TRAPPING MACKENSEN

North Otago Times, Volume CIV, Issue 13693, 7 October 1916, Page 5

TRAPPING MACKENSEN

FURIOUS FIGHTING IN THE DOBRW RUMANIANS ACROSS THE DANUBE DRAMATIC SURPRISE FOR TRE HU.' RUSSIAN HAMMER STRIKES DESPERATE FIGHTING IN GALICIA BRILLIANT SUCCESSES IN THE BALKANS SERBS MARCHING ON MONASIIR (Pe? CaWe-Presi JUsociation—Copyrigbt.) TRAPPING MACKENSEN'S ARMIES RUMANIAN CROSSING OP THE DANUBE, VIOLENT FIGHTING IN THE DOBRUDJA, (Australian and New Zealand Cable Association.) LONDON, October 5, In view of the lull on the Somme, interest is now concentrated on the Balkan situation, particularly the positions in Rumania. Latest Bucharest telegrams .deny that Austrian monitors destroyed Ik Rumanian pontoon bridge across the Danube, and state that tho passage o[ troops, nniiiilioiis apd stores eontiniies, The, battle in the Dohrndja is increasing in violence, .with enormous enemy losses. ' ■ (Renter's Telecrams.) » ~! LONDON, October 5.--The Rumanians barn 'penetrated fifty miles .intoiNqtf.th.enn, Transylvania, CONTRADICTORY REPORTS PROM ENEMY SOURCES. REPORTED FAILURE OF. DANUBE CROSSING. (Australian and New Zealand Cable Association.) AMSTERDAM, October 5. ••■ ' The Frankfurter Zeitung says that only scattered forces of Rumanians are now south of the Danube. The remainder, two " ' divisions, have been forced to re-cross in boats. (Reuter's Telegrams.) AMSTERDAM, October 5. ;A- Bulgarian communique claims that Bulgarian columns from • Rustchulc and Turtulcai surrounded and destroyed Rumanian battalions, which had crossed the Danube at Rahano without artillery. (Australian and New Zealand Cable Association.) • ; T' ; , LONDON, Octoebr 5, :. A-German communique says:— . - The Rumanians have retreated behind Sincn in the Alt Valley, and also further north, after fruitless efforts in Ihe' Hatszeg mountains. On both sides of the Stroll Valley the enemy is withdrawing to the frontier heights. I ' The Rumanians gained ground near Orsova, and the enemy is-withdrawing to the frontier heights. i The Rumanians gained ground near Orsova, and the enemy holds the Nidy Planina height.

;; _. _ : RUMANIANS SURPRISE BULGAR-GERMANS, ' ] BRILLIANT STROKE ACROSS THE DANUBE, t •;;••';' BULGARIA'S LYING COMMUNIQUES. ' ' ' (Australian and New Zealand Cable Association.) Received October 6, 9.5 p.m. ':'■ . ; LONDON, October 6, •■ Mr Hilaire Belloc, writing in "Land and Water," points outttiat the Rumanians surprised Marshal von Mackensen by unexpectedly crossing the Danube Marshes and utilising the belts of sand-banks amid the meres and sand-banks to form a natural causeway, uniting" the villages to Migil and Ploranda. The: magazines at Bucharest are only an hour's railway journey. .: „The Rumanians were able to secretly pile up munition stores. It; was a hazardous experiment, but the approach to the .Danube is.masked by a belt of marshy woodland. Thus von Mackensen was. ignorant of the concentration until the Rumanians were • across the Danube by means of the islands. They now hold the . bridgehead near Raihovo. The Bulgarians, realising the effect . 'pf the news of von Mackensen's danger upon Greece and other neutrals, published a lying communique, claiming to have dispersed fifteen Rumanian battalions at Raihovo. Meanwhile there is excellent news of General jSnrrai.l's offensive to ;, re-conquer Serbia. The British are threatening the. enemy railway communications between Rupel and Seres.. The Serbians , on;'the right, .French in the centre, and Russians on the left •.. continue to advance within five miles of Monnstir, before which 'the Bulgarians, occupy.a line of defences. After the Bulgar • - counter-attacks had been broken, the Serbian:advance assumed the character of a pursuit. They have already regained.2so square kilometres of Serbian territory, '_.,_ , J\"

VOtf MAOKENSEN IN DEADLY F3RH> ; CAN ins FORCES BE TRAPPED? Petrogrntl reports that a great ibatlle in proceeding in tho Dobnulj.i, Maekcnsen is being; attacked north, went, and south-west, and by the fleet ' on the. east, It is declared that he would have commenced, a. retreat to tho Rustchuk-iVarna line,''but'the rains have converted ■ the country into a vast swamp, This is important, says "Criticns" in The Diinedin Evening Star, if true, for, while it .will hinder the withdrawal Iry.the enemy of their immense mass 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 the whole attempt to bag Maekcnsen depends, All the authorities agree that 'the enemy, are in deadly peril, and if the Busso-Rumaninns take full advantage of their opportunity there- can be no dispute about that, Berlin makes the signi/iennfr admission: "Repented enemy attacks from the Topraisar-Tuzla line failed," Now, Tuzla is only fifteen miles smith of Constniiza, and as the German claim implies that their own line is not far south of Tnzln,, it is probable that Mackensen is even further up in . the Dolirwlja than the Silistria-Mangalia .line; so the' Rnsso-Rumnnian chances of making a hip; haul are excellent. Bucharest reports that the enemy are being attacked violently along the whole line, but no claim of driving them/bad is made. These are pinning-down attacks, however, It is not desired to compel Maekensen to retreat yet so much as to hold hiin there in order to give-the; Rumanian foreo crossing the Danube behind him as much time as possible.. But. the Rns?o-Rumanians-inust lie determined not to allow themselves to be held by a mere rearguard'while the main body of the.enemy retreats south. For this, reason Hie attacks should:bo pressed with ruthless determination, and Maekcnsen compelled. to choose between holding his present line 'with'is main body orhaving the rearguards driven back iu headlong rout. .' ". ■ _','' Large Ambitions' Wanted. One. of the later cables yesterday made the. extraordinary .statement: "French.experts state that the Rumanians, under • General Zoeton, crossed |. the Danube thirty miles south of Bucharest, md are now solidly entrenched? . This is no time for entrenching, but for a very swift crossing followed by a very swift advance. To entrench would only be useful.and.necessary in order to cover a slow crossing, But a sloVcrossing would not only'; allow • Maekcnsen to slip out of the .net, but would invite .him to close upon th-st • part of the army already across and drive it into the.river. AVhat are wanted here are large ambitions. The Rnsso-Rumanians have an almost unparalleled opportunity, When the Germans invaded France through Belgium they, were ambitious enough.to attempt to envelop and roll up the entire Allied army bw.marching, right round .it, .and they almost succeeded. The Russo-Runianian's have, not got' to march right .round Maekcnsen. 'They, are 'already right on his rear, and only need to march swiftly across his communications, It is not thinkable that they'-will throw away so unique a chance'of cutting Maekcnsen to pieces, and practically deciding the Balkan campaign .and the swift fall of Constantinople at one stroke, merely through want of foresight in preparing for a, swift crossing of the Danube. • Only Foresight Needed, To provide for that swift, crossing only energy and foresight arc required. A Berlin communique claims: "Austro-German monitors destroyed pontoons thrown across the Danube south of Bucharest." Here ■we have the testimony of the enemy that pontoon bridges' are already in position, and. to ensure a swift crossing it is only necessary to have enough of them. The Russo-Rumanian plans should have been worked out to a detail, so many hours .being allowed for the crossing. From that it would be easy to calculate the number of pontoons required to pass 'over the given force within the given time. These pontoons are merely square, box-like/boats, nothing being required of them save'the capacity to float ■' upon tie water and carry a considerable load. The beams and planks laid across them are also of the simplest kind of joinery, and any large, well-equipped joinery shop should be able to turn them out by thousands in a very short time. Both Russia and Rumania, are well-wooded countries, . Rumania has been preparing for this for two years, and the possibility of having to cross the Danube should always have' been kept in view by her military organisers; while the'Russo-Rnnrnnians have had a month or so to prepare (or (his particular move. The Russians in 1577 protected themselves against such .raids as that mentioned above by lines of mines across the river above and below the point of crossing, and the RussoRuiiiaiiiaiis have jiow an abundance of monitors and river gnnboals, Tn . addilion, heavy.arlillery, can be placed on the banks lo drive off would-be i,interrupters,of.the,passage, .Ro.there can be no excuse, for a slow crossing. % ~ And Then? There is a railway bridge across Die river at Rnslcliuk, a few miles ' smith-west' of the present point of crossing, 'and to seize that should be one j of Hie first moves of the Rumanians. One or two of its spans near the Bulgarian shore, will doubtless have been deslroyed, bill I lie, slono piers j will probably remain, and if the Riisso-Rumanians have shown the requisite | foresight they will have wooden sections all ready to tloat into position to replace the destroyed sections upon the stone piers. At Simnitza, twenty miles,further up tho river, the Russians constructed in 1877 a complete wooden bridge right across the river in Ave days, although the work was frequently interrupted by storms; so to repair'the already, existing bridge should not take long, if proper foresight has been displayed, When that is completed the army will have the use of the Eiiste'JiuMarna railway for its- advance across Mackensen's communications, while Mackensen himself will have no railways, but will have to drag back his heavy gnus ■and transport over roads deep in mud. ]f the'Russo-Rumanian advance is swift,- it is not likely that much damage will have been done .to the railway, and such damage as has been done can be swiftly repaired. In short, the Russo-Rumanians have an unprecedented opportunity, and if they fake full advantage of it Mackensen can hardly, escape with anything less than the loss of the mass of his heavy guns and transport,,-while, his ruin may be. complete. If they do not take advantage of it, this will,argue an amazing lack of energy, enterprise, and forethought.