BULGARS TRAPPED.

Taranaki Daily News, 6 March 1916, Page 8

BULGARS TRAPPED.

CLEVER FRENCH STRATAGEM. WHOLE REGIMENT ANNIHILATED. A graphic narrative of the tremendous clash of arms between the Bulgnrs and the Anglo-French along the Ghevgeli- and Lake Doiran front during tho Serbian, retreat appeared recently in tho Corrio della Sera. The first terrific clash between the contending armies occurred north of Doiran on a bow-shaped defensive line created to protect the northern entry of the now famous Demi.- Kapu defile. The Bulbars started frenzied and simultaneous attacks on both .banks of the Vr.vdar, and' strsve with might and main to drive in a wedge; between the villages of Dublyani and Predvo. The French "had no fewer than 200 canon vomiting fire on a restricted three-mile front. Their tactics in this emergency were superb. Suddenly their commander flashed the order "Hang fire, and fall back." As this order was carried out the Bulgarians went mad with jov, fondly imagining that they had smashed through the French. Unhesitatingly, they swarmed into the supposed breach, only to find themselves at once hopelessly stuck fast in the jaws of the French right and left wiugs.

ENEMY HEMMED IN. As these latter closed upon them, both the Bulgar flanks were decimated by a deadly enfilade fire, while the French centre sprang another surprise by bounding forward in counter attack. Hemmed in as they. were on three sidc-3, ruthlessly scourged with gun fire, and put to the bayonet, the Bulgars underwent a veritable massacre. The entire 11th Regiment was wiped out, and 300 prisoners, .wqre taken. The battlefield was strewn with corpses. Cowed by this, the Bulgars remained dumbfounded through" the rest of that day, so that the Allied retreat beyciul tl ? ri'wfd ravines of l)emir Kapu—which., otherwise, with the enemy close -upru their heels, would have proved terribly difiicnlt, and perhaps impos—war accomplished i:i almost perfect order. "Ws-jid to Gcd we had forces sufficient to follrw up that fir.e success!" e.rc'stimed a woindcd ofiicer. '"Y\ e could have ehu -ed the Uulgaw as they chased the Turks r.t Lule Burgas."