Nelson Evening Mail. MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 18, 1916. DEVELOPMENTS IN THE BALKANS

Nelson Evening Mail, 18 September 1916, Page 4

Nelson Evening Mail. MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 18, 1916. DEVELOPMENTS IN THE BALKANS

IMIPOiRTAXT deveci.pments have been taking- place in the Balkans, and there is every reason to believe that others of . a far-reaching na.ta.ire will be recorder! in the near future. It would seem that , the most .the ("brmans cou.'d have hoped I for was the enibroi'Jing of the .Salonika j army with CU'wo and ; the drivim: oi j tho Roumanians <-=i.;l of .I>obri.d ja. These | eventualities wire worth striving for. but it is now-.evident that neither is likely to prove SHccessfii!!. The Clermanoj Roumanian successes in the Dobrndja. have been -of short duration—in fact it would l seem; th-ait we have been I informed ouly of enemy operations while important rjsusHLaai movements near the coast were not ?-eeorded Titi-til the o'hjertives had l been secured. It is now clear that 'ill? .Russians-are in force in the: as indicated by the Bulgarian evacuation of Varna, that there is an j important co-operating movement in the' Neg.otin-Vidin 'district, and that the -Allies are exerting very strong pressure on tire tSfciJonifea front. The objective, is tihe severing of the .Berlin-'Constantnf&ple railway, which implies <tihe crushing of ■ Bulgaria. Recent .cables throw some ' •light upon the situation in the Dobrudja which, until a day. or two ago. appeared to -be almos): entirely in favour of the oaemy. The enemy's left flank has been Iswitm.g forward, whilst its right has been pushed 'bade by movements .initiated from the coast of the 'Bilack Sea., ('had been informed of the former but i not of the latter—hence the unfavourable j impression pi veil 'by the cables. It may turn out that, the enemy has been perj.mitted to adlva'-ce his left Hank for ! opportunity presents itself for takimj j him in his rear across the Danube. In, i commenting on the situation., a well informed) writer in the liunedin Star points out that, boiled do-win lo essentials, the {Russians have, the choice of two lines of ' action against the. enemy on the Dohrwlja front. They may strike with their rigM. and endeavour to divide the ! < -einv's" forces, driving theia- right winback "upon the Balkan Bamge and tneir J left wing towards Sbfia; w they may j advance 'by their left down the coast, j forcing hack tho enemy's right flank. ■• and thus uncovering the Balkan passe land driving nearly tho who!;; of th» enemy's aa-my back upon Sofia. Thus j far the latter course see-ms to be the one being followed. The advance down the 'coast and the withdrawal on the "rivei ; side should presently have the eft'e-t o: pkr-ing Von Mackcnsen with his back towards Sbfia and the [Russian army facing him, with its left ilank resting on Uhe Balkan Range. But the. enemy, b;. ' faillina; back to a line; running frcVn the Danube to the Shipka Pass, in the Balkan Range, would secure a front les than 60 miles long, and' well placed lor ;.• j series of desperate defensive actions *< ' de'lav the Russian advance. What- h,asks; shall we. .say of strategy wh.ch f / : .ves the euemv the ad vantage oi th; Shortest, possible, line and . also drivmu their forces together instead' of separat ing them? The answer to this- question, it i pointed: out. .will depend! on what hap pens further west. It would be ver; medioe-ro strategy ■ if it> stood alone, a tho seizure of t!h» Baik-.u. passes wnulr he of little vahie so :on« as tho Bid ■ rarian forces stood' intact and able t< make a counter-attack- if the Russian, attemtptad .to cross the ißaJkan Rang, into Eastern Rumelia. /But it voul.l h:-h-rilliant strategy if accompanied by v arossinc, of the IMmrbe Iby the Roumanians to tho north of Sofia. At thai [point the Roumanians would, be only 80 miles away from Sofia, and) upon Vur LADackensen's rear, wherea.s the Bulgarian 1 left wm S SilistrAa- would be over lot; jmfe from the capitnl. Von MackenJ sen, caught between! two fires, won'.d b<j compelled to retreat, hut to where': The

■Roumanian.-? wonld be- betw <•<•'! liini-c!j ■and >oli.i, find the Rns-dan- would lie holding the eastern Rnlkan passes. lie wouid haw to fall back through the i-ciL'iiai pa *<■•»••« into Eastern Roumelia. Then the true inwardiie-s •■!' linssjas' strategy should appeal. f<*r when all is over in Bulgaria. Von Ma-ckcnsen will wish, to iV.I hack upon -Constantinople with as many of hi.-. troop:- a- he can ,<•,-,•]> together, and delay the fall of that place as long- as possible., Rui- t-he Russians would have the shorter lotite and the i-'mer line, Ry a swift march- across •tin: eastern passes audi down tin* coast. aided, by their fleet, they would he able to cut 'oti' Von Macke-men from -Conftantinnpic. life would probably be finely 'lonnded up somewhere, in the iieiidihourhood of I'hilipopoiis. while the demoralisation which would ensue among t,.,e Turks, together with the, cutting off of the greater pnri of the i roo];s available for its defence, might., the writer concludes, resist, in an unexpectedly swift and dramatic fall of the Turkish capital.