THE STORMING OF ADRIANOPLE.

Dominion, Volume 6, Issue 1714, 3 April 1913, Page 5

THE STORMING OF ADRIANOPLE.

$ OFFICIAL NARRATIVE. Besiegers lose about ■ 13.000 MEN. . SERVIAN LOSSES SMALL, By Telegraph—Press Association—Copyright (llcc. April 2, 0.10 p.m.) Sofia, April '2. The Bulgarian headquarters plait report that the Adrianople forts were divided into four natural seotors, tho eastern contain- . ing fourteen forts, tho southern four, tho western two, ' and tho. north-western seven, the total comprising twenty-seven forts, sixty-four permanent batteries, a garrison of .75,000 men, 200 siego guns, and '450 field pieces. . , The section between Aivnstabia, and Taslitabia was selected as the point of decisive action, and General Vazoff, who commanded the attackers, on the eastern section, was given fourteen regiments of Bulgarians. ; eighty-eight quick-firers, ninety-eight heavy siege guns. Twd Bulgarian brigades of cavalry, under General Kirkoff, with twelve quickfiring batteries, and twenty-eight siege guns, occupied the southern front' . Three' regiments of tlio Servian Danube division, and tho second ban (reserve) under General Raclitigli, occupied the western section. They .had no sicgo guns in view of tho secondary importance of the sector. .The Servian Timok division and the first , ban, under General Konditch, occupied 'the north-west front. ■The besiegers in all comprised 120,000 Bulgarians, with 370 ; guns, and 10,000 Scrr vians with 98 guns. ' After tho advanced positions had bsen captured there was an artillery duel throughout the day over a circumference of fifty kilometres. Thousands of shells f?ll,. destroying tho forts and guns, and demoralising tho defenders. Under tho protection of this deadly fire tho'infantry made a vigorous, advaneo and halted at ten o'clock on Tuesday night two or three hundred paces from tho eastern forts. The bombardment was. continued while the infantry cut tho bivrbed-wire entanglements.' Throughout Tuesday the Danube division!, made determined efforts to capture Papastepe. Tho Timok division held the position which it had occupied in l tho morning. • General Ivanoff ordered the capture of the forts in the.eastern sector at eleven o'clock with field bayonets, arid the operation was carried out with the dash and courage which are the pride of the Bulgarian Army. '. »\ , Early on Wednesday morning, while the infantry was advancing, the .fjeld : batteries and howitzers followed tho troops and opened, a heavy fire on the Turks as they were retreating from the captured position. Tho whole lino was captured at 7.30 1 p.m; on Wednesday, but the Turks still held out in tho north-west' sector. At , nine o'clock the howitzers began to have effect on the north-west sector. Shukri Pasha, the Turkish commander; blew up tho stores in .the south-western sector. Firing ceased at one o'clock on Wednesday, arid, Slmlikri surrendered at 1,30 p.rii., forty-eight hours after" tho attack began. ~ The Bulgarians had from 100,000 to. 11,000 men killed ov. wounded, and tho Servians six officers and 208 men killed and seven officers and 1100 men wounded. , The Bulgarians captured forty generals, two thousand' officers, and sixty •thousand men.