THE SCIENCE SIDE OF THE BALKAN WAR.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LV, Issue 173, 9 December 1912, Page 6

THE SCIENCE SIDE OF THE BALKAN WAR.

WHAT'S GONE WRONG? HALT OF BULGARIAN ARMY. (By A, Spcncc in Duncdiu Star.) On no account s'hould an army be committed to the offensive until it i»s fully prepared to keep the oH'ensive. Laving taken the oH'ensive, every cll'ort mint be made to maintain it. The principle.; of strategy do not alter with the ages. When a halt comes, one know* that something has gone wrong.—Yon der Goltz.

Mohammed V.'s luggage and how the ladies of the Imperial harem, will escapo over the IJospliorous into Asia are about the only things which have engaged the attention of that dear old wiseacre—-''the man in the strcef'-Mor the last three weeks. Such a trifle as the ultimate winner of this war he picked long ago. That the crowned heads and commanders 01 Europe camnt pick the winner yet does not disturb him in the slightest. Some--where in the hack of his mind he holds a vague, but not unmusical, jumble of '''brigades," ••divisions" .and "army corps." He knows Vticre each one is on the map, and what « more, can always tell why they are th?re. which, to be sure, is often a good deal more than the generals commanding them can' 1 do! Leaving ''the' man in the street" to ) pursue his humorous and pleasant pas- j time of "picking winners," one stoop» to ask: What has gone wrong with the Bulgarian army ?. The'moral effect of marching into the city of the Padishah would have shaken Islam from end to end. Why forego it just as the Golden City was so near.? Why the peace pourparlers? Assuredly something has gone wrong. with the anticipations of the Bulgarian General Stall'/ It could not be want ■of money, for Bulgaria knew she was almost penniless before a blow was struck. It could not be the heavy losses in .battle, If or those are but the'hall-mark of war waged on the .■Gevmaii' model. It could not be the coming winter, for most p'oo- j :ple know that whiter comes round regularly once a year.' and the almanac shows you when.'. What then brought I ! on the halt and.,the peace negotiations? i It was the GhataJjii lines in conjunc- | tion with the;'other great detaining'post j ; —Andrianople. j ; The Chatalja position is remarkable ! ; inasmuch as it is the exact counterpart' : :0f the famous lines of T-irres Vedras, ! .which tlie Duke of Wellington set up ' ;agamst Marshal Massena in Portugal. Both flanks rest, securely oji an impassable barrier—(rhe sea. ', When a flankrests on artificial fortifications, as was ;the case with the.Turks at Kirk Kilisse. ;it is always possible for the ingenuity' ;<and heroism;,rtf T ma7i/.to.': ( ti.rn'' it, and] bend !t back. But...how can the best i a [ m J' \ m , t }3fi ii TOrW„swira, out into the ; l eternal Sea to <H,iirn" flanks,,.especially J [when oppo*n& aVe shellin-r the coast! ■■ ■''" .i'o-.i" -J " J iln »the ; ;old : cruiser j Hamidieh : -seVm».'to , 'fiirve.'rierformed' excel- J fcrrt service fbViV'Ttfrfe and garians certainly knew their 'business fcvlien they settfc-torpt-d'oers to attack her •! ►The llaniidieh.is not by an T means the' hiost fo.™d*b t to, jjiipr ~.i„.; ;lh«Sr Turkish 1 ?*avy, btit; iii"6rily*flie 'little Messudieh has been sent up_ to replace her, I one infers Jiat theTater off shore must 10 :qufc : m\. that moie formulate -vessels cannot ed"e in

I With -NawsCa Sffanßs W i'uHp\omisin<r the problem ,io&- .tke comnianf. fir ?: w «, u !<i»M«irftlly;lm,that rtf fcrenkiV qlie. lurkish <*htcoif*dr an/Army has dnlf-' to enemVs line to tnrn. two flanks at on<;e.:-.The. , Ji«ivv ; ar--Jilery duel aeation«l~in.,. recent c ; iblos IB evidence that -.his was the bloody work to winch the liilgadap,. soldiers' were .Bendmg their/ '.:whe ft - thecal t ' Came and the peace pourparlers be»an ' I Breakiii-r-Tr-frTTttfrelf •centre is" an in-

.4>ore dreadful aspects/ There \ first a heavy artillery fire, Svhich may last for steady riositiffip; to iposSitirin,' -Behind all ttife .^.i?eser.w Bl ,*re.-,Bi«sie ( l! it. ominous; .when:sthe! time- conies >W sending tlie,mi.for.frajtd lit'onlv becomes^ lien:.into,.the j -%1,t. ! n]:f enough *wW«»' 13 won. -.; , f ,j! ~;,,.; r. .... ■ • ,-._ , i tfm m JWR& ■*©> tiw.fcaloneaniii* 0 f 'WW*/ ?ft/;fqed iu..sufficient waves'or 1 %n, tte.j>resen.oe*f thelSea-vhun army—eteaged ln direct conjunction ■.- with the if W a /?TrW'* '***-■ 'be desirable, lilt the Chatolja centre is broken, Constantiinbple falls, , ap d r ,% r wa,T ends', but, as far 4 vya, kftMf,,tfce Army i s still if. (»W U p jn t] lq struggle' round Hmuch against to which Is' the" main "operation. frV, P f h excellent, service for Turkey army s.He-tracked: all this time, or rather, Von Uoltz Jias r for--on«rTnn hardly concenyc that this excellent major strategy ,UUt of all these various considerations wb ttei.y«[.»b'a.cbn^f; l .,..tii T ' Pp; , lVl ' O s S .i, i .i o^n , .piinci p lop i .,ji : , 1 si ir at,(ig ( ,f,( W ]licb held «ood !# «i» !Wl>*m : .JesHita !»v6rtllre(vf ««' a M«J-:»8d.!.wf11.-teld: good to flu" ffl«-,-«r;*|Pfbi 'W;:iUwfjter:Miow: "modern"-' ■t¥i:WVft|>n.,,ifi.;tJie !ha«ls,iof <thcv soldtef. .•njpjjpps fiMt.jpKnoiplo.'ig ttaitl d, f:?rffi{»!i neybr did. and never 2R J)y,-tbft ..present position of the Soman'Army: It hardly matattic?' mUC long ad they are Mp&tvM&n 4e»vicinity .«! Chatalja The second principle is that ; «n army which is-tbrust-into- a funnel-a ..ri-entrant-is, heavily .handicapped. This .was the W George White's «my in Natal in. IBJ)o7"and as we know

ciilty■ Sinßtonr 'haltnd'We 'Bulgaria,!' arm v ttji; it, i&viii. a , fimnol. wJth> tfa 'sea on each .. [The An avm V.

*? th^^nsta,'' m ■.Kjt-ep,tQ:fche; the'cbst in Mej may W and<>whoii hr-h'alt' ha ! r> Jns oftfi may safely.oflcdtfcfe'-tlutt-soriiet-liin-e* to the Japanese in 1904. They forced a'passage.^,-.the jYtfu in May.t;aV then came to ■n-aeuhs&hdsim until 'SeptemIn Q he \S- e t,e -St Li &° Y.angUme on. Something "had. gone wrong, and although w beginning to be known now—five out of the six Japanese had been strack them, had';W^l slln1 L V .- Fm . a timft Japanese ■■jKrihtnoftMs' 'liardlv'' km>vv whether it-yronW lie ka'fe .to continue the war or not : ■'" """•'

J uml stood by Briti* RMiMjilaT Orirfea,rnot. "fn'-ffivin" evidence before -the J?l£ir,'Commission on Sn+«T Lord ' M «thu P „ *tatod ■that if he : had hi. "tetrnctionaiVTOTa.to.pemwo the Kirriwn from Kunberipy.ftnd retire .smith to the Qransift Kiv % » T , (hat, navim- committed his armv to the offence, lie proposed, after.a'certain thin" Md happened,.tp deliberately abandon the operation begun! Tt rather makes one hold his head and think hard