The Press. Monday, October 16, 1916. The Balkan Drama.

Press, Volume LII, Issue 15722, 16 October 1916, Page 6

The Press. Monday, October 16, 1916. The Balkan Drama.

Tho t;reat war drama which is being enacted in the Balkans is being followed liv the public with breathless attention, and with £ood reason. The

enemy is concentrating every effort on the attempt io inflict a crushing defeat on Iloumania. The Germans are not only inspired by the deepest hatred of the Tioumanians for having ?ntered into the war against >ut they have the strongest material

reasons for straining every nerve to avert the success of tlie Allies in the Balkan theatre. They realise that if they lose their railway communication with Constantinople—the ''Balkanzug" —they must, as M. Basileseo pointed out in his speech to the Roumanian Parliament, bid farewell to their dreams of the mastery of the Persian Gulf, the invasion of Russia from the south via Bessarabia, the control of the Black Sea. and perhaps a decisive victory in the East. Of more immediate importance to them is tho fact that not only will they be unable to secure the Roumanian stores of corn, petroleum, salt, timber, and other goods— which would be of priceless value to them just now—but tlmt with the cutting of communications they would be unable to continue to send supplies to Turkey, and the collapse of that country would be certain, while Austria would in all probability be unable to survive another winter of the war.

That tho position is not free from anxiety from the Allies' point of view is evident from the nature of tho appeal made by the King of Roumania, which wo publish to-day. Its very earnest language is nob altogether freo from a note of apprehension. Nevertheless we cannot belicvo that the Allies, having made one serious mistake in allowing Serbia to be overrun, are going to repeat the blunder on a larger scale by permitting Roumania to share tho same fate. They have had plenty of time to make their preparations, and it is known that those preparations are on a Very extensive scale. The troops assembled at Salonica and on tho Struma and Cerna fronts comprise not only Serbians, French, and British, but Albanians, Italians, and Russians. , Tho last-named, there is reason to believe, are being sent in large numbers to this field of action, and to their co-operation wo attach tho utmost importance. In tho first place they are of fine quality physically, and splendid fighters. The first detachment landed on July 30th.' Mr Ward Price, describing their disembarkation, says that— *

"When the men were drawn up, with thoir young, active-looking general at their v head, with bayonets fixed and white and gold standard unfurled, their quality was even more apparent. Splendid 'troupes do choc,' a French Staff officer called them, and indeed tho charg'e of a line of long level bayonets, each with the momentum of its 13-stone owner behind it, must be a very formidable thing of its kind."

But tho moral effect of their presence in this theatre of war must not be overlooked. When they landed, almost their first action was to receivo tho benediction of tho Orthodox Church. As the "Spectator" points out, even tho iGreeks could not have looked on at this spcctaclo unmoved, or without pondering on the identity of their own and tho Russian communions. But when they como into hostilo contact with the Bulgarians, in the words of the journal from which we havo just quoted, we shall see "one of the "dramatic confrontations of historv":

"One wonders what the feelings of Bulgarians will bo who remember tho history of forty years-ago, when Russia sacrificed more than a hundred thousand men—huge losses in those days—and spent. £120,000,000 for the sake of tho Bulgarian people. Russia took up arms for Christian Bulgaria then in a passion of unselfish enthusiasm which carricd tho Russian people away."

It is difficult to believe that the Bulgarians can put their best strength into a battle on the same side as the Turks and against those to whom they l-eally owe their present existence as a nation. The Russians are directly helping the Roumanians in the Dobrudja, but the. assistance ihev arc giving in Macedonia. although les3 direct, is perhaps even more valuable. It is to be regretted that so much of the campaigning season has been allowed to pass away before bringing the struggle to a crisis. For the delay we have no doubt to thank the astute manoeuvres and intrigues of King Constantino of Greece. His latest and most dangerous feat has now apparently been foiled, and we look forward with hope to a great Allied effort on every front of this extraordinary but highly important theatre of war.