In the Balkans

Stratford Evening Post, Volume XXVIV, Issue 69, 26 February 1916, Page 5

In the Balkans

OPENING A WAY FOR THE ALLIES. MOVEMENTS OF CREEK REGIMENTS. i Dnitko Prehh Association (Received 9.5 a.m.) Athens, February 25. j Further movements of Greek regiments in Macedonia towards Athens land other towns are taking place, professedly owing to the defective commissariat, but, apparently, opening the way for the Allies. GREECE’S POSITION. KING CONSTANTINE INTERVIEWED, rfINITED PltEHffl AfiBoDIATION. ' Athens, February 23. General Sarrail had an audience with King Constantine, lasting an hour, and also visited MM. Skouloudis, Zaimis and Venezelos. Later, King Con- , stantine informed an American corres- , pondent that he was delighted at tiie result of the conference, which was the first step towards clearing up the differences between Greece and the Allies. Knig Constantine told General Sarrail that the Allies need never fear Greek hostility. Several correspondents state that important GraecoRoumanian decisions are pending. OWING ANTI-GERMAN FEELING DEPARTURE OF GERMAN ORGANISER (Received 10.5 a.m.) Athens, February 25. Schenk, the organiser of the German propaganda in Greece, hag left for Bulgaria. His departure is attributed to the growing hostility of public opinion, which is steadily veering towards the Allies. IN MONTENEGRO. FEARFUL CONDITION OF THE IN.VADING AUSTRIANS. ENEMY ADVANCE HELD UP. £Un|TBP PußUa Awiociahun.] (Received 9.5 a.m.) Rome, February 25. Of one hundred and twenty thousand Austrians invading Montenegro, fifteen thousand are dead from fatigue, disease, and drowning in the swamps, while 20,000 have been killed and wounded, of which many art, crowding the hospitals at Cattaro, Rgusa, and Mostar. The Austrian advance has stopped owing to the rapidity of the friendly Albanians, and the defective commissiariat, against the Italo-Albanian defence. THE GERMAN CONTRACT WITH BULGARIA. FORTY YEARS OF VASSALAGE. ! United Pkess (Received 10.5 a.m.) Paris, February 25. Jones-Cu’s newspaper in Roumania states that the Germans contracted to obtain for Bulgaria that territory in Macedonia which was part of Old Servia, and also Salonika and Dohrudja to Sulina, in Roumania, Bulgaria binding herself to forty years’ vassalage, especially in the economical field. WITH THE AUSTRALIANS. OFFICER’S INTERESTING DIARY. United Press Association. . (Received 10.30 a.m.) London, February 25. ' A highly interesting diary of an olricer of the Seventh Australian Divisional Supply Column, describing the .noideets t.f ire jw-.i lew c.-.'s, «ays. "On February l-th. iLer a period of comparative quirmess great activity developed along the line to the smith and there was uu-e.sa’it bombing of artillery, which shows that the Fiench were heavily engaged; while imihoi north we were closer still in touch with the lighting, sending lorries on 1 all sorts of dangerous missions an 1 taking supplies and ammunition. Big shells burst n ar the roads, sometimes with aeropla ms sou ling overhead. and frequently the marauders liml themselves in a very u; pleasant place, fo rsuddenly our anti-aircraft batteries sent forth dozen of shrapnel shells, bursting all round the aeroplane. Almost invariably, our own intrepid airmen soar up and engage ‘them. We hear the crackling of the machine-guns from the skies above the purring of the aeroplane engines.” “There was a complete absence of complaints from the motor men, a;, the greater the work gieater was the pleasure of its accomplishment. W e receive grateful messages from the units who have been assisted with our column. In addition to this woik, we have keen repair columns foi ■ transport vehicles numheiiug ovei hundred and fifty, Our forces were

delighted at the Allies’ recent success in downing a Zeppelin and seven aeroplanes after a desperate struggle. The progress of the present division with which wo are serving is bearing the brunt, it has already lasted ton days and may last much longer.The Allies are lighting tenaciously, and the fact that the enemy is sustaining tremendous losses will have a demoralising effect, not only on the troops in the field, but on the enemy generally.” After a spell of bitterly cold weather, snow commenced yesterday. To the Australians it was a beautiful and novel sight. Soon the whole conntryide was wrapped in a mantle of white. The men of the column had much amusement in games at snowballing. As we pass tlm villages, children are skating on the ponds and gutters, and the whole aspect of the country changed in day-time, flocks of foodless birds invading the camps. Our column achieved a record on the sth February, loading supplies for the Division from • ra Jhc'd in !Uirty-tliroe minutes.