FRENCH LINE SUCCESSFULLY WITHDRAWN.

Dominion, Volume 9, Issue 2643, 14 December 1915, Page 5

FRENCH LINE SUCCESSFULLY WITHDRAWN.

(Rec. December 13, 11.30 p.m.) . Paris, December 13. The French troops on Friday night retired without fighting on tho. Smok-. gica-Doiran line. Several Bulgarian attacks on Saturday were repulsed. GERMAN OFFICIAL COMMUNIQUE. (Rec. December 13, 7.40 p.m.) Amsterdam, December 12. A German official communique states: —"Tho Austriaus ale pursuing tho enemy in the mountains along the Albanian frontier, and- havo taken prisoner some 6500 during the last two days. Tho enemy was forced to abandon forty guns betwen Rozaj and Ipek. _ _ "The Anglo-French troops, after the decisive defeat's inflicted by General Theodorow, are in a wretched situation, and are retreating towards and across the Greek border, suffering extremely heavy losses in men and every kind of war material." ' BULGARS VIOLENTLY ATTACKING (Rec. December 13, 3.30 p.m.) London, December 12. Paris messages declare that the Bulgarians are violently attacking on the JCosturino-Doiran sector, developing an attack on tho Bong-Petrovo-Strum-nitza-Hudovo line, and also against the eastern line which is held by the British. t ... "" GHEVGELI OCCUPIED. (Rec. December 13, 11,30 p.m.) Athens, December 13. The Bulgars have occupied Ghevgeli. . BULGARIAN OFFICIAL COMMUNIQUE. London, December 12. A Bulgarian communique states:—"The_Franco-British, though desperately resisting, are hastily evacuating their positions, under strong pressure. We are pursuing them on both banks of the Vardar. Wo have arrived, southward of the railway station Mirovos, and advancing southward of liosturino, have reached Hudovo, which was formerly General Sarrail's headquarters. The French burnt the railway stations at Hudovo and Mirovos. We caplmred much French material, five British machine-guns, and many rifles. Our losses vt/sre insignificant; the enemy's were enormous. The enemy took with them in their retreat the entire population. WILD COUNTRY FOR CAMPAIGNING (Reo. December 13, 10.30 p.m.) London, December 13. . • Tho difficulties of the fighting in Macedonia are thus described by Router's correspondent with the. British Headquarters Staff: "Last week I visited Hill 516, ten miles of the British front, and hall-marked as the junction of tho Franco-British positions, tho British being east of the DoiranStrumnitza Road, which is only a motor thoroughfare, the remainder of tho way being a goat-track through hilly scrub couutry. The difficulties are illustrated by, the fact that it took two hours to reach men who were a mile from the track. "The French destroyed the tunnels and railway bridges as they withdrew. The Bulgars' first attack was not vigorous, but the second onslaught was more severe. Under cover of a dense mist, which prevented accuracy of fire by our long-range field-guns, tho Bulgars used ihobiie mountain guns, opening a murderous fir© at close range. "Exposed to this Ihot gruelling, and threatened on their flank owing to the French retirement, our position soon became untenable, and tho Irish Division was withdrawn, to a prepared second line. There was much bayonet fighting, in which the Connaughts, Munsters, and Dublins surpassed themselves. Again and again the enemy .was driven off in a series of close' encounters, but his superiority in numbers could not fail to predominate. Whilo we were retiring on our second line the French abandoned the bridgehead/ at Graditz. It is difficult to exaggerate the importance of our stand. Had-, tho Bulgarians pushed through they would have cut off the retreat of the Allies' main body.' Our new positions are now of greats strength.". SERBIAN KING AND ARMY IN ALBANIA Rome, December 12.' King Peter, the members of the Government, and Serbian Headquarters, and two divisions of the army have 1 , arrived at Scutari. Tho rest of the 200,000_troops are encampcd on the slopes of the Albanian mountains facing tho Adriatic, between Scutari and Durazzo, where they may be revictualled by Italy.. Tho Serbians were forced to abandon field guns at Ljuma, and all carts and-wagons, as the mountains are only passable for horses and mules. A Tragic Retreat. Tragic tales are told of tho sufferings by the retreating civilians. Famished dogs, wolves, and vultures preyed on the bodies of men, women, and children who were dying in-tho mountain pathways. _ The wives of several members of the Serbian Cabinet tramped . to tho Greek frontiers, on footj Among the killed at Kragujevatz was the famous comitadji leader Tankos6ich, who was accused of organising the murder of Archduke Ferdinand at Serajovo. Tankossich assisted in t'ho desperate defence of Bolgrade, and finally fell with the last of 200 volunteers. L _ \ M. VENIZELOS'S ELECTION MANIFESTO ' RIVAL POLITICIAN DEMANDS HIS ARREST. London, December 12. 'The "Observer's" Athens correspondent states that M. Gounaris, Minister for the. Interior and ex-Premier,' whose hatred of M. Venizelos knows no bounds, was so incensed at M. Venizeloa's recent election manifesto that he proposed to arrest him on the ground that he had been disrespectful to the King. M. Gounaris's colleagues, however, rejected the idea, fearing to increase M. Tenizelos's prestige. THE SUBMARINE WAR IN THE AEGEAN 1 THREE STEAMERS TORPEDOED. Athens, December 12. Official.—A Gorman submarine torpedoed the Greek steamer Dimitrios Goulandris, bound for England, when sho was 150 miles from Alexandria. Tho crow took to the boats, and were picked up by a British steamer bound for Alexandria, which the same submarine torpedoed later in the day. 25 miles from Alexandria. Both crews took to the boats, and anothor British steamer picked'them tip and landed them at Alexandria. Lloyds report that the British steamer Busiris was sunk, the crew being landed at Alexandria. ' TURKISH, TRANSPORT TORPEDOED* {Rec. December 13, 10.30 p.m.) London, December 18. f A" Turkish t/ransport-of 8000 tons was torpedoed by a 'submarine in the Sea of Marmora. (Rec. December 18, 11,30 p.m.) Athens, December 13. It is reported in Constantinople that the transport Reohid Pasha has been sunk near the Silivria, on the Sea of Marmora, by a French submarine. It is stated that only seven'transports are left; the others have been submarined. i THE WAR IN MESOPOTAMIA (Rec. Deoember 13, 11.80 p.m.) ilmsterdam, December 13. 'A' Turkish communique states:— We captured the British advanced posifcions at Kut-el-Amara, aud repulsed the enemy to his main position."