THE TRAP

Evening Star, Issue 16237, 5 October 1916, Page 6

THE TRAP

OAST MACKENSEN ESCAPE? IN DEADLY PERfL. QUICKNESS EVERYTHING. THE SOUTHERN ADVANCE. [By Ciuwcus,] Petrograd reports that a groat battle is proceeding in the Dobrudja. Mackensen is being attacked north, west, and south•ROßt, and by the fleet on the east. It is declared that he would have commenced a retreat to the Ru&-tchuk-Varna line, but the rains have converted the country into a vest swamp. This is Important, if tore, for, while it will hinder the withdrawal by tho enemy of their immense maos of heavy guns and transport, it will not hinder tho passage of the Danube by the Rumanians, upon the quickness of which the success of tho whole attempt to bag Mackensen depends. All the authorities agree that- the enemv axe in deadly peril, and if the Ruseo-Rumanioiis take full advantage of their opportunity there can be no dispute about that. Berlin makes the significant admission: “ Repeated enemy attacks from the TopraisarTuzla lino failed.” Now, Tuzla Is only 15 miles south of Oonstanza, and as the German claim implies that their own line is not far south of Tuzk, it is probable that Mlackensen. is even further up in the Dobrudja than the Sili&triarMangaLia line, shown in yesterday’s map; so the RussoRumunian chances of making a big haul W excellent. Bucharest reports that the enemy are being attacked violently along the whole line, but no claim of driving them back is made. These are pinnimrdown attacks, however. It ia not desired to compel Mackensen to retreat vet eo much as to hold him there in older to give the Rumanian force crossing the Danube behind him as much time as possible. But the Eusso-Rumanians must be determined not to allow themselves to bo held by a more rearguard while the main body of tho enemy retreats south. F« this reason the attacks should be pressed with ruthless determination, and 1 MaokenOiii compelled to chooao between, holding hi.s prosont lino with hia main body oi’ having his rearguards driven back in headlong rout. LARGE AMBITIONS WANTED. One of the later cables yesterday made the extraordinary statement: ‘“French experts At ate that the Rumanians, under General Zee ton, crossed the Danube SO miles south of Bucharest, and are now solidly entrenched in their new positions.” Why solidly entrenched? This is no time lor entrenching, but for a very swift crossing followed by a very swift advance. To entrench would only be useful and. necessary in oroer to cover a slow' crossing. But a slow crossing would not- onlv allow Mackensen. to slip out of tho not, but would invito him to close upon that part of the army already across and drivo it into the river. Whit axe wonted here are large ambitions. The Rnsso-Rumaniaas liave an almost unparalleled opportunity. When the Germans invaded France-through Belgium they were ambitious enough no attempt to envelop and roll up the entire nll-.ed army by marching right round it, and they almost succeeded The Russo-Ruma-mans have net got, to march right round Mackensen. They are already right on hb -ca-i, and only need to march swiftly across his communications. It i® not t.iinkablo that they wil throw away so unique a chance of cutting Maclcensen to p.eces, and practical]v deciding tho Balkan campaign and the swift fall of Constantinople at one stroke, merely through want of foresight in preparing for a- swift crossing of tiie Danube. ONLY FORESIGHT NEEDED. To provide for that swift orosak* only energy and foresight are required. A Berlin communique claims: ”Austro-Ger-in.-m monitors destroyed pontoons thrown a; row tho Danube south of Bucharest.” iiere we have tho testimony of the- enemy that pontoon, bridges are already in poefuoi). and to ensure a swift crossing it is only necessary to 1.-.avo enourii of them, ids Russo-Rumaniau plane shov’d have been worked out to a detail, so many hours being allowed for tho crossing, t rom that it would bo easy to calculate the numoer of pontoons required t-o puss over the given force within tho given time, -.nose pontoons are merely square, boxliko kyats, nothing being required of them tavo the capacity to float upor the water and cany a considerable load. The beams apl pranks kid a ross them are also of the simplest kmd of joinery, and any lareo, well-equipped joinery shop should be able t;> -um tibAin out by thousands -in a very sliort time. Both Russia and 'Rumania ore well-wooded countries. Rumania has teen preparing- for this for two years, and tho possibility of having to * CI - o£4 tha Danube should always Imvo berm kept in vjavv by bar military organises*; while tho Rus so -Rum an i ans have hud a month or f,?,. to . P r -:P a re for this particular move, the l~uis in 1677 proticu'd againgt such, raids as Unit mentioned above ny tines of mir.oa acroes tho river above and below tho point of crossing, and the 1 {uaso-Rumain ar. s have now an abundance of monitors and river gunboats. In addition, heavy artillery can bo placed on the banks to drivo oif would-be interrupters of the passage, bo there can be no excuse ler Si tuow crossing, AND THEN? Thera ia a railway bridge across the river at. Rustchuk, a few miles south-west of_ tho present point, of crossing and to £eize that should bo on.- of the host moves oi the Rumanians. One or two of its ipans near the Bulgarian shore will dcubt-kr-i have been destroyed, but the stono mors will probably xema-m. end if the Russo-Humanians have shown tho roquirito foresight they will 'have wooden sections cd ready to float into position to replace the destroyed sections upon tho 3h.-o.as piers, art Simuitza, 20 miles fun,her up mo river, tho Ruarians constructed in 1&77 acomplete wcodon bridge risht across tho 111 favo days, althougn. the work was itcqiveuUy interrupted by Dorms: so to repair- the already existing bridge should not, toko long, if prepor fcivsrgat has been displayed. When that is complied tiro nrury will hove the use of tiro RustohukVama railway for its advance across Maokeaaen’s coiuxnimi-cations, while Mac-ken-s--n hiirueif will have no railways, but. will have to drag buck his ht-avy gurw and transport over roads deep in mud. If the Russo-Rumaniau advance li> swift, -t ia not likely that much dom-rgs will have been done to the railway, and ouch damage as Ms been done can bo swfitly repaired. .In short, tire Kusjo-Kumaimne have an unprecedented opportunity, and if they take full advantage of it Niaokvn-s-cn can hardly re capo with any thins long than tire loss oi tho mats of hi? li-snvy guns and transport, w-hilo his rinu may Do complete. If they, do not take advantage of it, this will argue an amazing lack of energy, enterprise, and forethought. 11INDENBURG NOT SHINING. While Kindenburg’s firat lieutenant is in the oircat peril ru me Dobrudja, and it is becoming imperative that Kindenburg should strike if he hopes to intervene effectively on bahaU of Bulgaria, there are aa yet no signs of an actequats oountsratroke. On tho contrary, Berlin admits that the Austro-Germans have bean driven back north of Fogaras and west of the Rotenturm Pass. This is an admission that they exaggerated their success near Hermannstadt, and are themselves getting the '.verst of it. Bucharest claims: “Our counter-attack in the mountains on tho right bank of the .Alt is progressing.” This Is au allusion to that counter-stroko down the valley of the Alt {or Aluta) from the I direction of Fogaras, which was forecastedhero as soon as tho news of tho Hermanaifiadt' battle cams to hand. Tho enemy aro delivering strong attacks towards the Vulcan Pass and Ore-ova, which have been repulsed thus far; while on the northern front tho Rumanians claim to ho successfully advancing. The position in Transylvania is that the Rumanians are succesa.fully holding the en-yjay on their Wajr

lacbian frontier and advancing vregtward from thsir Moldavian frontier. This is the strategy eevorai times sketched out *«• by which they will gam control of ju va s the Maros, Nagy Kuknllo, Anita, and other rivers running to ths south-west, and bo able to reply by conn* tfr-strokea down them to any* moves by the enemy against Wallaohia by the Vulcan Pass or Hermannstadt, MOVEMENT IN THE SOUTH. Thinge are moving somewhat on the southern Bulgarian iront. The British have made some progress east of the Struma, while towards Monastir the Bui* gariaaa have abandoned their positions on the river Brod and are retreating north, as they themselves admit. The Serbians have occupied Sovio, and the French Petorac and vrbenie. The Allies are now only about 10 miles from Monastir. Once that place is captured and elbow-room secured our progress should be rapid, especially as pressure Is now being put upon Bulgaria from the north. Another matter of interest is the nows of the occupation of the port of Santa Quaronta, on the Albanian coast, by the Italians, and of the towns of Del vino and Argyro-Castro inland. Delvino stands on the carriageable road whjch runs from Janta Quaianta, through Greek territory, to Monastir, and its oocupation indicates that the Italians intend to make use of that road. But they will have to be quick if they intend to intervene effectively against Bulgaria, as they have over 10J xaiks to go to reach Monastir, over mountainous country. THE WESTERN FRONT. We have now captured the whole of Eaucourt I’Abbaye, and the French have seised an important trench to the north of Rancourt. Apart from those items there is little news from the western front. Mr Philip Gibbs is rather puzzled bv the enemy’s tactics on the Somme, and suspects that they are making a gradual withdrawal ; but fails to sav whether he means a tactical or strategical withdrawal. The tactical withdrawal is evident, lire enemy cannot help thcmeelvee. Thera ought to be a strategical withdrawal also, because it becomes daily nioro apparent that Kindenburg cannot hold his present length of lino and give effective aid to Bulgaria, lot ho should be fully aware of \what is going to happen to the Central Powers when the Balkans are conquered and Constantinople occupied, by the Allies.