THE OFFENSIVE IN THE BALKANS

Dominion, Volume 9, Issue 2859, 25 August 1916, Page 5

THE OFFENSIVE IN THE BALKANS

ENEMY'S ADVANCE TROOPS DRIVEN IN

A REVIEW OF THE SITUATION ~"(By Telegfaph—Press Association— O-pyright). • ' ''. ,- ■ ."' '".',■*.' '■ .' ,' < '''''.; Australian-NeiT Zealand Cable Association. "•..-•■'■.'•■." V ■ ■ .' ._ : London, August 23. The War Office report on the.Salonika situation states':—"Yesterday we drove in the enemy's advanced troops on the DakH-Doiran front. -Tho. Erench troops'which B *re holdingthe Komarian Bridge (over the Struma River,- at the head 1 of Lake Tahinos) repulsed the enemy. The Serbians hold the line from/Lake Ostrovo to Pozar." | -,;....;:: GERMAN OFFICIAL COMMUNIQUE. ,' [■■ , ... ' London, August 23! ..-.-. A.German official communique states:—"We-made good, progress in clearing the highlands west of Ostrovo.and repulsed Serbian attacks at Moglen-".. ■ '...'...; -...- ;... ; . '.MILITARY SITUATION EXPLAINED. .-'..'■'. •.-.:.'.!...- Salonika, August 23. - The Serbians are standmg fast against violent Bulgarian attacks - between Ostrovo and Petasko.' The fighting on the west wing is unimportant compared with-the fact that the Serbians are progressing in the Moglen Mountains, north of Ostrovo, where-they are threatening an invasion of the Czerna. Valley .\; The. French hold .the villages seized on the slopes of the Balesmtza;'Mountains. The Allies have never intended to conduct oper- ' ations. further east than the Struma:; The Bulgarians do not possess a force sufficient to achieve a real military purpose anywhere. STIRRING STORY OF GREEK VALOUR ■ ■'■•' ':'-'■(.■■"';■■■■■■ „ '•■''■ '' Salonika, August 23. --■■■; IHirther'.details of the Greek .attack'on the Bulgars at Seres show that advancing Bulgarian troops surrounded: the Greek guard at Demirhissar One Greek "escaped and warned the garrison at Seres,'.where'the commandant: of the demobilised;6th pivision called" on .the local reservists and de-fended-the "town? 'A committee'has been'formed at 'Salonika to enrol and arm'recruits.- "Already'2oo have offered to'serve in the defence of Seres ' ' -A detachment of Albanians has airived, -the men wearing the national •dress'.;: ■'■;■ ■"'-.' ■■•-.--.-•-. ■'.".'■"'.;

THE'HEROIC STAND;AGAINST THE BULGARS,

(Rec.~-August 24, 8.40 p.m.)

~:,, London, August 24. The "Daily Chronicle's" Athens correspondent writesW'The heroic struggle by. the Greeks who resisted the Bulgars at Fort Pheapetra and elsewhere has stirred the country's imagination. . Colonel Christodoulos the Commandant at Seres, .eayk that the Pheapetra garrison disputed every'inch of the-ground. Its fatefts unknown. He believes that the fight was kept up till the last man fell dead. Out of the. Starcista garrison only two wounded Greeks were left at the conclusion of the combat. Colonel Christodoulos enthusiastically declares that 'there still remain Greeks who are worthy to'be the companions of Leonidas's soldiers of old, knowing how to die to save the honour of Greece. Fort Pheapetra will perhaps some day figure in history as a Thermopylae.' Colonel Christodoulos is ' prepared to defend' Seres to the last.

"It is reported that tho 1 180 defenders of Kilkiten' suffered heavily against a vastly, superior force of Bulgarians. The Greek'losses at Demirhissar aro not known.. ,It is feared that they-were, isolated after a glorious resistance." , •■[Leonidas, King of Sparta,'achieved immortal fame when in 480 B.C. with 7000 men, he defended the Pass of Thermopylae against the host of Xerxes. Leonidas'and his little band of heroes were annihilated, the King's bodv being afterwards crucified.]

BRITAIN'S RELATIONS WITH GREECE,

(Eeuter's Telegram.) (Rec. August 24, 6.45 p.m.)

London, August 23. Speaking in tho House of Commons, Lord. Robert Cecil (Under-Secre-tary for Foreign Affairs) stated that our relations with tho Greek Government,- so far as ho knew, wero thoroughly satisfactory.

BULGARIANS NOT TQ OCCUPY SERES, DRAMA, OR KAVALA,

Australian-New Zealand Cablo Association. (Hoc. August 24, 7.10 p.m.)

Athens, 'August 23. Tho Greek Government has announced that tho Bulgarians would not occupy. Sores, Drama, or Kavala. ' [A similar statement was made by Mr. JqTfries, the British war corrcsponUcnE, in a dispatch which was cabled yesterday.]

ANTI-BULGARIAN DEMONSTRATION AT ATHENS,

(Roc. 'August 24, 7.10 p.m.)

Rome, August 23. The ; Bulgarian. Minister at Athens threatens to leave owing to tho antiBulgarian demonstrations' - . ,

BERLIN UNEASY OVER RUMANIA

WAR PEELING AT BUCHAREST,

. '■ ■ ■} ■ (Tjuited Service.) (Roc. August 24, 6.45 p.m.) London, August 23. 'fhero is increasing alarm in Berlin over the attitude of Rumania. The King's prolonged interviews with diplomats and M. Filipescti (tho Opposition Leader) are regarded as significant. An increased- war feeling and gravity fs noticeable at Bucharest. Thousands of German spies are over-running tho country, proclaiming that their objective is business. M. "Take Jonescu writes to the Paris "Journal" that Austria will fall, upon which Germany'will bo besieged until sho collapses and capitulates.

"PREPARING THE PUBLIC FOR THE WORST." Australian-New Zealand Cable Association. (Rec. August 24, 11.10 p.m.) London, August 24. Tho "Morning Post's" Budapest correspondent states that si Hungarian correspondent writing from Bucharest is flooding iiis papers with pessimistic articles regarding tho possibility of Rumania joining the Allies. Tho fact that the censor allows tlio articles to appear suggests that tho authorities are preparing the public for tho worst. Vfiiat fs actually doing on in Rumania is easily discoverable. s WHAT IF THE GERMANS FIGHT THE'ITALIANS? (Rec. August 24, 9.60 p.m.) London, August 24. Tho "Daily Telegraph's" Milan correspondent states that tho German Press asserts that fifty thousand Germans are figMing in Macedonia. The meeting of Italian and German troops in a battle in tho Balkans should settle the question whether Italy is at war with Germany. ■ ' ■ / RUSSIAN OFFENSIVE WEST OF LAKE VAN London, August 23. A Russian official communique states:—"We drovo back a Turkish off en, sivo with tho co-operation of tho fleet. Our offensive is developing westward of Lake Van." TURKISH INITIATIVE ON THE VERGE OF COLLAPSE; (Editor's Telesram.) • (Roc. August 24, 6.45 p.m.) ' ~ petrograd, August 23. It is officially believed that from thirteen to fifteen Turkish divisions are operating, in tho Erzingan region; about two corps 1 are engaged at Lake Van, on the Bitlis-Mush line, and from fourh to six divisions in Mesopotamia. Military opinion is that the Turkish in itiative on the Caucasus front and in Persia is on the verge of a collapse. Tho Turkish objective—the diverting of tho Russians from Erzingan and'Siv as—has signally failed.