RUMANIA'S ERROR

Dominion, Volume 10, Issue 3038, 27 March 1917, Page 6

RUMANIA'S ERROR

-FRENCH ADMIRAL'S STORY.

Admiral Fournier, formerly Chief af{ the French' Navy, who recently returrn ed-from a visit to Rumania and Rus-; sia, wrote an interesting article in _the> "Matin" on his views of the situations The Admiral points out that while irt 1 France the intervention of Rumania)' was regarded as of great importance/ there was at the time a'-: disposition in Russia to- welcome it" with some reserve from the purely military point of view. So long as Rumania re-' iVmined neutral, General Brusiloff was able to carry. on his offensive with the left flank of the Russian line covered by Wallachia and the Dobrudja.

The Russians expected that the Rumanians, when they intervened, would maintain a' firm defensive ,in vania, and employ their main forces for a massed attack upon the Bulgarians, who were necessarily handicapped by the fact, that the Allies at Salouika wero holding up an important part of their armies.

This plan (the Admiral says) was indeed the one formulated by" General Averescu," but unfortunately other counsels' prevailed,. and it was discarded in favour of an .offensive in Transylvania. Rumania, turning her back on her principal enemy, weakened her position -by driving back ; the Hungarians and enlarging her fronts, until met by the strong-. German reinforcements, ■ when she had to regain her own. frontiers, and in her retreat suffered the loss of much valuable artillery. The Russians thereupon found it necessary to interrupt General Brusiloff'J offensive in order sto reinforce the Rumanians, .biit thoy were able~to cover their flank in"' "Wallachia and their rear in the Dobrudja rapidly' enough' to hold up tho invaders.