GETTING TO GRIPS.

Evening Star, Issue 15929, 8 October 1915, Page 6

GETTING TO GRIPS.

ENEMY ENTER SERBIA. THE BEDCHAMBER PLOT. ALLIES PUSH FORWARD. BULGARIA THREATENING. MORE PRESSURE. [By Cbitxous.] A certain amount of light is thrown upon King Constantine’s action by a message from Berne, which asserts 'that ,he protested against the action of M. Venezelos in extending the Gneco Serbian Treaty to include Bulgaria’s ally attacking Serbia. King Constantine has one of those minds which are unable to grasp the obvious deduction that if Germany should first crush Serbia and then join hands with Bulgaria this would be as fatal to Greece as if Bulgaria did the business. M. Venezelos, with the clear insight of a real statesman, sees that tile essence of the matter lies in keeping Serbia on her feet and holding Bulgaria in check. But the King has found some shadovv of an excuse for a treacherous line of conduct, and is able, for the moment, to give effect to his secret proGerman proclivities. M. Venezelos is displaying his usual calmness and clear-headedness, and promises to support the new coalition Government if they maintain the mobilisatipn. With a majority of 40 he is master of the situation so long as his supporters remain loyal. If his policy is carried cutin effect, he will be content to waive the right to personally superintend its execution. A BEDCHAMBER PLOT. No doubt King Constantine lias endured many sleepless nights of late. Queen Sophia, who is a . sister of the Kaiser, will have told him very often during the silent watches exactly what she thinks of his conduct. What with wifely scoldings and the promptings of his own pro-German instincts, and of his personal spite against M. Venezelos, the King has plucked up courage to attempt the overthrow of his powerful Minister. H the M. Zaimis mentioned as the new Premier is M. Alexander Zaimis, the method of action is clear, M. Alexander Zaimis is the son of a former Prime Minister, and has himself twice been, nominally at least, the leader of the Greek Chamber. He is a man of ample private means, and lias a considerable following in his native town nf Kalyvryta, The name “Zaimis” indicates that the family once held a zaim or fief during the days of Ottoman iu!t\ On the retirement of Prince George irom the High Commissionership of Crete, M. Zaimis was appointed by the late King George to succeed bis son. He seems to have been fairly successful in the capacity of High Commissioner, He is said to be a man of scholarly tastes and retiring disposition, and when not engaged in public work to divide his time between study and fishing. The significance of his appointment lies in the°fact that he has been a follower of M Venezelos Doubtless it is hoped that he ' • e cnn- y him a section ot that staternan’s followers. That remains to be tested when the new Ministiy face the Chamber. To convert a majority of 40 into a minority would necessitate the transference of 21 votes, the most probable outcome of the present situation is that the coalition Government will carry out the policy of M Venezelos under the eye of that statesman, who will not make trouble so long as they do what he tolls them. NO TURNING BACK. Bulgaria is said,to intend to support Kiim Constantine’s action by not atUckiuo nCrbia and contenting herself with lidding a strong (Serbian force inactive. Such a course of action will suit the purpose of the Allies fairly well now that thev are firmly established at Salonika. Thev'mnst rush m more troops as rapidly as possible until they have an army there sufficiently strong to deal with Bulgaria. In this connection it is gratifying to note that tfie unanimous opinion of tho Allies favors pushing forward. If the now roc,! 0 !! Goveril ment carry out their poliev faithfully and mass their forces on the Bulgarian frontier roadv u> strike at ouce if Bulgaria should" attack Serbia and if the forces of the Allies Landed at j.a.oniKa are pushed up the Vanlar ValJcy to Krivolak and Uskub in order to ,L p uard the Serbian communications then the Serbians should be able to mass the ddk ot their forces to meet the AustroGermans.

It t-liouk'l be borne in mind that no trifling force will bo needed bv the enemy to crush .Serbia. The l ns {. „ s . tnan invasion is said to have been carned by 500,000 men. of whom cnetnncl failed to return heme. As Serbia ts r.ow ntueh stronger than .she wns then with a war-hardened armv led by experienced generals, practised in the tactics and strategy of (hat. region, and holding lines thoroughly prepared bv many months of hard work in anticipation of the present contingency, we may reasonably hope that half'a niillion men tvill be required to overcome her. It is difficult to see where the cncmv will t-et them from, a, s the Allies are takino- steps to ensure that neither their eastern nor their western front shall be seriously weakened without grave danger. In connection with Bulgaria's proposal to detain a large Serbian force inactive, it may be remembered that she did this during previous Austrian invasions. Large forces of Serbians had to ho detained in the Vardar Valley to watch Bulgaria, but this did not prevent Serbia from routing the Austrians. And the Greek armv was not then mobilised, nor had an allied”force been landed at Salonika. The name of the general commanding that force, by the way, is not to bo given to us. It is known to the enemy, hut the subtly thinking Censor has concluded that it would be harmful to the national interests that we should know. With what wonderful intelligence arc the destinies of nations guided ! “ LETTING US KNOW.

Iho closeness of our own Censor stands out, in glaring contrast with the childlike candor of the Censor at Vienna. From that place we are informed that the Aus-tro-Gcrman concentration on the Serbian frontier has been completed. German officers are in command, and 60,000 Austrians have been detached to attack Klenak, which is on the Save, nearly 40 miles west of Belgrade, and on the eastern border of the salient portion of Serbian territory known ns the Matchva. We are further' told that 1, on Mackensehs annv has been enabled to leave the Pripet mar.sb.es and retire cast of Brost-Litovsk, and a portion of his ai-my has gone to Serbia, When Von Macke risen retires the Russians will be tho first to know, and are not likely to make a secret of the matter. The reason for sending out such gossip about tho dispositions of the AustroGe.rman. forces is not clear.

From Berlin cornea the official intelligence that large Teutonic forces have crossed the rivers Dvina, Save, and Danube into Serbia. These three rivers form the boundaries of tlrat rather salient portion of Serbian territory which is contiguous to the Austrian frontier. The Drina, which bounds it on the west, is a tributary of the Save, which, again, is a tributary of the Danube, and flows into the latter river near Belgrade. The Save and the Danube form the northern boundary of Serbia. The crossing of the three nvers indicates that the northern salient is to be attacked on all sides, the procedure which was followed in the preceding invasions. It will probably be found that the enemy have crossed the Drina from Bosnia, at Liubovia, Loznitza, and Leshnitza. In the north the Save will probably be crossed at .Shabatz and Obrenovatz, while the Damibe will be crossed further east, hrih a. yiow to an advance up the valley

of the Morava River in the direction of Nish, tile present .capital of Serbia. Probably there will also b© another crossing still further east, with a view to striking in the direction of Widdin, in order to join hands with the Bulgarians. It is doubtful if the Serbians will attempt to resist the crossing or defend the more northerly portion of the salient. They will probably fall back further to a previously prepared and more defensible line. BULGARIA TAKES A HAND. Relations between Bulgaria and the Entente Powers have been broken off, and the Serbian Minister at Sofia, has also asked for liis passports. Concurrently with the news that the Austro-German invasion of Serbia has begun comes the intelligence that the Bulgarians are massing large bodies of troops at Strumitza, with a view to tlireatening the railway from Salonika to Nish. Strumitza is in the extreme south-west corner of Bab gariau territory, whore a very pronounced salient is formed between Serbian and Greek territory. It is a somewhat dangerous place in which to mass a large array, but it has the advantage of being within a few miles of the Salonika railway, which there passes quite close to the Bulgarian border. It is because of this danger that the allied forces arc to be pushed up u> Ghevgheli as quickly as possible, in order to guard the railway. Glievglioli lies on the Gi'ieco-Serbian border where the railway from Salonika to Nish crosses, about 25 miles south of Strumitza.

iho strategical situation looks very complicated, but Uie course in front of the Allies will bo quite simple if their heads are clear and the Greek Government loyal to their engagements. The Germane, are assuring Greece that Serbia will not be attacked by Bulgaria until she has been crushed by the Austro-Gennans. Though tliis will not Iks of much consolation to a cireek statesman with a grain oi' common sense, the policy of the Allies is clearly indicated thereby. Let Serbia mass the bulk of her forces aginst the Austro-Ger-mans, leaving only a body of troops to watch tire Bulgarians sufficient to guard against surprise. Let the Allies guard the Serbian rear and communications, carefully abstaining from attacking Bulgaria until they have assembled very large forces. Bub let them send to the Serbians such reinforcements as they can spare. American doctors declare that the Serbian army is in splendid physical condition, and that typhus has been banished. So with aid U'om the Allies it should bo able to hold the enemy in check. The Greek army should be mobilised, and any overt act of hostility by the Bulgarians against Serbia will call that army into the field. Our resources are developing hand over hand, and the passage of time will enable us to mass large forces in the Balkans. So if we can merely bold the enemy in check fur the_next few months all will be well. Bulgaria emphatically denies the presence of German officers in her army. It is, indeed, difficult to conceive why she should put her army under the control of German officers, seeing that she has an abundance of well-trained and experienced officers of her own. MORE PRESSURE.

Evidently the Allies are realising the necessity of pressing the enemy on all fronts. Another French offensive has developed in the Champagne country near the edge of the Western Argonne. The village of Tahure was captured, and the summit of the hills in the neighborhood. The place is about three miles north-west of Ville-sur-Tourbe, and only about a mile and a-half Irom the lateral railway running behind the German position in Champagne. The French will be able now to command the railway with their artillery. Progress has been made on the Navarin Farm, and 1,000 prisoners have already been counted. A terrific bombardment is in progress The Russians also are pressing. Tho Germans claim that Russian attacks on a large scale between Lakes Drisjwiatz and Krews were repulsed ; but it is admitted that the Russians were “ temporarily successful” at Kosjany, and south, of the Wishniew Lake. The town and lakes in question lie to the north-east of Dvinsk. At Pelrograd it is hold, with justice, that the bottom has fallen out of the great German offensive against Russia. Only on the Dvinsk front are the Germans showing their old energy and tenacity. General Von Relow has mounted Bin guns against Dvinsk, but the place is holding out, although only protected by earthworks. It is probably because it is only protected by earthworks that it is holding out. Such works do nob offer the same target to the enemy’s big guns as tbo massive permanent works so dear to the heart of tho average military engineer.