The Balkan War

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LV, Issue 284, 23 April 1913, Page 3

The Balkan War

THE WAR TOLL

By Cable—Press Association —Copyright. Sofia, April 21.

The semi-official estimate of the war losses is as follows:—Killed and wounded: Bulgaria 84,000, Servia 22,0uu, Greece 11,000, j Mjsatenegro £OOO.

4 ALLEGED BULGARIAN OUTRAGES. !

.Salonika.., April -21,

When .the Bulgarians retired after j the conflict with Greece at Xigrita, .they arrested a Greek priest and a number Qf notaUes from the neighboring village. Several of the prisoners' .bodies I were found .in the Struma river, .having, been bayanetted.

THE STRUGGLE FOR SALONIKA,

Athens, April 21

Greeee insists on the retention of Salonika, with uinterland sumciently deep to defend the town and to assure its commercial prosperity-

THE TEEMS 'OF PEACE.

Received 22, 10 pjn,

Athens, April 22.

Though the Allies have acceded to the Powers' mediation, they have reserved for iiiseoesWß the Aegean 'question and the final settlement of the frontiers of Thrace and Albania.

ULTIMATUM TO MONTENEGRO.

London, April 21

Eeuter's Vienna correspondent says that the Powers have sent Montenegro an ultimatum to withdraw from Scutari; otherwise troops will land at Antivari, Dulcigno and San Giovanni.

THE SIEGE OF SCUTARI.

TROOPS DYING FROM STARVATION.

KING NICHOLAS WISHES TO ABDICATE.

Received 23, 12.15 a.m. London, April 22,

The report that the Powers have sent an ultimatum to Montenegro is untrue. The Bulgarian friction is creating apprehension, especially from the fact that Servia and Greece are seeking the support of the Entente, while Bulgaria is inclined to seek the aid of the Triple Alliance.

Athens, April *22. The Allies' reply asks the Powers to admit the principle of indemnity. Constantinople, April 22.

Official circles deny that Turkey has suspended the war with any of the Allies except Bulgaria.

Vienna, April 22.

Many of Ojavid's troops are dying of . starvation and epidemics. Medicine is I lacking, a.nd some are insane owing to •• want of 'food. • General Martinovitch is preparing for r a renewal of the general bombardment „pf Scutari.

• It is reported that King Nicholas opposes further useless slaughter, and dcv'sires to abdicate. The Crown Prince is (■not. favorable, not desiring to ascend the • throne before the iate of Scutari is •sefttled and tranquility restored. Cettinje, April 22.

.'All communication with the outside • world is suspended. It is believed that ithe stoppage is in connection with the •.■negotiations for the surrender of Scutari. 'PART PLAYED BY MONTENEGRO.

iSCUTARI THE STUMBLING BLOCK.

was the first of the BalIkan allies to declare war, and crossed -.the '(Turkish frontier on October 8. It was i.nQt till October 17 that Turkey •declared war on Bulgaria, and Servia .And (Greece declared war on Turkey. 'The 'Montenegrin army, merely a poorlyitraine'd- militia, with a weak artillery and ■no administrative services, was divided into three columns—one to attack the TufkS'fit'Berane, in the Sandjak of NoviBazars the second to advance on Scutari, «flong the north side of the Lake ■of Scutari; the third to advance on that ■town along-the south side of the lake. From -the first there was some tough -fighting, "the largely-outnumbered Turks, assisted I>y Albanians, offering a stout resistance "in the various stone-built villages along -the frontier. ;; On October fl the Montengrins took Detchitch, On the Toad to Scutari ; on the 11th Shiptchanik was carried, and Tuzi was summoned on the next day. Colonel Hassan Riza Bey, woh held thai post, stood his ground, but was driven out on the 14th. He succeeded in Withdrawing his forces with only slight loss. Berane was taken on October 14, and this permitted of reinforcements being despatched towards Scutari; and the capture of Gusinje on the 19th practically allowed the whole of the Montengrin army to march upon the Albanian stronghold. There was only a weak garrison at Scutari, or an officer of higher rank than a, colonel would have 'been in command. Just after the Montenegrins began their #&rV'ftttack, General Essad Pasha arrived at Scutari with a 'timely reinforcement of a division abeut 8000 strong, having had to fight his way through the last 50 miles, as some of the Christian Albanian mountaineers sympathised with Montenegro. The Montenegrins were much assisted by the Christian Albanians at first, for they attacked the Turkish detachments along the frontier from the rear. Why they did so is due to the fact that in 1878 the Treaty of Berlin drew an absolutely "fancy" frontier line between Albania and Montenegro, assigning to the latter a considerable area of Albania, but drawing the frontier so as often to leave half of a tribe under Turkey while the other half went to Albania. In the case of Christian tribes the sympathy would naturally be with Montenegro. After the fall of Tuzi the north road to Scutari was clear. The Montenegrins at once rushed the northern defence of Scutari, Bardanjolt, Big and Little, and it looked for the moment as if they would rush Scutari from the north. But Ilaasan Riza Bey made a determined effort to re-take Bardanjolt. and succeeded, inflicting heavy losses on the enemy. It was not till about a week ago that the Montenegrins managed to capture Bardanjolt, and even then they have not succeeded in making any impression on the town itself. Constant assaults were delivered against Bardanjolt, on the north of Scutari, and on Tarabosh, on the west, and separated from the town by the Dopna river, and so forming a detached

J post. This 'lTaralbosli, a razor-like rridge ) «f a mile aßd a-half long, rises sharply \ from the Boyana, and, extending westerly, culminates in Great Tarabosh, TBooft, and .then fa Ik precipitously 'irito the I plain. It had been provided with heavy 'guns, and it completely dominates the 'town and surrounding country. Several series of Frenches lor- rillemeH, all •provided with wire entanglements, defended the hill slope lelow the crest. Again and again the IVlontenegrins attempted to assault, "but with no success., Having done 'fheir share of the work,: the Servians then came to the support tff their ally, and took ground to the ■south and east of the town, erecting their siege batteries on the south <side,in the -open plain. Owing to the *Boyana and the lake, the'besiegers were flivi'de'd into three groups, which could not freely communicate, hence united action never seems to have been 'tried. At one time the Montenegrins and Servians on the south side could 'have walked into Scutari, for Hassan Riza Bey had taken half his force to Alessio and San Giovanni de Medua, where lie very roughly handled a Servian force, and returned'before the .besiegers had an inkling of what had 'happened. The Montenegrins 'had no training in ' siege work, 110 engineer corps, and only field guns, for they liave not removed "the ' 4.7-inch guns given 'by Italy from the batteries on the Cattaro-Cettirije road, which overlook the Austrian town and harbor of'Cattaro. \

It was admitted by the Montenegrins days ago that Scutari cost them 15,000 men, and since then some '4OOO more are reported to 'have been lost. , The garrison is supposed to have been composed of some 12,000 regulars, and Albanian irregulars may have nunlberefl ■another oGOO.