Greeks at Patras.where his, wife'will organise a. l Garibaldittn. : 'Aiiibul-; anco Corps. ' NAZIN PASHA'S DISPATCHES, RESUMED THE OFFENSIVE. . . Constantinople, November 1, - Nozin Pasha reports'that he has resumed tho offensive, and has recaptured Bunarlussar.. . . . - ' 'Tho. Bulgarians are now within twentyfive miles of Constantinople. • ' •I • Constantinople; November, 2. '• The Porte,- with the view of preserving, order and preventing outbreaks, strenuously keeps the public . lri ignorance of eWnts at the ffon.t. njid .'also ;6ends;a diyi-. sion to stop ail. fugitive soldiers, behveeii'. Chataija and Stamboul. ' The report that Mukhtar Pasha shot many of his men in order to arrest fho (light at Kirk Kilesse, and that Prince Aziz joined in the flight is officially 'denieil. ' A London, November : 2. The newspapers consider that tie publication of Nazin Pasha's dispatches is merely an attempt to keep the Stamboul populace quiet. • ' ' I MOSLEMS EMBITTERED, BUOYED UP BY FALSE STATE. ?■ I .'l'' MENTS.. ' .., . i /'. London, November 2.. The "Daily Chronicle's" Constantinople correspondent, states that thousands of Turkish troop 3 at the front are uharmed and'without uniforms. The commissariat has failed. : Reports and reverses have embittered 7th<si Moslems, who had been buciyed up ■by [false statements of. successes. Thero ■.ia driiiety as to whether they aro on tho eve of terriblo deeds, ~ '• Five thousand' wounded arrived at. Stamboul on Thursday, and seven thousand aro coming. .' ■/ - ' Til© war correspondents are practically prisoners at the headquarters 1 ofAbdullah Pasha, the Ctomiiimdet-.in-Chief.: I '' iSANDANSKEY THE BRIGAND. ' APPOINTED MAYOR OP MELNIK. Sofia, November 2. . Sandansky, tho celebrated Bulgarian brigand, has been appointed mayor of Melnik, a Turkish town near Salonika, BALKAN PARLIAMENTS. ' ! JOINT SESSION AT USICUB. , . Belgrade, November 2. The Parliaments of the Balkan 'States will hold a joint Parliamentary session lasting three days at Uskub, immediately after the close of the military operations. THE POWERS. MEETING OF BRITISH CABINET. PROPOSED MEDIATION. (Rec. November 2, 5.45 p.m.) I London, November 1. London is horrified at the latest news | from the Balkans. A full Cabinet. meeting was held tonight, and the King is being kept constantly informed of the developments in Turkey. Vienna, November 1. A proposal from M, Poincare, the French' Premier, suggesting mediation, has been received. Sofia, November 1. • The "Mir" nowspaper says that if Turkey desires peace she must negotiate with the Allies and not seek intervention by the Powers. AUSTRIAN WARSHIPS, London, November 1. The. Austrian squadron at Trieste is in readiness to proceed to Salonika. The cruiser Kaiserin Maria Theresia, of 518" tons displacement, has proceeded to Salonika, to protect Austrian residents tli«&