THE BALKANS.

Taranaki Daily News, 25 November 1916, Page 5

THE BALKANS.

THE ADVANCE ON CRAIOVO. FRENCH CRITIC'S OPINION, Received Nov. 25 1.45 a.m. ■Paris, Nov. 24. M. Bido'i, the military critic of Lc Journal ,le:H Uebats, compares vnn Falkenha.vn s advance at Craiovo to von Kluok s movement towards Paris. He points out that the Hermans, not having sufficient men, are leaving u blank between tlh' armies, which are thus exposed to Allied attacks.

FIERCE FIGHTING. SERBIANS ADVANCE NORTH- , WARDS. Beceivcd Nov. 24. 11.55 p.m. London, Nov. 24. A Serbian communique states:Fierce fighting took place on the 22nd and 23rd along the whole front against fresh German forces. Nevertheless, the Serbians advanced northwards, repulsing counter-attacks. The area that has been liberated by Serbia now reaches 1200 square kilometres.

NO NEWS ABOUT KRAJOVA. ROUMANIANS WITHDRAW FROM JIUL VALLEY. GERMAN'S CAPTURE RAILWAY STOCK. Received, Nov. 24, 5.5 p.m. (A. and N.Z, Calbe Assn. and Reuter). London, Nov. 23. A Roumanian. communique, which is undated, does not throw any light on the position at Krajova. It reports violent enemy attacks at Cerna, near Orsova, and adds: We fortified ourselves in the captured positions at Dragoslavak, while at Alt Valley there vere infantry actions in the centre and bombardments on the left wing. We have withdrawn from the Jiul Valley and now occupy our old positions. A German communique states: Th< booty at Krajova included 300 railwa; carriages.

ROUMANIAN SITUATION. NOT AS BLAOK AS APPEARS. ' Received Nov. 24, 9.40 p.i», London, Nov. SM, Colonel Repington, the Times' military critic, thinks the situation in Roumanip is less black than it appears. The Orsova army probably escaped east of the Vulcan Pass, and was not forced. Therefore, there is no reason why the Western armies should not retreat without being broken.

A VIOLENT ATTACK. HEIGHTS CAPTURED. Received Nov. 24, 5.20 p.m. Rome, Not. 24. The Italian Macedonian communique states:—ln the mountains west of Monastir we repulsed a violent attack from Mount Muza. Then, advancing north, we captured the heights south of Bradsndal. Paris, Nov. 24. Fighting continues under the most unfavorable conditions north of Monastir, where the enemy was reinforced and is desperately resisting. Violent eeunter-attacks failed. We advanced to the outskirts of Hotesovo. Our aeroplanes bombarded the enemy encampments in the Topolans and 'Prilep regions. Two enemy machines were downed in tho Drama district. ■ SERB WOMEN FORCED TO WORK. Rome, Nov. 23. Austria is deporting a thousand (1! Serbians, including women, to work in munition factories, hoping thereby to liberate during the next three months a hundred thousand Austrians for active service.

GERMAN PLAN FOR DECISIVE BLOW J United Service Paris, Nov. 23. The Petit Parisian states that the Germans are attempting to compel tin Roumanians to concentrate all their forces and then deal a decisive blow by a march on Bucharest. The Roumanians are preventing this by maintaining their reserves intact even at the cost of heavy sacrifices meantime.

M. Marcel Hutin, writing in the Echo de Paris, fears for the safety of Pemnicu Valeca on the 01 tu, along which line the Roumanians are retreating southwards, evacuating almost the whole of west Wallachia.