THE BALKANS.

Hawera & Normanby Star, Volume LXXII, Issue LXXII, 25 October 1916, Page 5

THE BALKANS.

:<E©SS OF CONSTANZA

iSISiAGREEABLE BLOW TO .ROU-

MANIA

iDIFIigoiMES CONSIDERABLY IN-

■CREASEDi

- SERBS HELD UP BY BAD

WEATHER

<(Times Service.)

LONDON Oct: 24

■ Colonel Repington states that the .loss of.Constanza was due to reorganisation,of the German man power, reducing a number of battalions so as to ..make between 20 and 80 new divisions, thus enabling Field-Marshal yon Hih- • denburg to create new anti-RounianTaii • armies. General yon Mackensen's renewed advance indicates the arrival ■of important reinforcements, possibly -Turks.

The Dobrudja is not a vital theatre, wfout the loss.of Constanza is a disagree- . .able blow, as well as a tactful defeat-, limiting ' Russian a-ieinforcemfents, re■ducing Roumanian strength, and impairing Roumanian confidence.

The; Salonika offensive is only able to Jhelp Roumania indirectly. Russia alone can rdirect/ly succour, 4 arid General Alexjeff will do his utmost to counteract;..■-. yon Hindenburg's dangerous •schemes. : • ■','''.' . .'■■

The success of General yon Macken-

•sen's unexpected attack has renewed public anxiety as to Roumania's abil-

ity to counter the fierce Austa-o-Ger-man assaults. It is understood that 1 -General yon Mackensen now commands a third of the Bulgarian Army." A con---siderable aliening of Germans, ito- : gether with many Turks, ' has been

added- to'vit'eince^ General Maekensen's

Tevea-se :qi;September 20th.- After break-, ing "the , Russo-Roumanian ,lefb wing, capturing: the fortified centre of Topraisar, General yon Mackensen pushed •on instantly for fifteen miles, displaying the remarkable faculty for improving on a victory which is his chief-mili-

~tary virtue. He was thus able to throw ids army, within twenty-four hours, across the railway, cutting off , Constanza. It is feared that large stores ■of petroleum and cei;eals are stored in Constanza docks, which cover 150 acres, and are able to store seventy thousand •.■•tons' of grain. Constanza is also the

Tiearquarters of 757 Roumanian ■ merch/ant ships. ;

Tlie capture of the town means the idoss of the shortest line of cprnmunica- ;. tion between Bucharest and. Odessa via the Black Sea, and increases the difficulty of preventing the enemy crossing 1 ■the Danube and. cutting the Russian land communication with Bucharest.

, Othei"" Russo-Roumaniari difficulties ; arise from the fact that the artny can■saot retreat northward, because it is ■vital to keep in contact with Ceriioyada bridge, which is the sole means of communication across they. Danube to Bucharest. , \

General PohVanoff, formerly Russian War Minister, is joining the Roumanian headquarters.

If Genera,! yon Maekenseh hems, : the IRusso-Roumanians into the smalt semicircle of teriritory before Cernavoda, the Roumanians will find the bridgehead very costly to defend against the conditions of "modern artillery fire. If a aretreat is eventually necessary the passrage oi the bridge will bo an operation frauglft with the utmost danger. The fact, that 'General' yon Mackensen claims no prisoners indicates that the "Roumanians have retreated beyond the railway in accordance with their plan. There is stubborn fighting on the other Hounianian fronts, but only in the ttorthwn sector is a tendency to di*ive l>ack the e^emy" apparent. ■ General yon., v /Falkenhayn's troops liave a footing on the Rounmnian side •of at Yeast five passes; It is estimated -that yon Falkenhayn has 14 divisions in Transylvania.

It is noteworthy that the AustroHungarian^ war ' correspondents in Transylvania continually insist on the difficulties confronting General yon Falkenhayn, and say that snowfalls may •delay his advance. Roumania is able -to draw on Russian reiriforc.emen-ts, and Central Powers must be satisfied if ■the enemy is kept out of Hungary.

Mr Ward Price, in a communication 'from Salonika, states that the break in the weather came unfortunately for iihe Serbians. After they captured Brod and-Veliselo they reached the crest of the hills, a league from Cerna. capturing trenches. on the mountain side. They finally surrounded an important redoubt, but- the rain became a deluge, preventing further attacks. The delay is regrettable for many reasons, as the Serbians had begun to widen the 'breach of the enemy line, and it is now difficult to send up supplies. Besides this, it has given the enemy time to "bring .up reinforcements.