NOTES ON THE WAR.

Lyttelton Times, Volume CXVII, Issue 17264, 4 September 1916, Page 6

NOTES ON THE WAR.

The earlier reports of an Austrian intention to fortify and defend Hermannatadt- prove to have been unreliable speculation, for the enemy now announce* the evacuation of tho town. Tho defensive scheme thus involves a larger retreat than had been foreshadowed, and it looks as' if, in fact, tho Rumanian declaration of war had taken tho Central Powers by (surprise. If the Austrians had had warning of the Rumanian intention they should have been able to concentrate fairly rapidly, because the railway system of Transylvania is quite a good one strategically, and in that case the frontier screens would have offered a stiff resistance, if only to cover the assembling of the main forces. But apparently no use is being made of the Maros-Alt railway circuit, running parallel to the frontier, and the evacuation of Sepsi Szt. Gyorgy shows that no attempt will bo made to hold the upper Alt valley. This drastic retraction of tho Austrian and Hungarian advanced forces cannot have been duo to tho strength of the advancing Rumanians, because thero has been too little timo for the Rumanian strength to reveal itself, and the obvious explanation is that the enemy was holding Transylvania very weakly and that the frontier forces had no real support.

In these circumstances the abandonment of Transylvania could not be avoided, particularly with Rumanian columns operating across the Vulkan Bass and by the Iron Gate, .and with ,i. Kusso-Rumanian movement developing rapidly from tließukovina. Virtually the only serious opposition so far encountered by tho Rumanians has been in the Orsova region, where, apparently, a considerable concentration was speedily revealed. The Rumanians on this portion of tho frontier are threatening not only to break through tho mountain country into the Banat of Toinesvax, but also to march west by

the Danube towards Belgrade, and it will come as no surprise to find the principal operations of the campaign occurring in this area. The Iron Gate ii a littlo moro than ninety miles from Belgrade, and, consequently, from tho main enemy lino of communication with Bulgaria and Turkey, and a sudden Rumanian offensive from Orsova might even yet open the way for considerable cavalry raids.

Obviously it is to this danger zone that the enemy will first rush his troops, and it is to gain time for the concentration that tho forces on the frontier are now fighting. 'Hie Austrian communique admits a withdrawal to the west bank of the Cerna. after five days' fighting on the frontier, but so far the operations have not attained any great scale, and tho front affected is apparently not moro than ten or twelve miles. Across tho Danubo the country on the Serbian side is altogether too mountainous and difficult for ordinary military operations, though it lends itself to irregular campaigning. On i\\ Hungarian side, too, there are considerable ranges, but two important gaps, ono leading west and tho other north, would facilitate a Rumanian advance

Tho Banat, which so attracts Rumanian ambitions, is the area, bounded east by tho Transylvanian Alps, south by tho Danube, west by the Thciss and north by the Maros. It thus includes three considerable counties of Hungary. It lias been called a banat for'two centuries, but apparently was never actually governed by a "ban," a. banat being strictly a military district, generally a frontier zone. Dalmatia, Slavomia., Bosnia, and Croatia were all banats during the Turkish wars, and there is still a Ban of Croatia, though be is no longer a military, officer. The Banat of Teiuesvar is one of tho most fertile districts of Hungary. It grows wheat and all grain, flax, hemp, tobacco and grapes. Its mineral wealth is considerable and only partly developed, for it is an important coal area, and copper, tin. lead, zinc and iron are worked. Tho population numbers more than a million and a half, and in 1900, the latest year for which tho figures are available, there were some 600,000 Rumanians, the next most numerous section being tho Germans.

The only movement of military importance mentioned in tho messages from Macedonia is tho withdrawal of the Bulgarian right wing in tho Monastic district. Apparently tho rotrcat is proceeding rather rapidly now, becauso tho Sorbs claim to havo captured .a couple of guns, and hitherto there has been no reason to suppose that anything more than tho advanced screen of tho Serbian forces tvas in action. Tho Bulgarians bad pushed south between the Presba and Ostrovo lakes, threatening an advance to the Gulf of Salonika. But they were checked as soon as they reached the main Serbian positions, and now they aro being withdrawn without having really tested the strength of the defence. Tho Bulgarians can have no temptation to undertake an offensive campaign at the moment, with the threat of Russian and Rumanian attacks to tho north, and their policy, pending the arrival of reinforcements from Turkey, must be to establish themselves on the shortest, and strongest available front. Already, according to enemy reports, the Rumanians have occupied Rustclmk, but in view of tho doubt whether a stato of war exists between Rumania and Bulgaria it cannot be assumed that the Rumanians havo crossed the Danube. There is a simultaneous movement in Albania, where the Italians, long established at Avlona, are at last showing signs of activity, their immediate intention being presumably to occupy the highway that runs up the Viosa valley.

The Russian reports are exceptionally interesting, because they reveal an outburst of activity along a great front, extending from tho Stokhod to the Carpathians. Each sido is aparently willing to concede the other tho honour of having assumed the offensive on the Stokhod, but there is no doubt about tho position elsewhere. The Russians are attacking southwards from Brody. and the messages show that tho battle front is east of Zborov, on tho Tarnopol-Lemberg line, and then by Kosowa, ten miles east of Brzezany, across the Zlota Lipa to Maryampol. east of Haliez. There has been a fierce battle north of the Dniester, and heavy righting has occurred, also, to the south of tho river, tho Russians claiming the advantage. As an offensive on so wido a front will be sustained it is to be anticipated that the next day or two should bring news of definite results.