THE LATEST: TURKS IN FULL FLIGHT WESTWARD

Dominion, Volume 9, Issue 2698, 18 February 1916, Page 5

THE LATEST: TURKS IN FULL FLIGHT WESTWARD

(Rec. February 18, 1 a.m.) „ ~ , - Petrograd, February 17. llie garrison at Erzerum was estimated at eighty thousand. The Turks are in full flight westward. j . comiminiquo states: 1 AYe captured seventy guns, besides munitions and prisoners, nine lorts, and the Deveboyuu position coverin"- Erzeruiu. The defenders wero dislodged at the bayonet's point. The Turks" are hurryi'n" up roinforci'iiieiits from the west and the south. The southern parts of Ersserum are m llames."

A BATTLE-SCARRED STRONGHOLD

[Erzerum. a military station and fortress of considerable strategical value, closes the roads from Kara, Olte, and other parts of the Russo-Turkish frontier! 1c is live or six days irom Trebizond (on tho coast) by road Erzerum is a town of great antiquity, and has been identified with tlio Byzantine Theodosiopolis <>t the ath century, when it was one of the. frontier fortresses of the Empire. It was captured by the Seljuks m 1201, and m 1517 fell into the hands of the lurks. In July, 1829, it was captured by the Russians, and the hitter's occupation continued till the Peace of Adrianoplo in September of the same year. It was unsuccessfully attacked by the Russians on November U 1577 after a victory gained on the neighbouring heights. The Russians occupied' tiio city during the armistice February I, 18VS. and restored it to Turkey after the .treaty of Berlin. . At the outbreak ot the present war, after Turkey declared the Russian high command at first decided upon a defeusive policy, leaviw' its glands freer for action elsewhere, but subsequently a vigorous oii'onsive was developed, in which a series of signal victories attended tho Russian arms, the niost notable being tho Battle of Sarxkamish, fought in a blinding snowstorm in the frozen altitudes of Transcoucasia, the Turkish Army sustaining terrible losses. The Russian advance troops carried their operations milt to the gates of Erzerum, but the unfortunate munitions crisis which enforced the great retreat from Poland and Cialieia last summer necessitated an abandonment of tho offensive in the Caucasus for a time. To-day's news marks a decisive phase of the new offensive."

THE CAMPAIGN IN MESOPOTAMIA ENEMY IN DIFFICULTIES WITH TRANSPORT. at r. ii j., r, •• , , . London, February 16. jut. Candler, the British correspondent with the forces in Mesopotamia, reporting from Basra, under date 11th instant, says: "The camp is a qua'riv,ire, owing to heavy rains. The Arabs report that a number of the' enemy died irom cold aud exhaustion during tho January operations, and that lave numbers deserted. The- enemy is experiencing great transport difficulties, which have beou accentuated by the interruption of the river communication at Jvut-el-Anuira. Colonel Brookmg's column on February 7 aud 9 punished the Arabs near Nasiriyeh, killing 636." TURKS CLAIM SUCCESSFUL ATTACKS . • Amsterdam, February 16. A lurJosh communique 'On tlio Irak front we made successful attacks against the British at Bathia. The enemy lied, abandoning all his material and five hundred dead. A small enemy detachment surrendered aftor being almost annihilated. In our attack on Kuruu the enemy suffered heavy losses. Hostile auxiliary forces attempted to relieve the British, but were forced to retreat." THE OTHER SIDE OF THE STORY. nr, -n , London, February 16. liie iress Bureau-states that tlie correct account of the incident covered bv the Turkish communique appeared in the following War Office communique, which was cablcd on February 11:— ! " A detachment, in making a reconnaissance alongTihc branches of tho Tigris named Shatt-el-Hai, found no Turks. ■J he.Arabs, hitherto friendly, attacked while the detachment was returning to Nasiriyeh. Tho British had 373 casualties, and the eiiemv had over 300 killed A punitivo column has-since been sent. It surprised the Arabs and destroyed four of their, villages." ' BIG FRENCH AIR RAID ON STRUMNITZA • (R-ec. February 17, 3.10 p.m.) ™ „ , . l Salonika, February 16. thirteen French aeroplanes raided tho town and camp of Strumnitza Ihey dropped 108 bombs, producing several fires. Tho aeroplanes were violentiy bombarded, but returned untouched. THE AUSTRIAN ADVANCE ON DURAZZO SHARP FIGHTING WITH ESSAD PASHA'S ALBANIANS. - (Reo. February 18, 1 a.m.) m. i i ■ i, ■. r . Rome, February 17. the Austrians, southward of Alessio. are advancing on Durazzo, and have junctioned with the Bulgarians at El Bassan. Sharp fightiu" witli Essad Pasha's forces has begnn. ° TWO HOSTILE SUBMARINES SUNK IN THE ADRIATIC (Rec. February 17, 10.55 p.m.) Paris, February 17. Marcel T/utm, m the Echo do PariSj** sayst "There is everv reason, to believe that tile French ships in the Adriatic during the past three days have sunk two of the enemy's submarines—perhaps three." , THE WHEAT DEAL WITH RUMANIA Tn, r, ! , Bucharest, February 16. , The. Government has refused Germany's offer to outbid the British syndicate s contract ior wheat. v