Carnage of War

Wairarapa Age, Volume XXXI, Issue 10716, 28 October 1912, Page 5

Carnage of War

THE BALKAN TRAGEDIES.

j DESPERATE HAND TO HAND FIGHTING. THE FALL OF KIRK KIUSSEH ' DEMORALISATION OF THE TURKS.

BALKAN LEAGUE. FAVOURABLE TO TRIPLE ENTENTE. (Reoeived Last Night, 5.5 o'clock.) LONDON, October 26. The Balkan League proposes that no Stat© will conclude peace singly. \ Balkan diplomatists describe the primary aim. of the Balkans as being for the Balkan people, adding that . the League is favourable to the intereats of the Triple Entente inasmuch as it will always prove, an obstacle to Germanic expansion. TURKISH ATROCITIES. WOMEN AND CHILDREN OUTRAGED. (Received Last Night, 5.5 o'clock.) j ATHENS, October 26. * I After thre® days' fighting the Turks retired to a position at Kiaffa. The Greeks are marching to Philippiada and Strebina. ( ' After a reconnaissance they discovered that the village of Koumtsades was looted, and young males killed by the Turks. j At Arnauts the women and children were fearfully outraged. I hundred additional Cretan vo- I lunteers have arrived. . I The fighting continues at Pintepi- . gadhia and southwards of Janina, The Crown Prince entered Roxani unopposed, but the Turke subsequently attacked and were repulsed.

The Bulgarians are already.,, in possession of the Adrianople railway station. General Ivanoff is now completing the investment by linking up at Bosniakeui the forces from the Arda and Kirk Kilisseh by road. General Savoff on Wednesday peremptorily ordered General Dimitrieff to take Kirk Kilisseh by Thursday morning. The troops advanced with alacrity in the brilliant moonlight. Successive positions were stormed with the bayonet, in the use of which' the Bulgarians excel. The position, at 10 o'clock in the morning, became untenable. Mukhtar Abbdul Halim and a portion of the garrison had already escaped to Hunahisßar, with a considerable amount of material. At' 11 o'clock the remnant of tlie garrison hoisted the white flag, and surrendered. The Bulgarian casualties wore five thousand.- - Reports from Tirnovo show that the Turks had fled before the Bulgarians arrived. The former were in a miserable plight. ' The rations of the Turks are 1§ kilo per head daily. The Bulgarians are pursuing> the fugitives south, past Visa. The authorities regarded Kirk Kilisseh as the Port Arthur of the war. It is estimated that the garrison numbered eight thousand, while the outside support numbered fifty thons'aiid.

TURKS ASSUME OFFENSIVE. J ' •• i A HAND TO HAND STOUGGLE. KNIVES USED INSTEAD OF BIFLES, (Received Last Night, 5.5 o'clock.) BELGRADE, October 26. The Turks began a n offensive move- r meot at Kumanao, attacking the Servian positions five wiles' distant on Wednesday afternoon. The battlefield was shrouded in a fog, and by the dust. The Turkish onslaught wa-s checked, with severe loss on both sides. At 1 o'olock in the morning tho | Servians approached the Turkish entrenchments, and fought for two j hours. 1 At daylight .the' Servian artillery < covered the general advance. The country was open, and the forces were exposed to a heavy fire. Nevertheless they stormed the Turkish earthworks repeatedly, driving out the Turks, A hand to hand combat'took place. Many dropped their rifles, and used knives. The Servians, before noon, had cleared Libovkas Valley and Kumanovo, the Turks withdrawing for fifteen kilometres. The Servian artillery annihilated, three squadrons of cavalry. The Servians lost many officers killed. The Turkish 'officers wounded included a German. The Turks attempted to retake Novi Bazar, but were practically annihilated.

After several days' manoeuvring the Bulgarians completely surrounded that force. Despite the Turkish courage, the Bulgarians rushed earthworks' after earthworks upon the fort 'that crowned the hill. The sheaves of dead made the progress slow. Finally the Turkish courage collapsed, and Kirk Kilissch fell.

Thfti'e was plenty of evidence of the use of the sword and bayonet. Marfy famished Turks were found at Kirk Kilisseh, indicating an insufficient transport. LACK OF TURKISH ENTHUSIASM. MISRULE AND DISTRUST. _ ■ • RESERVISTS FOR-CIBLY EN.t;X- ROLLED. i (Recejved Last Night, 5.5 o'clock.) ' „ LONDON, October 26. Tlui Daily Telegraph's Constantinople correspondent refers to the lack of Turkish enthusiasm, owing to misrule and distrustfuliiess between the old and young Turks. Asiatic reservists, in recent months, ordered from Albania, Tri~ poli and other parts, have lost heart. The Howja-s and priests have worked up some enthusiasm at Stamboul, but even there the Turks have to be forcibly enrolled. M;yny wealthier citizens are paying the exemption fee. SERVIAN CAPTURE. (Received Last Night, 5.5 o'clock.) BELGRADE, October 26. Servians have captured Vuchitur.

NEWSPAPER COMMENT. TURKEY'S INTEGRITY AT , . STAKE. (Received Last Nieht, 5.5 o'clock.) VIENNA, October 26. i The fail of Kirk Kilisseh and the demoralisation of the Turks have mad© profound impressions. Influential newspapers declare that the Powers claim that Turkish integrity cannot be uphold. The Neu Frei Presse says the status quo has been shaken, and the powers cannot insist on confining the victors to their former limits. The Zeit says that Europe must accommodate itself to revolutionary changes in the Near East. The Foreign Officer, through the Werner Gazette, declares that Russia and Austria will inform the Balkan Icings, at the right time, that Turkey's j, integrity must not be touched. | The Reichepost says .that the stai tus quo in the Balkans is dead, and 'no diplomatio skill can revive it. I Austria lias neither the power nor ithe mission to prevent Turkey's collapse. The newspaper hopes that it may,-be possible to reconcile Austria's J interests with the Balkan expecta- [ tions.

BULGARIAN ADVANCES. OCCUPY THREE FORTS. (Received Last Night, 5.5 o'clock.) SOFIA, October 26. The Bulgarians hav« captured, 1)0-' •sides the railway station outside Adrianople, three forts a-t Manash, with eighteen hundred prisoners ; Havaras. north-west; and Lnffilar, north-east of the city. The Bulgarians have also occupied Petchevo. THE KIRK KILISSEH FIGHT. A TERRIFIC STRUGGLE. TURKS SUSTAIN HEAVY LOSSES. (Received Last Night, 5.5 o'clock.) LONDON, October 26. The bombardment caused a conflagration at Kirk Kilisseh. A terrific struggle took place in the vineyards northwards of the- town, where the Bulgarians entered, and became masters of the situation after an hour's street fighting. Tliey pursued the retreating Turks, whoso losse-s numbered sixteen thousand.

COMMANDER'S SON TAKEN PRISONER. (Received Last Night, 5.5 o'clock.) CONSTANTINOPLE, October 26. Ahmed Pasha, a son of Mukbtar Pasha, the Turkish commander of Kirk Kilisseh, was taken prisoner, AGGRESSIVE BULGARIANS. NEARING ADRIANOPLE. THE FALL OF KIRK KILISSEH. (Received Last Night, 5.5 o'clock.) SOFIA, October 26. Tu tfo# fighting at Yurush, near Adrianople, the Turks lost thres hundred killed, fir* hundred prisoners, thre» quickfirers, and tw»!r» ammunitio* waggons. The Bulgarians hare reached Kara-dt-oh, withi* threw a»d a half vilct of Adriasopl*. Their bombardaiaat set fiv« t« * j»#rti«a »f th® «tsr.

DEFENDERS AT SKUTARI. RETR.EATING SOUTHWARDS. (Received Last Night, 5.5 o'clock.) VIENNA, October 26. A portion of the defenders at Skutari are withdrawing to the Abrina. Heights. Tbf» Montenegrins three batteries at Tarabosoh. THREE DAYS' FIGHTING. HEAYY TURKISH LOSSES. (Ttaeeired Lust Night, 5.5 o'clock.) 'BELGRADE, October 26. Reports of the fighting; around KumanoTo state that the Serrian main annr was engaged against 25,000 Turk# for thre» days' continuous figlit»Bf. T&'« Grown Prin#» Alexander led fk* B»rriams, wk» tapiitiret) twtlr*

guns and an enormous amount <oif ammunition. .■ i It is'reported that the Turkish, losses numbered 5000.' ■ ! 1 PRISONERS OF BANK. (Received Last Night, 5.5 o'clock.);. LONDON, October 26. The Central News Agency states that Mukhtir Pasha and Prince Aboul Halim were taken prisoners at Kirk Kilisseh. . • • i ■ •. INEFFICIENT CAVALRY. HAMPERS BULGARIANS. DISSENSION IN TURKISH RANKS (Received Last Night, 5.5 o'clock.) LONDON, October 26. ] The Times' Sofia correspondent sta- | tes that the endeavour of the Bui- J garians to cut off the retreat to Con- j stantinople of Abdullah com-mander-in-chief of the Turkish Army, has been hampered by inefficient cavalry. Interest centres in Abdullah Pasha rather than in Nozim Pasha, Turkish Minister for War, who assumed control, on the indications of a coming great battle. .

The Turks' organisation is inferior, and the artillery does not compare ivith that of the Allies. The Turks are also deficient in transport equipment and feeding arrangements, and there is A deficiency of horses. The Redif regiments are badly under officered, and it is rumoured that there are grave' differences between Ntuim Pasha and Abdullah Pasha. ASSISTANCE FOB TURKS. FROM MOSLEMS IN INDIA.' i (Received Last Night, 5.5 o'clock.) SIMLA, October 26. Moslems in the chief centres of India, including Delhi and Bombay, have subscribed £15,000 to the Red descent Fund to assist the Turks. GERMAN OPINION. (Received Last Night, 5.5 o'clock.) BERLIN, October 26. In official quarters the belief is expressed that the Powers could intervene after the first decisive battle;