PROGRESS OF THE WAR

Dominion, Volume 9, Issue 2783, 30 May 1916, Page 4

PROGRESS OF THE WAR

The Bulgarian invasion'of Greece is perhaps another of those developments lately described by the London i.■ Spectator as "superficially disappointing, but fundamentally good." At an immediate view it is disappointing, and a little startling, to find the Bulgarians offering such an apparently bold challenge to the Allies in tfieir great entrenched camp at Salonika. An early forward movement from Salonika, in concert with action by the Allies in other theatres, has of late seemed highly probable. The enemy's assumption of the iniative is, at this distance, somewhat unexpected, but it is unlikely that it has caused either surprise or concern to the Allied command in the Balkans. Obviously, if the latest enemy enterprise is to be realised and understood, it must be considered as the latest addition to a series of enterprises intended to shatter and de- ■ range the Allied preparations for a concerted offensive on all fronts.

Froji this point of view the inva-sion-of Greece may presently assume considerable importance. At the moment it docs not seem to have materially changed the general situation in the Balkans. In their lines at Salonika the Allies should be well able to resist attack, even if the Bulgarians ai'o given powerful support by their Austro-German Allies. Failing such support, an attack on the Salonika lines is not likely to be attempted, and the Austro-Germans can only give it by sending reinforcements to the Balkans, which can be ill spared from other theatres. All things considered, an enemy attack upon Salonika would probably be welcomed by the Allies. As an alternative to an early attempt on their part to force the passes into Serbian Macedonia and Bulgaria, it should certainly bo attractive. As yet it is rather too. much to hope that the enemy meditates such an attack. Siiicc the feebleness and indecision of the Greeks have apparently made them a negligible factor where, tho invasion of their country is concerned, the territory between the Salonika lines and the northern and eastern frontiers of Greece becomes a sort of no man's land. The Allies may have outposts thrown well forward from their main fortified line, but evidently they have no troops in the outlying areas of Grcecc which the Bulgarians thus far have entered. * * * * Apart from the central fact of the invasion,, comparatively little is told at time of writing about what is happening in Grcecc. The most interesting features of the messages in hand are that only Bulgarians are mentioned as taking part in the invasion. and that the Greek frontier is said to have been crossed in two places, by way of the Struma Gorge and from the east, beyond Kavala. If it could bo assumed that the Bulgarians are aciing alone, and will continuo so to act, the fact would of course be very important. Definite limits would at once ho set to the possible scope of the invasion, and it would he demonstrated that no attack on Salonika is contemplated. It remains to be seen, however, whether the Bulgarian movement down the

Struma Valley and across tho eastern frontier of Greece is to be seconded by Austro-Gcrman forces operating on tho Vardar and from Monastic The facts of the position arc best grasped hy considering tho present dispositions of tho Allies and tho enemy, in the Southern Balkans, as far as they are known. The Salonika baso, occupied by a, powerful Allied army, is enclosed by a fortified line about 50 miles long. It runs for 15 miles up the lliver Vardar, which enters the Bay of Salonika about a dozen miles west and south of tho port- of that name, and then strikes east to '.tho Gulf of llondina. taking in a series of extensive lakes which form a valuable element in the Allied chain of dcfcnces. Safely established in this stronghold, tho Allies have been engaged for months in preparing for offensive action, notably by providing and organising the kind of tr&nsjjort—largely pack* animals and light and handy wheeled vehicles—which alone is serviceable il 1 t^ e ,f' u SS ccl mountain country of tile Balkans.

_ Until the Bulgarians opened the invasion which is now reported, tho enemy had contented himself with holding the northern Greek frontier a frontier which, offers few practicable avenues for tho passage of an invading .army, and therefore lends itself to defence. The chief of these avenues is the Vardar Valley, traversed by a railway which reaches its southern terminus at Salonika. I'ortv miles east of tho Vardar is the bfcruma Valley, by which the iiiuganans have now descended on l)emirhissar. There is a main road, but no railway,. down the Struma Valley into Greece. Another route crossing the Greek frontier is the railway from Salonika to Monastir. It passes the frontier about GO miles west of the \ ardar. _ So far as tho defence of the frontier against a northward movement by tlie Allies us concerned, the only weakness of the enemy's position is that he is under the necessity of dividing his forces in order to defend a number of widely-separated passes and pas-sage-ways, and this in country which opposes serious obstacles to the transfer of troops along tho frontier from ono threatened point to another. It would 1)0 tho natural policy of the Allies, in taking tho offensive, to trade upon this factor in tho situation. By attacking simultaneously _ at a number of points they might reasonably hope to break through at one point or another, and so threaten, the enemy's communications as to compel him to relinquish his defence of other sections of the frontier. The position is not without its threatening aspects from the point of view of tho. enemy, but at tho same time it is doubtful if he will improve his prospects by action, in limited force, on the lines, of tho Bulgarian invasion. It nky yet appear that the intended purpose of tho invasion is to draw tho Allies into offensive action, which would bo more effective if delayed for a time. Tho only reasonable alternativo ( is to suppose that the Bulgarians are assured of suclr support from the Austro-Ger-mans that they hope to carry their offensive to a point of decisive advantage. On known facts this theory is hardly admissible. According to a message just received, only one German division remains on the Greek front. This is 'in harmony with other recent information. There may, of course, be some Austrians co-operating with tho Bulgarians, but unless the latter receive really powerful support they are not likely to very seriously hamper tho plans of the Allies at Salonika. On present appearances, the invasion of Greece is the least hopeful, from the enemy's standpoint, of tho enterprises upon which he embarked in his efforts to anticipate and stave off an Allied general offensive.

In both sections of their present operations, the Bulgarians aro attacking the railway through. Eastern Grcece, by which Salonika is in touch with Constantinople. Demir : hissar is on this railway, where it closely approaches the Greek frontier. The other line of attack selected by the Bulgarians is al'ong the railway into the eastern extremity of Greece. In the latter area,they threaten the port of Ivavala. Bridges, near Demirhissar and elsewhere were destroyed by the Allies some time ago, and the Bulgars are reported to- be assembling bridging materials in the eastern sector. This may be, only preparatory to' a movement against the Eastern Greek port of Kavala. If the Bulgars contemplate an attempt to seize and reestablish the railway, from the Struma Valley to the Eastern Greek frontier, they are faced by a very formidable' task, since the line, between these points, dips south to a point about midway between the Salonika lines and the northern frontier. It is possible, however, that the Allies aro committed for the time to a policy of, inaction by general, as distinct from local, considerations.

A' striking feature of the situation is the ignoble policy adopted by Greece in face of the invasion of her territory.. The'attitude of the' Greek Government, as it is depicted, is one of abject and humiliating submission, which is in no way justified or palliated by the weak pretence of impartial neutrality. Even if Greece were entitled to an honourable quittance of her obligations to Serbia, which she is not, the contention that she is hound to accord the same treatment ,to the Bulgars as to tho Allies would not hold water. She stands committed to a policy of benevolent neutrality towards the Allies— King Constantine has himself affirmed the fact—but she is certainly under no such obligation to Bulgaria. Nothing in the Bulgarian invasion as it has thus far developed weakens the hold the Allies have upon Greece, chiefly by reason of their dominant sea power. It is somewhat strange to read, along with the story of lato events on land, that indignation at the sinking of Greek steamers by enemy submarines has reached such a height that a proposal has been mooted to seize the Austrian and German ships interned in Greek ports. Spirited action on these lines is hardly to be expected while King Constantine.retains autocratic control, but the situation reached is at least more favourable to the Allies than when Greek steamers were acting as depot ships to tho enemy submarines. That they are not now immune from attack presumably means that they arc no longer rendering tho enemy this service.

An encouraging of the results of the last eight days' fighting at Verdun is given in a Paris message. During the period named the battle has raged in a volume and «iolencp never hitherto .approached, and according to the message mentioned the enemy has gained only a few hundred yards of ground. Considering that thn French have

adhered almost unbrokenly to a defensive policy, and that the Germans are persevering in their offensive with a reckless disregard of cost, this marks a truly magnificent achievement on the part of the defending army. The exact position as regards Mort Homme has yet to be disclosed, but that it has not yet been effectively occupied by the enemy may be inferred from the fact that there is 110 word of tlio material retirement of the French lino west of the Mouse which its capture would involve. Even if such a retirement, to the Charny Ridge, becomes necessary, the French defence will be far from broken. There is admittedly uncertainty at the moment as to the probable fate in the near future of the range rf secondary positions in which Mort Homme is a vital element, but the general situation at Verdim is ore to warrant confidence.

There is no official news from Italy at time of writing, but a message from Rome, generally reviewing the situation, indicates that the Austrians are still making headway on the central section of their attacking front, .though they are firmly held on the wings, in the valley of the Adige and towards the Sugana valley. The fact is to be faced that in this theatre the Austrians have gained an advantage which threatens to weaken in some degree the force of the great concerted attack for which tho Allies are preparing. An invasion of Venetia is not perhaps imminent,'but the danger exists that the Austrians may come to a halt in positions from which they will be able to threaten invasion and from which it will bo possible to dislodge ihein only at great coast and with extreme difficulty. Until the present offensive took shape the Italians were believed to be secure against invasion from the Trentino. This security for the time has disappeared and as it stands must necessarily react unfavourably upon the Italian operations on the Isonzo, where prospects of penetrating to an effective invasion of Austria- have hitherto seemed good. The effect of the set-back in the Trentino may be felt also in the Balkans. At Valona, where they are said to have assembled a considerable force, the Italians were in a position to effectively co-operate with their Allies in the event either of an enemy attack on Salonika or of an Allied forward movement from that base. Tho resources which the Italians aro able to devote to any such detached enterprise must of necessity be reduced now that their difficulties have been so formidably increased on their main front.

A cable message this morning announces the arrival in London, after thirty months of archaeological and geographical research work in the Asiatic wilderness, of Sir Atjrel Stein, Superintendent of the Indian Archaeological Survey, on special duty. Sir Atjrel Stein is a distinguished servant" of the Indian Government, but —he was born in Hungary, of Hungarian parents, and was educated in Austria, Germany, and England. There may be no question of his loyalty—it is not on record that ho has been naturalised as a British subject—but in view of the amazing ramifications of the German Foreign Intelligence system of organised espionage, the sins of his nation ought to inspire some suspicion of his bona fides. The saying, "Once a Teuton always a Teuton" rests, on some very solid and uncompromising facts. The advent of Sir Atjrel Stein furnishes another illustration of _ .the extraordinary ascendancy which talented foreignei'6 —especially of the Teutonic race—have been able to gain in the British Imperial Government services. In his capacity as Superintendent of Archaeological Survey, on special duty, Sir Atjrel Stein has had a .unique opportunity of doing signal service for his mother nation. Whether he has done _so should be a matter for investigation by the British Government, no matter how strong has been its faith in him in the past.