CURRENT WAR TOPICS.

Stratford Evening Post, Volume XXVIV, Issue 15, 21 December 1915, Page 5

CURRENT WAR TOPICS.

party are making a lot of trouble there, but the arrival of the Russian troops should dissipate the remaining rabble, who have been induced by the Germans to oppose the Russians. It is noticeable that the Swedes are taking a hand. The exploits of Sven Harben and these adventurers show the tendency of Swede’s feelings. The Persian trouble is designed to imperil 'the Mesopotamian campaign, but the enemy have apparently reckoned without the'Russian Caucasian army and the prodigious Grand Duke Nicholas.

The sensational news comes to-day lat the troops at Anzac and Suvla fry have been withdrawn. Where ley have gone is not an easy queson to'’answer, but there can only j|twd desinations. Salonika or Cap© [©lies. It may be that the positions jvthese two places, Anzac and Suvla, lay be too. risky tor the winter. Theriter is of opinion that the men will Ethgr make a new landing, or pro-. further south to swell the timbers of the Allies there in an at»inpt to capture Krithia. But that lini'is not very extensive, and, uniss an attack were pressed until the mhence was taken by mere weight of umbers, the troops would, be use- . -It iw'very likely that' an attack tv to! f fei pushed from the south very fcoftb*. f,! Th'e< nlbUnted-portion of the kUWld'CotpS wilß probably go to Maceonia.c wher© l should be ample cope ifor' them. That would remove anger: ;of over-crowding in ' the south ijf Gallipoli. In the meantime, it is ratifying to know that the “transerencp” of the troops was ; carried Tut -successfully. The Bombardment iy the Fleet recently was probably || result of the transference. While »erbap3' .strategic conditions may deband .consolidation on one front and the abandonment of separate positions, yet the gallant men who lost so much and have laboured to make the Anzac position impregnable will feql the .transference very much; v } • ■ ■ —— • ■ '

\u a: ■ H, : / Ithq.lthq. Balkans. ; the boot-seems to fe (m, thg and Greocw is #bWy-i a i cautious time. g‘ v ?P, i to llie Allies : eeem to be backed .by, such a great threat of pressure, that Greece .says,, in reply to the Austro-German protest, that she is powerless to prevent the fortifications of Salonika, ■as they, are indispensible to the safety of the Anglo-French annies, which safety Greece guaranteed as Serbia’s ally- It is noteworthy that Greece states that she guaranteed the safety of the Allies, as Serbia’s ally.. The ■Germans cannot possibly regard the reply as satisfactory,' and at the same time they are afraid to threaten Greece because it would only end in a quick defeat of Bulgaria and tire Golden Gates of the East would be closed quicker than the expeditious transmission of munitions and men to JTurkey. It has frequently been uiged in this column that the secret way of winning over Greece was to show i that the Entente can hold back the Mnlgar-Huns and keep the position in hand. It now appears that the 1 Greeks are convinced that the Allies will win and therefore they will do as the Allies desire. At present the Greek army is in a strategic position that must be an anxiety to the enemy, who have emphasised often thax they

had “relinqliishad” the pursuit, that in plain English, they had had enough. The German is checkmated. The Bulgarian apparently refuses to he egged on any further, and wants to »lt tight in Macedonia. Turks are said to be taking the Bulgurs’ places. Greece will not tolerate being asked to fight with Turkey. The Germans and Austrians themselves will have to invade Greece, if they want the work undertaken. It is unlikely that they they will attempt it without Bulgarian or Turkish assistance. The Bul- ■ gars have had enough, and any attempt to coerce them may mean trouble for the Germans. The present position in the Balkans, with due res•pect to the “agony of Serbia” pes«mists, is one for a feeling of comfortable "satisfaction in that the Entente diplomats and military have pnt the Mtemy in a position of cautious des*pnr. The enemy must attack the ; Allies if there is to be any value in the whole Balkan campaign, and he ' hesitates to do so, because he is atrfvu of Greece and not sure of his Allies. There has been a rift in the lute somewhere. j ■ *1 ' There is considerable news of Persia. Russia seems to have the matter in hand and is fast advancing on. Teheryi | the capital. The German Perij^n