NOTES ON THE WAR.

Lyttelton Times, Volume CXVII, Issue 17263, 2 September 1916, Page 8

NOTES ON THE WAR.

The military position on the Rumanian frontier has not developed sufficiently yet to give any clear indication of the course of the campaign, lyit there are reports that Hermnnnstadt is to be defended by tho enemy, and the fighting west of the Vulkan Pass suggests, as would be expected, that tho Austrians propose to hold the frontier of tlie Banat if they can. Tho shortest front for tho Austrians would bo from tho Borgo Pass in tlie north to Hcrmannstndt and the Rototurm Pass in the Transylvanian Alps. This would necessitate holding the frontier everywhere west of the Rototurm, and as the Rumanians are already through tho Vulkan Pass it might appear that the Borgo-Hermannstadt line is already untenable. But in all probability tho Rumanian column that crossed tlie Vulkau and occupied Petrozery is a weak one, and tho enemy has tho advantage in being ablo to concentrate rapidly to meet the advance. It would bo absurd to expect a perfectly regular position to occur in ’the fitfst week of a. war, and until tho movements in progress develop in strength it would be unwise to attach too much importance to any one of them. In the case of tho Rumanian, advance by the Vulkan Pass it should bo remembered that an isolated column, unless it is a very strong one, is liable rather to suffer losses than to achieve any solid success when it is operating in the enemy’s country ; and to hold an advanced position the Petrozeny column would certainly have to be supported.

Attention is directed to this column particularly- because at the moment its advance eeoms to bo actually tho most significant fact of tho operations—much moro significant than tho occupation of Brasso. Tho Vulkan is nearly fifty miles west of the Rototurm, and a strong Rumanian advance by this route wcfuld threaten, a desceut into the valley of the middle Maros, cutting the direct linos of communication.

of Muhlbach and Hermannstadt and opening the way for a Rumanian invasion of tho Hungarian plain. Obviously, then, the Austrians are bemnd to meet it promptly, unless the Allied column happens to be merely a small, light force bent on raiding and not on permanent occupation. At tho present stage it cannot be. assumed that the Rumanians are pushing any great force through the Vnlkan Pass, and* if the enemy is- fortifying Hermannstadt the fact would raise a strong presumption that he is not disturbed by the niovement further to the west. Tn these circumstances the Rumanian hope is that the weakness of the enemy's army in Transylvania and tho Banat will enable tho Yulkan Pass column to secure the ground as it advances and that there will be time to organise the thrust in strength.

Apparently the Rumanians have already secured the Rotetunn Pass. Hermannstadt. which is the “Saxon” name, and which the Hungarians call Nngy-Szeben and the Rumanians Sibiu, is about eighteen miles north of the pass. Tho Saxons who settled in Transylvania in the .middle ages certainly had an eye to beauty iii the selection of their town sites, and Hermann of Nuremberg, who established this colony in the twelfth century, was no exception. Nngy-Szeben lies in the valley of the Cibin or Szeben, a tributary of the Ait. It is a city of some 30,000 people, prosperous, like Brasso, because of its proximity to the Rumanian frontier, but although it has always enjoyed a certain commercial importance it takes second place to .Brasso. It has mountains all round it, and .the country, of course, lends itself to defence, but as defensive works have hitherto been neglected the enemy will need time to consolidate tlio new lines'-

Tho futility of attempting to define tlio position in Transylvania is apparent as soon as the messages are examined. The official news is brief, and nowhere carries the advance beyond a few miles from tlio frontier. Unofficial reports credit tho Rumanians with more sensational progress, and it is even suggested that virtually no opposition is being encountered, as though tho Rumanians could sweep through Transylvania without check. But, except for the main column that crossed the Tomos Pass and occupied Brasso, it is scarcely likely that any considerable forces aro yet in motion anywhero on the enemy’s side of tho frontier, and in all probability tho affairs reported elsewhere have been confined to the frontier guards. The occupation of Brasso, moreover, was duo rather to tho fact'of the Austrian withdrawal than to any great demonstration of force by tho Rumanians, though it is likely that the Rumanians were rushed to the Tomos Pass as soon as war was declared.

The report that Bulgaria hnd declared war on Rumania was, it seems, premature, and tho messages on tho attitude of Bulgaria are still contradictory. Indeed, it is difficult to extract any definite fact from tho mass of speculation concerning the Balkan area. Ono correspondent gives currency to a rumour that King Constantine has fled from Greece, and another says that tho king will receive a Venezolist deputation. Still another writes in terms that imply Greek participation in the war on the side of the Allies. Any anticipation of Greek action would be dangerous. The army is notoriously divided in its sympathies, and the removal of tho pro-German commanders does not dispose of the whole difficulty. The anxiety of the Allies in Greece hitherto has been to secure themselves against interference or treachery, and until the situation becomes a little clearer one can only assume that that is still their aim.

Various correspondents have asked whether good maps of the Rumanian zone are available. A serviceable map of the southern portion of AustriaHungary, with Serbia, Montenegro and' portions of Rumania and Bulgaria was issued by Bartholomew and Ob. quite early in tho war, and a good many people who were keenly interested in following the initial operations acquired copies. They may be recommended now to search out their copies, for the map shows the whole of tho HungarianRumanian frontier, as well asf the lower Danube- The scale is only 31.5 milos to tho inch, it is true, but there is plenty of detail for ordinary purposes. Bartholomew’s subsequentSy issued an extension of this map, taking in Italy, Greece, Turkey in Europe and the whole of Rumania and Bulgaria, and a few copies of this large sheet ard still to be obtained locally.