The Taihape Daily Times. AND WAIMARINO ADVOCATE MONDAY, SEPTEMBER, 23, 1918. SERBS IN ALLIED CO-ORDINATION

Taihape Daily Times, 23 September 1918, Page 4

The Taihape Daily Times. AND WAIMARINO ADVOCATE

MONDAY, SEPTEMBER, 23, 1918. SERBS IN ALLIED CO-ORDINATION

(With which is Incorporated The faihape Post and Waliaail-jo News).

The wonderful performance the Serbian Army is putting up against their Bulgarian enemies cannot but fill one with admiration; but the Serbs, all down the centuries, were ever distinguished for their great fighting proclivities; for their vigorous frame, personal valoflr, love of freedom and glowing poetical spirit. They have a strong national sentiment, the evolution of many centuries of national life, nurtured in many wars, for Servia was uniformly the theatre of the bloody wars between Hungary and Turkey. Their history is profusely punctuated with wars, which, together Avith their mode of life, largely in the open air, has tended to the development of a Ibrave, powerful people. 'All this considered one ceases to marvel at the tenacity with., which they have clung to . the hope that one day they Avould defeat the brutal enemy that has driven them from their country by dint of sheer numbers and force. They were dispersed, but never did they accept defeat, and now they are once more going back into their own, routing their enemies, destroying them or driving them out with remarkable rapidity. In company Avith French forces they I have defeated, demoralised and rout- | ed the Bulgarians, and they are pursuing them in various quarters at a greater speed than ever they were forced to retreat at. Well may it be said the bottom has fallen out of the Bulgarian defence, for defence there is not, and the brave Serbs are" seizing the rivers and railways as well as mountains and passes almost as they please. They are just approaching the Kaiser’s much-boasted BerlinBagdad raihvay; Germany’s only safe and practicable communication with Turkey. With this railway in Allied possession the A\ r hole Balkan situation Avill soon be ablaze again, as the Rumanians are eagerly waiting for the opportunity to Avork out their oavu redemption. Germany can render no assistance; Austria has overflowing handsful of trouble; Bulgaria is in headlong retreat, and Turkey is suffering severely at the hands of General Allenby’s forces in Palestine, and therefore will need all her men to protect her OAvn territory Avithout bothering about -Bulgaria’s losses. If this synchronisation of 'Allied attack In all important vulnerable places is not part of Foch’s strategic plan that is to precede his great crowning stroke on the West front, then he is favoured Avith miraculously good fortune. Italy’s advance in Albania compelled Austria to weaken her hold in Serbia, and if the Albanian front is drawn up to assist the Bulgars, the Italians will mostlikely over-run Durazzo. fighting to outflank the entry’s position in Serbia; comprehensive design is apparent in the Balkans and the Kaiser 6an only look on and lament his luck. While the Serbs are hunting the Bulgarians out of Serbia, the Greeks and British are moving up the Valley of the Struma, going towards Bulgaria’s capital city. In whatever theatre of fighting one looks plans are unprecedently ambitious; on the West ffont one force is driving the Germans' out while another is attacking strongholds in German territory; in Russia, I the Allies are moving on Moscow and j Petrograd from every possible direction; Italy, not content Avith the old fronts against Austria, launched upon an Albanian campaign; Avhile the Bulgars are driven from Serbia, other forces are striking for the heart of their country, and the strength of Turkey is being drawn away in quite an opposite direction. Altogether they are remarkable coincidences if nothing else. They aggregate too big a hurdle for the enemy as is evident by Austria’s efforts to secure some sort of peace witli Italy; by Germany’s offer to withdraw from North Russia if Britain will also vacate that region, and finally by the great combined efforts of Germany and Austria to engineer an end to the war. The enemy’s weakening man-power has been

apparent for some time in her re-

peated efforts to secure;'a negotiated peace. The Allies never approached Germany for any other peace than that which must come hy absolute defeat in the battlefield. Smaller nations have been offered peace on the enemies’ terms, but all would have no such peace; Poland wanted it not; Serbia scorned it; Belgium firmly refused it; little Montenegro preferred to await the day of her revenge; dll

were confident ■ that the day of redemption would come, and they now realise that it is very near.