UNDER FIRE.

Stratford Evening Post, Volume XXXV, Issue 73, 3 April 1913, Page 5

UNDER FIRE.

SIEGE OF ADR! ANOPLE.

THE ALLIES’ PLANS. ( By EiiEcriac Telecuai'h —Coi’Viugiit] 1 United Phkss Association.] Sofia, April 2. The Bulgarian headquarters’ report states that Adrianople had lour natural sectors, the eastern containing fourteen forts, the southern lour, the western two, and the north-western seven, totalling twenty-seven forts. There were sixty-four permanent batteries, a garrison of 75,000, 200 siege guns, and 450 field pieces.

The section between Aivastahia and Taslitahia was selected as the point of decisive action. General Vazoff, commanding the attackers of the eastern sector, was given fourteen regiments of Bulgarians, with 88 quick-firers and 98 heavy siege guns. Two Bulgarian brigades under General Kirkoff, with 12 quick-firing batteries and 28 siege guns occupied the southern fort. Three regiments of Servians, the Danube division and the Second Ban under General Jlachtig'r, occupied the western sector, but had no .siege guns, in view of the secondary importance of this sector. The Servian Fimok division and the First Ban under General Konditch were on the north-west front.

The besieging force comprised 120,000 Bulgarians, with 370 guns, and 10,000 Servians, with 98 gums.

LOSSES OF THE BESIEGERS. London, April 2. After the advanced positions were captured, an artillery duel took place during the whole day over a circumference of 50 kilometres. Thousands of shells were fired, destroying the forts and guns and demoralising the defenders.

Under the protection of the deadly ire, the infantry made a vigorous advance, and halted at ten o’clock on Tuesday night two or three hundred paces from the eastern forts. The bombardment continued, and the infantry cut the barbed wire. Throughnxt Tuesday, the Danube division made determined efforts to capture Papastepe. The Tim ok division field the position which it occupied in the morn-

Gcheral Ivanoff ordered the capture of the forts in the eastern section at 11 o’clock, and a bayonet charge was carried out with the dash and courage which are the pride of the Bulgarian army.

Early on Wednesday morning, while infantry were advancing, field batteries and howitzers followed the troops and opened a heavy lire on the Turks retreating from the captured positions. The whole line was captured at 7.30, but the Turks still held out in the north-west sector. At 9 o’clock the howitzers began to have an effect on the north-west sector. Chukri Pasha blew up the stores in the south-western sector. Firing ceased at 1 p.m., and Chukri Pasha surrendered at 1.30. The Bulgarians had ten or eleven thousand killed and wounded. The Servians had six officers and 268 men killed, and seven officers and 1160 men wounded. The Bulgarians captured forty generals, 2000 officers, and 60,000 men. i " FORTS FALL LIKE RIPE FRUIT. (Received 8.0 a.m.) The conclusion of the attack on Uvastabia is thus described. The Bulgarians reached barbed entanglenents, stumbling over corpses heap'd in hundreds. Someone suggested browing overcoats over the network )f entanglements, and instantly hundreds of coats formed a thick carpet, veross which the troops rushed, shouting their battle cry, with bayonets in hand. Grenades formed a large part of the final assault, wrenching oil arras and legs at once. Aivastabia ind other forts in the Sector were taken in an enfilading fire and were captured one after another, “like ripe fruit when tbe tree is shaken,” as General Ivanoff said after the capture. Thousands of Turks discarded their tunics and Fez caps and sought aiding places in civilians’ houses. Sixty thousand Turkish uniforms disappear'd as if by magic.

Adrianople is yellow with Bulgarian uniforms, the members of whom round’d up the fugitives, using flat swords.

Shukri Pasha ordered every military horse to be killed including his own entire. The hillside was covered with the bodies. The Chronicle’s correspondent emphasises the fact that the forts were shoddy at the best. Lath-painted to resemble iron, they held up the Bulgarian armies for months. Sofia, April 2. Bulgaria agrees slightly to a modified Enos-Midia. line. Details of the indemnity will be settled later.